Chilean Mine Rescue.

[wetibbe]

Here's some history for you.

Although I am retired now during my career I worked in two fields of endeavor/employment: 1. The drilling industry. 2. The manufacturing industry.

In the drilling industry it includes commercial and industrial water wells, oil and gas wells, caissons and elevator shafts and soil sampling core drilling. Each it's own specific category.

In the manufacturing field I was a sales representative, special representative marketing representative for Ingersoll Rand Company the largest manufacturer of drilling rigs and down hole drills and rock bits in the world. Ingersoll Rand was world wide with offices in every foreign country. Ingersoll Rand is over 130 years old.

Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean were once my territories. I visited Chile many times and our IR autonomous company sold both IR drill rigs and down hole drills to the Chilean mines.

The drilling company that drilled the 24 inch hole into the mine was Center Rock, Inc. from Berlin, Pennsylvania. Other consultants involved were Layne Christensen and Boyles Brothers. Layne was the oldest and largest well drilling company in the world founded back in the 1860's - 1870's when Colonel Drake drilled the first oil well in America in Titusville, Pennsylvania. Boyles Brothers is the manufacturers of core drilling rigs and diamond core drilling equipment, a very old and big company.

The drilling rig was a Schramm model T-130, manufactured in West Chester, Pennsylvania. *( You can Google it ).

This morning the President and CEO of Center Rock was interviewed by Fox News and he stated that he had invented and manufactured the drill bit that drilled into the mine. The bit was shown. He actually was not either the inventor nor the manufacturer. Ingersoll Rand invented and manufactured the DHD super drill back in the 1970's - 1980's. IR built and sold the model T-5 drilling rig and DHD super drill as a mine rescue package to the Ministry of Mines in South Africa back in the 1980-'s 1990's.

During my employment as Manager and Vice President of New Jersey Drilling Company we used the DHD super drills in 20", 24" and 30" diameter DAILY for years. In fact we drilled a 24" hole into a cavern in New Jersey in an attempt to rescue an off duty New Jersey State trouper who was exploring caverns with boy scouts on a week end and became stuck.

Barring the little prevarication, misrepresentation of the Center Rock CEO, it is essentially necessary to acknowledge the expertise of these drillers. And the developments of the drilling, rig manufacturing, DHD, bit manufacturing industry. Only someone who is/was in the industry can fully understand and appreciate the advancements and expertise now available and it is indeed impressive.

In the first instance while I was with Ingersoll Rand I was working with the engineering department developing new drilling rigs. To make a long story short IR flubbed it. They didn't develop a rig to my liking nor marketable. Now I see that Schramm has as they were, back in those days offering a very limited product.

The drillers success is absolutely a tribute to the present day expertise and technology. First of all the DHD is notoriously a crooked hole producer. It wanders. To hold it on course a stabilizer must be used. To hit the mine at over 2,000 feet depth is virtually a miracle. Believe me Lady Luck was smiling on them.

The process of drilling is by use of air compressors as a circulating medium. Banks of air compressors are manifolded and the air is "pumped" down the drill pipe. It actuate the DHD which is about 4 feet long and has a piston which flies up and down percussing on the bit shank delivering blows. The bit, itself, has a series of tungsten carbide 5/8" diameter "buttons on the face and on the periphery.

The ascending velocity of the air is most critical. It carries the cuttings up to surface and a velocity of at least 3,000 feet per minute is required. The drill pipe in the news videos looked to be about 5" to 6" diameter. It would have taken an enormous amount of air and compressors to achieve the desired velocity so the drillers certainly had figured out some method of removing the cuttings. Without going into drab and confusing details suffice it to say that a great deal of engineering and experience was employed to accomplish this most impressive feat.

What more can I say. It is a tribute to American ingenuity and intelligence for which we can indeed take pride.

[Don]

The rescue of the entombed miners is a wonderful technical achievement. The worldwide interest reminds me of the worldwide public interest in and support of our early manned space program.