In recent years there has been a major push in geothermal heating and cooling system installations. Escalating and uncertain fuel costs have been the driving force behind this, and with the possibility of reducing heating and cooling operating costs by 30% to 60% coupled with Federal and State incentives the proposition of going to Geothermal is very attractive. Additionally, payback can be in as little as two to seven years.
We are all becoming a little greener these days and geothermal is certainly a very green option. It reduces our dependency on fossil fuels and has a zero impact on the environment. It is a renewable energy source that does not contribute to the green house effect. With the financial savings and lack of impact on the environment it is not surprising that all new government buildings and schools are required to have geothermal systems to heat and cool them. All in all a pretty good result for the economy and the environment.
The major component of a geothermal system is the loop that utilizes the earth’s natural, limitless supply of geothermal heating and cooling to help keep temperatures constant in all kinds of structures. To make this possible the drilling contractor is required to drill a series of holes to install either a closed or open loop system. The depth of the holes can vary from installation to installation, and depending on the size of the structure the quantity of holes also varies. What does not vary is the drilling contractors need to finish the job as quickly and efficiently as possible.
What then is the drilling contractor looking for from a DTH hammer? Simple, a tool that has performance, reliability and doesn’t quit on you when the drilling gets difficult. To this end, Mincon Rockdrills developed the MC range of DTH hammers.
The performance of the Mincon MC DTH hammers is second to none. A high frequency tool with a unique drill bit design delivers penetration rates that get to the contracted depth of hole as soon as possible.
Mincon Rockdrills world class manufacturing philosophies provide a hammer with superior quality. With all the manufacturing processes carried out in house we don’t trust anybody else with our quality. The result is a tool that holds consistent pressure throughout the life of the hammer with no drop off in drilling performance. Furthermore, the elimination of the foot valve or blow tube from the drill bit removes the problem of having to trip out of the hole due to broken foot valves and they never seem to break at the top of the hole. The drill bit is also fully supported within the chuck further reducing the possibility of shanking due to worn bit bearings or bit retaining rings.
One of the greatest problems in drilling geothermal holes is ground water. Jobs that should turn a nice profit can quickly turn sour due to large volumes of water. The choke in the hammer must be changed to bypass air from the drilling cycle directly through the hammer to get the head of water above the bit so that drilling can continue. This slows down the penetration rate when there is no water, directly affecting the bottom line. Sometimes changing the choke is not enough to overcome the back pressure created by the water and the driller must constantly fight with the water to finish the hole. The problem is magnified by the quantity of holes that need to be drilled. The Mincon MC range of hammers have an extremely efficient exhaust system that enables the hammer to drill through much larger volumes of water that frequently flood out other hammers. The MC55 and MC60 hammers are regularly drilling through 200-300 gallons per minute, a feat not possible with others.With all these benefits to using the Mincon MC range of hammers it is little wonder why Mincon Rockdrills are now “The Driller’s Choice” for geothermal drilling.
