RE: Drilling and Helium shows8 Jun 2021 09:46
Glib: Reallyden, this question makes me so mad! Because I can't find an interview that talked about the difference between using a mineral rig and oil rig - which mentioned being left with a "bucket of chips". If you do find the interview please post. However, there are more variables to consider than the difference between oil rig drilling and mineral rig drilling. You can get a pile of chippings using either type of rig so in the case of whether you are going to get a core sample. a pile of dust or a truck load of chippings is dependant upon the methods of drilling to be used as opposed to the rig type. Mud is not typically used for mineral exploration as in general the only product from the hole in the ground is rock. In this case mud will be necessary to control the well and to prevent kicks or blow outs as a result of releasing trapped gas. Whoopsie. So unless someone on here can confirm the drill technique, basically, we dont know all that much. Drilling speed will depend upon the method--sounds obvious doesnt it, but folk are guessing drill penetration times without a clue about the method proposed. Diamond core takes several times longer than an RC drill using air, but we know at least that air is out of the equation. They may horse down to a point above the first anticipated cap with a cone bit and get that pile of chippings and then change over to a coring tool or they may just go coring from the off and pull the cores using a wireline so as not to have to keep pulling the drill string all the way out again which is a quicker method of diamond core drilling, but they might not. It will depend upon what they want to achieve and what rock samples they want on the way down. Point is, to estimate times to reach target depth is futile unless you are the driller and have the drill design, the capability of the rig, anticipated ROP based on the Geo experts and even then its a best guess. Its a good game though, bb competition to guess the time to be taken before first He shows are reported. I'll guess 11 days after spud announcement. One thing that we can be sure about is that they will be drilling soon and there will be a hole in the ground and before long we will be able to say well, well, well, three holes in the ground.