Rotopercussive sounding
The drilling in mining also responds to the extended name of rotopercussive drilling in reverse circulation. Its main function and application is to obtain samples from the rocks being drilled for further analysis.
In short, the air that is compressed between the double-walled rods of the equipment carries debris from the ground to the surface where the work is being performed. Collected through cyclones, these samples are placed in plastic bags and directed to the study areas that compete for them.
Widely used in mineral exploration, rotopercussive drilling has a market, also, in the development of mines and in the drilling of wells of the most diverse types. It is also the procedure chosen for analysis of geological investigation and environmental control.
It is worth mentioning that the rotopercussive method is commonly used for geological formations whose soil is hard and compact. Furthermore, among the main advantages of this type of survey, the most important are the low cost and the rapid and high progress in the work.
As for the disadvantages, it is necessary to pay close attention to these crucial points of rotopercussive sounding:
• Costs become excessively high for later enlargements;
• The collected sample may be scrambled;
• Drilling in smaller diameters;
• There is a considerable level of control difficulty for formations that are well established.