Mineral Drilling Services
Mineral Drilling Solutions
Our business is about providing information to reveal what lies deep within the earth. More often than not, this requires innovative drilling methods responsibly delivered in order to recover high quality samples that provide this information. Honed through extensive global drilling experience in complex formations and extreme terrain, Foraco develops customized drilling solutions that meet the needs or our customers. Deep directional drilling, large diameter coring, and hydrogeological drilling are just a few of the methods we safely deploy every day.
Exploration Drilling
Exploration Drilling
The discovery of virtually all mines depends on exploration drilling and along with the search for water, this is where the Foraco story began. Increasingly, these discoveries – both on surface and underground - occur in some of the most remote regions of the world that require us to address not only the customer’s technical requirements but also accessibility of the drilling site, topography, water supply, and ground conditions. Foraco specializes in operating under harsh environments, including deserts and artic terrain, rain forests, high altitude and ultra-deep deposits as well as some of the most inaccessible locations on earth - all of which require, best in class people and equipment, operational excellence and planning.
Foraco’s many years of experience under these conditions allows us to offer complete drilling solutions utilizing a variety of drilling techniques including deep directional coring, Heli-portable drilling, underground coring, reverse circulation, air core and rotary drilling services all staffed by some of the most experienced and highly trained crews and supervision in the industry.
Development Drilling
Development drilling / Definition Drilling
Development drilling :
Once discovered, the viability of a new mine or expansion project needs to be proven demanding extensive development drilling. External and internal financing requires a definitive review of the project economics (precise location, grade and tonnage) before funds are committed to advance a project. To obtain sufficient information development drilling is completed – using in very large volumes - providing detailed definition and parameters of the ore body. Development drilling often requires additional rigs performing larger drilling campaigns, “ramping up” from the earlier exploration stage. Drilling services are often of the same type, but volumes and duration much larger. It is during the development stage that Foraco markets some of its more technical drilling techniques, such as:
- Deep directional drilling with multiple “branches” from one “parent” borehole to
depths of over 3000m. - Large diameter bulk sampling utilizing destructive drilling techniques.
These techniques provide customers with a large tonnage of ore, typically for pilot
plant processing before the mine is put into production. - Large diameter core drilling – up to 9 inches in diameter - which allows customers
Definition Drilling :
Definition drilling involves drilling within the boundaries of an operating mine. This includes both surface and underground operations where detailed information on the precise boundaries of the ore bearing rock is obtained by drilling numerous holes into the orebody. This information is crucial to ensuring that only ore bearing material is mined eliminating or reducing ore dilution from non-ore grade material. As mining progresses, additional definition drilling is required to further define ore boundaries and correspondingly, definition drilling is continuous throughout the life of a mine. Core drilling is the primary method of used in underground operations while on surface, a combination of reverse circulation and core drilling may be utilized.
Definition drilling also provides key structural and hydrogeological information that is critical to ensure safe operations and the integrity of the mine design. Once identified, these features – be it large unstable faults or aquifers frequently require remedial drilling either for grouting and containment or dewatering.
Production Drilling
Production Drilling
For most metals, extracting the ore requires production drilling and blasting operations. This includes the longhole stoping method commonly used in steeply dipping narrow vein gold operations. Foraco specializes in longhole drilling and blasting as it demands a high degree of drilling accuracy and controls to minimize dilution. Both pneumatic and electric top hammer drills are used for this mining method that also requires inverse and drop raising operations which provide the opening for blasted ore to break into.
Other production methods include grade control reverse circulation drilling commonly used in open pit gold mining operations. Grade control drilling not only provides confirmation of the ore grades but can also double as a production blast hole.
Some resources like salts of Lithium, Magnesium, Sodium or Potash can be extracted using in situ dilution using underground injection of water which is a natural solvent of many salts.
Foraco specializes into “In Situ Leaching” or “Solution Mining” production techniques and deploy part of its water drilling rig fleet to help our customers to inject water or extract brines from deep within the ore bodies.
Exploration Drilling
Development Drilling
Once discovered, the viability of a new mine or expansion project needs to be proven
demanding extensive development drilling. External and internal financing requires a definitive review of the project economics (precise location, grade and tonnage) before funds are committed to advance a project. To obtain sufficient information development drilling is completed – using in very large volumes – providing detailed definition and parameters of the ore body. Development drilling often requires additional rigs performing
larger drilling campaigns, “ramping up” from the earlier exploration stage. Drilling services are often of the same type, but volumes and duration much larger. It is during the
development stage that Foraco markets some of its more technical drilling techniques, such as:
- Deep directional drilling with multiple “branches” from one “parent” borehole to
depths of over 3000m. - Large diameter bulk sampling utilizing destructive drilling techniques.
These techniques provide customers with a large tonnage of ore, typically for pilot
plant processing before the mine is put into production. - Large diameter core drilling – up to 9 inches in diameter – which allows customers
Definition Drilling :
Definition drilling involves drilling within the boundaries of an operating mine. This includes both surface and underground operations where detailed information on the precise boundaries of the ore bearing rock is obtained by drilling numerous holes into the orebody. This information is crucial to ensuring that only ore bearing material is mined eliminating or reducing ore dilution from non-ore grade material. As mining progresses, additional definition drilling is required to further define ore boundaries and correspondingly, definition drilling is continuous throughout the life of a mine. Core drilling is the primary method of used in underground operations while on surface, a combination of reverse circulation and core drilling may be utilized.
Definition drilling also provides key structural and hydrogeological information that is critical to ensure safe operations and the integrity of the mine design. Once identified, these features – be it large unstable faults or aquifers frequently require remedial drilling either for grouting and containment or dewatering.
Production Drilling
For most metals, extracting the ore requires production drilling and blasting operations. This includes the longhole stoping method commonly used in steeply dipping narrow vein gold operations. Foraco specializes in longhole drilling and blasting as it demands a high degree of drilling accuracy and controls to minimize dilution. Both pneumatic and electric top hammer drills are used for this mining method that also requires inverse and drop raising operations which provide the opening for blasted ore to break into.
Other production methods include grade control reverse circulation drilling commonly used in open pit gold mining operations. Grade control drilling not only provides confirmation of the ore grades but can also double as a production blast hole.
Some resources like salts of Lithium, Magnesium, Sodium or Potash can be extracted using in situ dilution using underground injection of water which is a natural solvent of many salts.
Foraco specializes into “In Situ Leaching” or “Solution Mining” production techniques and deploy part of its water drilling rig fleet to help our customers to inject water or extract brines from deep within the ore bodies.
Water Drilling Services
Drinking Water Supply
Drinking Water Supply
Industrial Water Management
Industrial Water Management
Foraco has drilled more than 40,000 production water wells in all types of geological formations ranging from 20 metres to 2,000 metres in depth. Depending on the use of the well, Foraco installs a wide range of equipment in the bore holes, from a full polyvinyl chloride (PVC) installation for shallow wells, to 100% steel casing for deeper wells that extend to more than 200 metres in depth. Foraco has developed its own proprietary method of hydraulically fracturing rocks in the production zone of the aquifer to stimulate the well and increase yield.
Foraco has developed its own reverse circulation drilling technique called “Flooded reverse” which enables it to identify the nature of the geological formations encountered, detecting each intersected aquifer and to accurately measure the quality of the water and the potential yields. Foraco’s technical expertise means it can equip the wells with pumps, and provide the required instrumentation to understand and manage the resource.Foraco is a specialist driller of wells for drinking water, irrigation water and industrial water. Foraco undertakes a wide range of projects, including large scale village water drilling programs (some of which have delivered as many as 900 wells per project), highly specialized drilling projects to access mineral water (bottled water industry) utilizing sanitary protection methods, and large diameter well fields for residential supply in urban environments. Foraco has experience in a wide range of techniques used in water well drilling, as well as expertise involved in the inspection, servicing and rehabilitation of existing wells. The Company can offer an integrated package of services to its customers, including turn-key contracts for water production and initial distribution systems in rural or semi-urban areas of developing countries.
Foraco has drilled more than 40,000 production water wells in all types of geological formations ranging from 20 metres to 2,000 metres in depth. Depending on the use of the well, Foraco installs a wide range of equipment in the bore holes, from a full polyvinyl chloride (PVC) installation for shallow wells, to 100% steel casing for deeper wells that extend to more than 200 metres in depth. Foraco has developed its own proprietary method of hydraulically fracturing rocks in the production zone of the aquifer to stimulate the well and increase yield.
Foraco has developed its own reverse circulation drilling technique called “Flooded reverse” which enables it to identify the nature of the geological formations encountered, detecting each intersected aquifer and to accurately measure the quality of the water and the potential yields. Foraco’s technical expertise means it can equip the wells with pumps, and provide the required instrumentation to understand and manage the resource.The Company can offer an integrated package of services to its customers, including turn-key contracts for water production and initial distribution systems in rural or semi-urban areas of developing countries.
Foraco is a specialist driller of wells for drinking water, irrigation water and industrial water. Foraco undertakes a wide range of projects, including large scale village water drilling programs (some of which have delivered as many as 900 wells per project), highly specialized drilling projects to access mineral water (bottled water industry) utilizing sanitary protection methods, and large diameter well fields for residential supply in urban environments. Foraco has experience in a wide range of techniques used in water well drilling, as well as expertise involved in the inspection, servicing and rehabilitation of existing wells.
Foraco has drilled more than 40,000 production water wells in all types of geological formations ranging from 20 metres to 2,000 metres in depth. Depending on the use of the well, Foraco installs a wide range of equipment in the bore holes, from a full polyvinyl chloride (PVC) installation for shallow wells, to 100% steel casing for deeper wells that extend to more than 200 metres in depth. Foraco has developed its own proprietary method of hydraulically fracturing rocks in the production zone of the aquifer to stimulate the well and increase yield.
Foraco has developed its own reverse circulation drilling
technique called “Flooded reverse” which enables it to identify the nature of the geological formations encountered, detecting each intersected aquifer and to accurately measure the quality of the water and the potential yields.
Foraco’s technical expertise means it can equip the wells with pumps, and provide the required instrumentation to understand and manage the resource.
Drinking Water Supply
Development Drilling
Foraco has drilled more than 40,000 production water wells in all types of geological formations ranging from 20 metres to 2,000 metres in depth. Depending on the use of the well, Foraco installs a wide range of equipment in the bore holes, from a full polyvinyl chloride (PVC) installation for shallow wells, to 100% steel casing for deeper wells that extend to more than 200 metres in depth. Foraco has developed its own proprietary method of hydraulically fracturing rocks in the production zone of the aquifer to stimulate the well and increase yield.
Foraco has developed its own reverse circulation drilling
technique called “Flooded reverse” which enables it to identify the nature of the geological formations encountered, detecting each intersected aquifer and to accurately measure the quality of the water and the potential yields.
Foraco’s technical expertise means it can equip the wells with pumps, and provide the required instrumentation to understand and manage the resource.