Circulation system of an Antarctic electromechanical bedrock drill

For bedrock core drilling below 3000 m in the Antarctic ice sheet, Jilin University has designed a set of modular electromechanical drills with a local reverse circulation system, which works at the bottom of the borehole to remove the rock powder. Thorough removal of the rock powder is critically important to prevent it from accumulating in the bottom of the hole and eventually blocking the drill or causing other problems. During drilling, rock powder is carried by the drilling fluid, which flows from a down-hole pump to the chip chamber. If drilling fluid in the bottom of the hole cannot overcome the flow resistance or if its velocity is too low, the rock powder will not be carried to the chip chamber, and will remain in the borehole or gather in the clearance of the circulation system. Therefore, the down-hole pump performance characteristics are of vital importance. The selection of the down-hole pump for bedrock core drilling should consider both flow rate and outlet pressure. This paper reports a specific calculating method for the rEquired flow rate of the drilling fluid and the pressure losses in the circulation system.