Current situation and future outlook to China's coal shaft drilling construction technology

摘要

Shaft drilling is an important specialised technique in shaft sinking and is playing a very important role in China. It is typically characterised by a strong adaptation to the stratum; and good safety, construction quality, energy efficiency and environmental protection, etc..As a result of the rapid energy resource development in Western China in particular, drilled shafts are increasingly important with notable features such as large diameters and depths and demanding construction environments.At present, there are more than 80 shafts completed in China which have used shaft drilling and the total drilled depth is over 20 km. The improvements in China's shaft drilling methods, in recent years, are described including equipment design and selection; construction processes; shaft wall design; etc. Suggestions are made for addressing some of the shortcomings of the drilling process. Areas for discussion and improvement are speeding up drilling, equipment improvement generally and further applications in hard rock.