Current status of in-situ leachable sandstone-type uranium drilling and technical measures of improving drilling efficiency

Abstract:

Over recent ten years， the drilling footage in in-situ leachable sandstone-type uranium exploration in China has been increasing steadily， and uranium exploration is shifting to new stratums， new areas， new types and new depth； thus， new requirements are raised for in-situ leachable sandstone-type uranium drilling technology and equipment. This paper analyzes the current status of in-situ leachable sandstone uranium drilling， and proposes a series of improvement measures to improve drilling efficiency from the aspects of technology and equipment. The main measures include implementation of parallel operation of core removal at surface and core drilling， utilization of low-solid polymer mud， optimization of the bit and drilling tool assembly， application of the swivel type double-tube core barrel and large diameter wire-line core drilling technology in loose strata， execution of full-face drilling technology. Besides， automatic and digital drilling equipment should be developed to promote the industrial level of drilling engineering.