REI Drilling provides directional drilling services for all types of mining dewatering and/or water transfer for active mining or environmental mitigation purposes.
Give us a call: 330-540-4506
REI Drilling, Inc. - Water Transfer Boreholes for Mining Applications
1. ADVANCED HORIZONTAL WATER DRAINAGE BOREHOLES
FOR MINE REMEDIATION APPLICATIONS AND ACTIVE
MINING OPERATIONS
• Slide TextDIRECTIONAL SOLUTIONS
Michael P. Bohan
Licensed Professional Geologist / Technical Sales Manager
2. BACKGROUND
• Slide TextDIRECTIONAL SOLUTIONS
• 35 years as a service provider to the
mining industry, developing directional
drilling for projects including:
degasification, exploration, dewatering,
water transfer, abandoned mine
verification, and shallow depleted oil
development (oil mining).
• 17 years providing dewatering / water
transfer services to the mining industry,
state / local government, & private
entities. Approximately 30% of drilling
revenues is derived from this category
(dewatering / water transfer).
3. HORIZONTAL DEWATERING / WATER TRANSFER BOREHOLES
• Slide TextDIRECTIONAL SOLUTIONS
• PADEP – Kalp / Melcroft
Acid mine drainage and mine pool
control.
• Rio Tinto – Bingham Canyon
Stope dewatering / pore pressure
reduction.
• PacificCorp – Deer Creek
Underground water transfer.
• US EPA – Abandoned Argintine Mine
Mine pool draw-down.
• Iron Range
Potential environmental & mining applications.
IRON RANGE
KELP / MELCROFT
BINGHAM CANYON
DEER CREEK
ARGENTINE MINE
Projects
4. HORIZONTAL DEWATERING / WATER TRANSFER BOREHOLES
• Slide TextDIRECTIONAL SOLUTIONS
Advantages over Conventional Vertical Well Installations:
• Provide gravity drainage
systems.
• Eliminate pumping.
• Zero power costs.
• Minimal Maintenance.
5. KALP / MELCROFT
ACID MINE DRAINAGE / MINE POOL CONTROL
• Slide TextDIRECTIONAL SOLUTIONS
PADEP - Somerset County, Pennsylvania
Drill Station
Mine Pool
6. KALP / MELCROFT
ACID MINE DRAINAGE / MINE POOL CONTROL
• Slide TextDIRECTIONAL SOLUTIONS
PADEP - Somerset County, Pennsylvania
• 2x 450ft x 12 inch diameter gravity fed drainage
boreholes to control mine pool.
• Elimination of weeping / seepage along outcrop.
• Elimination of catastrophic failure (blowout potential).
7. KALP / MELCROFT
ACID MINE DRAINAGE / MINE POOL CONTROL
• Slide TextDIRECTIONAL SOLUTIONS
PADEP - Somerset County, Pennsylvania
• Very tight working confines.
• All drilling effluent and cuttings
had to be contained and disposed of.
• Discharge water was recirculated back into
the mine pool while drilling & reaming.
8. KALP / MELCROFT
ACID MINE DRAINAGE / MINE POOL CONTROL
• Slide TextDIRECTIONAL SOLUTIONS
PADEP - Somerset County, Pennsylvania
• Drill station developed from a sump.
• 4 Inch pilot hole developed short of the
break-out point.
• Stage reamed up to 16 Inches.
9. KALP / MELCROFT
ACID MINE DRAINAGE / MINE POOL CONTROL
• Slide TextDIRECTIONAL SOLUTIONS
PADEP - Somerset County, Pennsylvania
• 12 Inch stainless steel casing and hardware
installed due to low pH.
• Wellhead & grout job engineered and
pressure tested to 1.5x maximum
head pressure.
• Casing re-entered and break-out into
inundated old workings.
10. DEER CREEK UNDERGROUND WATER TRANSFER BOREHOLE
• Slide TextDIRECTIONAL SOLUTIONS
PacificCorp - Huntington, Utah
• 1x 10 Inch, HDPE lined water transfer borehole.
• 4,860 ft length.
• Connected two longwall coal mining districts.
Drill Station
11. DEER CREEK MINE WATER TRANSFER
• Slide TextDIRECTIONAL SOLUTIONS
PacificCorp - Huntington, Utah
• Provided drainage for treatment of mine discharge
at one central location
• Alternative would have been to pump perpetually
from one of the sites.
12. KENNECOTT UTAH COPPER BINGHAM CANYON MINE
STOPE DRAINAGE BOREHOLE
• Slide TextDIRECTIONAL SOLUTIONS
Rio Tinto – Salt Lake County, Utah
Drill Station
13. KENNECOTT UTAH COPPER BINGHAM CANYON MINE
STOPE DRAINAGE BOREHOLE
• Slide TextDIRECTIONAL SOLUTIONS
Rio Tinto – Salt Lake County, Utah
Drill Station
• Elimination of water behind pit walls
• Allows for steepening the angle of pit wall / bench
development for efficiencies / economics.
14. KENNECOTT UTAH COPPER BINGHAM CANYON MINE
STOPE DRAINAGE BOREHOLE
• Slide TextDIRECTIONAL SOLUTIONS
Rio Tinto – Salt Lake County, Utah
• 1x 6 Inch, stainless steel lined dewatering borehole.
• 2,800 ft length.
15. ARGENTINE MINE POOL DRAW-DOWN
• Slide TextDIRECTIONAL SOLUTIONS
Drill Station
US EPA – Rico, Colorado
• Project parameters identical to Gold
King.
• Drawdown mine pool to reduce head
pressure on mine seals.
16. ARGENTINE MINE POOL DRAW-DOWN
• Slide TextDIRECTIONAL SOLUTIONS
Gold King Mine Spill – Silverton, Colorado
• 2015
• 3 million gallons of acid mine water.
• TDS contained heavy metals.
• Horizontal Drilling rather than excavation
would likely have prevented the
Gold King mine spill.
17. ARGENTINE MINE POOL DRAW-DOWN
• Slide TextDIRECTIONAL SOLUTIONS
US EPA – Rico, Colorado
• 2x 8 inch horizontal acid mine water
drainage wells.
• Borehole No.1 - 220 ft length.
• Borehole No.2 - 270 ft in length.
Drill Station
Drill Station
18. ARGENTINE MINE POOL DRAW-DOWN
• Slide TextDIRECTIONAL SOLUTIONS
US EPA – Rico, Colorado
• Initial development of 100 ft through
unconsolidated broken ground.
• Utilized a casing advancer.
19. IRON RANGE MINES
• Slide TextDIRECTIONAL SOLUTIONS
Environmental Applications
• Abandoned, inundated mines.
Active Mining
• Applications for Pit dewatering.
20. IRON RANGE MINES
• Slide TextDIRECTIONAL SOLUTIONS
Environmental Applications
Abandoned Inundated Mines
• Need enough outfall
(elevation) to allow
for draw-down.
• Borehole diameter needs
to be large enough to handle
flow volumes.
21. IRON RANGE MINES
• Slide TextDIRECTIONAL SOLUTIONS
Active Mining
• Mining may be below drainage,
I.E. Gravity drainage may not
be effective.
• Vertical well intercept.
Drill Station
Vertical Well Intercept
22. IRON RANGE MINES
• Slide TextDIRECTIONAL SOLUTIONS
Active Mining
• Mining may be below drainage
(I.E. Gravity drainage may not
be effective).
• Vertical well intercept.
Drill Station
Vertical Well Intercept