Brazil opens doors to Canadian core drilling technology

摘要

Underground potash mines, like the one near the town of Aracaju on the coast of Brazil, are often characterized by soft, irregular ore bodies, unstable ground con-ditions, and hazardous (usually methane) environments. At Aracaju, where JKS-Boyles had a commission to supply Rio Doce America Inc. with two B-20 hydraulic core drills, conditions also included an ambient underground temperature approaching 40 deg C, and a body of water directly above the mine. Those concerns were emphasized in March 1994 when two members of the mine's management team arrived at JKS-Boyles' Canadian manufacturing facility in North Bay where the drills were being built. The Brazilian miners were there to ensure that their requirements were being met, particularly with respect to certain specifications that had to be added to the standard drill design.