Projects
Exploration Works Uralkali
As part of the engineering-geological-geotechnical explorations, two central shaft boreholes were drilled within the shaft cross-section of the 2 future access shafts to the new Ust-Jaiwa mine for OAO Uralkali.
The central shaft boreholes 784/1 and 784/2 were drilled as cored boreholes down to their end depths of 432 m and 531.16 m below ground level respectively, whereby the core samples were characterised (lithology, colour, consistency etc.), documented and photographed on-the-spot. Further samples were taken for additional examination in geotechnical laboratories in Perm (Russia) & Bochum (Germany).
The Team
The originally planned 9 m long cored length could not be implemented due to the structure of the rock and weather conditions down to minus 42° C. Poor core recovery as well as frost-proofing to be ensured whilst extracting the core meant that the core drilled lengths were set to a max. of 2 to 3 m.
A bentonite-polymer flushing was used as the drilling fluid, to which salt was added when the salt layers were reached.