Multitec 9000 Feedback- Phosphate Exploration in Egypt
Dando recently received excellent feedback about the Multitec 9000 and compressor unit it supplied to the government owned organisation Egyptian Mineral Resources Authority (EMRA) in 2015.
Drilling in the arid conditions of the Aswan Desert close to the historical city of Luxor, the track mounted multipurpose rig is currently conducting conventional coring using air for a phosphate exploration project.
A very hard, silicified, limestone cap rock sits above the phosphate deposits, so the drillers use air from a 750cfm/300 Psi Doosan compressor to power a 5” DTH hammer through to the deposit. The string is then pulled and the hammer replaced with a conventional T2-86 core barrel which is well suited to air flush coring.
“They are both very strong- we cannot believe how quickly the rig drills” said the customer. “To date we have drilled 20 shallow holes.” While carrying out the drilling, the rig has also been attracting attention from other companies in the country looking to acquire Dando rigs.
EMRA have now purchased a further wireline coring package which will be used for gold exploration in the region.
The versatility of the Multitec 9000 rig lends itself well to customers like EMRA who drill in varied geologies and employ several different drilling methods to retrieve quality samples at impressive penetration rates. The RH6 rotary head supplied with the rig allows it to be used for both conventional and wireline coring, RC drilling, and DTH hammer drilling. The rotary head stroke enables the loading of 3m rods, while the hydraulically deployed mast extension saves tripping time through pulling two rods at once using the winch.
Despite its capable 10 tonnes of pullback and 142hp turbo-charged Caterpillar engine, the Multitec 9000 is mounted on a compact track unit that is only 1420mm wide when crawling. This allows the rig to be easily transported when drill sites are far apart in the desert, safely stored between projects, and provides unprecedented manoeuvrability in areas where access is limited.
Dando has a rich history of supplying rigs into Egypt. One influential factor in EMRA choosing Dando was hearing of the success of Red Sea Mining’s two Mintec 5 rigs, also being used for phosphate exploration in the region. This was coupled with further positive feedback from ASCOM, another Dando Mintec 5 customer in Egypt.
For more information on the Multitec 9000 please visit the Multitec 9000 product page.