Sweden-based construction and mining tools and equipment manufacturer Atlas Copco launched its PowerROC T50 surface drill rig, designed for use at limestone, cement and aggregates quarries, onto the African market earlier this month.

The PowerROC T50 is a tophammer, blasthole drill rig that is purpose-built and designed to operate in environments where productivity, durability and availability are essential, says Atlas Copco business line manager: surface and exploration drilling Hedley Birnie.

It is also suitable for construction, mining and quarrying production blasthole drilling because the rig can drill a larger range of hole sizes, which can vary from 89 mm to 152 mm, depending on the application, he adds.

The drill rig was first launched at the international trade fair for construction machinery, building material machines, construction vehicles and equipment Bauma China 2014, in Shanghai.

Birnie tells Mining Weekly that the PowerROC T50 fills the gap in Atlas Copco’s original range of tophammer drill machines that can drill holes ranging between 140 mm and 152 mm.

Back to Basics
A key focus in the design of the PowerROC T50 drill rig centres on a back-to-basics approach.Birnie notes that contractors often find it challenging to maintain a high-technology machine at remote sites.

“Therefore, we designed a machine with a simplified hydraulic and electrical system that is easy to use,” he says.

The self-contained, easy-to-manoeuvre machine is easy to maintain and achieves high performance, with the newly developed rock drill COP 3060 for surface applications providing the PowerROC T50 with a high penetration rate.

The drill is matched with an Atlas Copco air compressor that provides sufficient air to ensure a high-quality hole; it is also equipped with a sturdy aluminium feed for lighter and lower maintenance of the boom system and front end.

Meanwhile, the rod-handling capacity allows for drilling up to 35 m in depth. Other features include a rollover-protective- structure- and falling-object- protective-structure-certified cabin with significant visibility and extra vibration dampers.

“Further, the engine, available in Tier 3 or Tier 4, provides more tonnes for each litre of fuel, resulting in high efficiency and productivity while conforming to the emission standards,” Birnie says, noting that Atlas Copco received fuel burn results of as low as 27.2 ℓ/h.

Emphasising Atlas Copco’s focus on extensive testing, Birnie notes that the surface exploration drilling division supplied the PowerROC T50 drill rig to Durban-based drill and blasting specialist Eire Contractors, after which it was tested in quarrying and opencast mining applications in Pietermaritzburg, in KwaZulu-Natal, and Piet Retief, in Mpumalanga, during September and October 2014. Birnie notes that, during the trial period, the rig drilled to a depth of 15 m.

Eire Contractors CEO John Moffatt reported that, in addition to substantial savings on diesel, the rig easily drilled larger holes – of between 140 mm and 152 mm in diameter – while the rig’s power, speed and fuel efficiency met the company’s objectives of achieving maximum productivity with minimum input.

While Atlas Copco expected the PowerRoc T50 to achieve an instantaneous drilling capability of about 100 m/h at the coal application in Piet Retief, Birnie says the drill rig achieved about 200 m/h during the practical applications.

Meanwhile, during the quarrying test applications, which included granite and quartzite, at the Pietermaritzburg quarries, the PowerROC T50 achieved a drilling capability of between 42 m/h and 44 m/h. “Even in hard-rock applications, the machine performed extremely well,” Birnie stresses.

Following the testing, Eire Contractors bought five machines, as well as the demonstration model. According to the contractors, the machine’s fuel efficiency and ability to drill larger holes prompted the orders. Mining major Anglo American bought three machines for Kumba’s iron-ore applications at the Sishen mine, in the Northern Cape.