Drilling Optimisation – Phase 3: MinEx CRC Project 1

The Challenge

Drilling is a vital component of modern mineral exploration, but deploying and operating current drilling technology in Western Australia’s remote and sensitive landscapes is both expensive and resource intensive. As explorers push deeper in search of the next generation of mineral discoveries, these costs risk becoming unsustainable.

Proposed Solution

This project seeks to develop a series of market-ready improvements to drill engineering, fluid management, workflows and automation measures to increase overall efficiency of both diamond and percussive drilling by 50% in standard exploration drilling operations.

Proposed Benefits to WA

Cheaper, more efficient drilling could represent an important enabling technology for future mineral exploration in Western Australia, where many of the most exciting exploration targets are expected to lie below cover in areas where the State’s proven and richly-endowed mineral provinces plunge beneath more-recent layers of rock.

Funding DOI

DOI: 10.71342/705839853267