Drilling Expertise & Engineering Prowess
Geologic Exploration & Anomaly Detection
Fault and Anomaly Detection
REI uses directional drilling and sidetracking to maintain boreholes in the coal seam over distances up to 6,000 feet. Plotting the profile of the borehole from downhole surveys and driller logs provides the mining operation with an indication of coal seam structure. Any discontinuities intercepted during drilling, such as faults, palaeochannels, intrusions, coal burn, etc., are detected by monitoring drilling fluid pressures, changes in thrust, vibration, rate of penetration, and inspection of cuttings. REI will verify the fault location and continue drilling inby the fault to determine the offset and pitch.
Intrusive Anomalies
Coal Burn Characterization Diagram
Seam Profile Characterization
Directional holes provide a wealth of information about bedded deposits. REI uses directional drilling and sidetracking to maintain boreholes in the seam over distances up to 6,000 feet, and by plotting the profile of the borehole from downhole surveys and driller logs, REI provides the mining operation with an indication of seam structure along the full length of the borehole. Sidetracks are developed and intentionally drilled into the roof and floor rock at corresponding drill string lengths to compare elevation data to estimate the seam thickness.
In-seam Directional Drilling for Coal Seam Thickness and Structure Characterization
Fault and Coal Seam exploration diagram
Geophysical Surveys and Geotechnical Drilling
Use directional drilling to gather geophysical data from hard-to-reach areas of your operations that would not be possible with traditional non-directional techniques. REI can steer a borehole along a determined alignment and then run a post-drilling geophysical survey, including continuous gamma, televiewers, and a range of other tooling. In addition, we can collect core samples and perform overcore stress tests to provide the geotechnical and stress data points you need. Ask us about using directional techniques to expand your data gathering capabilities.
Coring
Through sidetracking, directional drilling maximizes the amount of data gathered from each corehole while minimizing total footage drilled. Increased borehole design capabilities allow for optimal borehole placement and core retrieval. REI has experience from surface and underground setup locations, so call us for more information to see if directional techniques can improve your exploration program.
Surface to In-seam directional drilling for coal quality determination
Directional steering and coring diagram
Tunnel Alignment
Geologic exploration drilling can be performed in advance of a proposed tunnel to gather valuable information about ground conditions and water infiltration. Vertical drilling programs only provide geologic data at specific points along the tunnel alignment and can require extensive permitting and infrastructure investments. Consider horizontal directional drilling as an alternative to gather data long the entire length of the projected tunnel alignment.
Tunnel alignment exploration diagram
Comparison between vertical and directional drilling approaches
Abandoned Well Locating with Magnetic Detection
If you potentially have a vertical borehole, such as a historic gas well, in advance of your developments but you are unable to access the borehole from the surface to verify its location, call us to see if horizontal drilling can help. REI can develop parallel horizontal boreholes on either side of a magnetic anomaly, like a vertical well casing, and use a magnetic gradiometer to verify the vertical hole location with a high level of accuracy. This novel approach gives you the peace of mind and confidence to continue developing ahead.
Geophones and Highwall Monitoring
Use directionally-steered holes to place your sensors and monitoring equipment in areas where traditional non-directional holes may not be able to reach. With our focus on directional drilling, we can assist developing an installation plan using steered boreholes. Applications include slope stability for open pit highwalls and subsistence monitoring for underground caving and full-extraction methods. Ask us about using directional techniques to install geophones, spatial location sensors like Smart Markers, and other monitoring equipment.