Sandvik Intellectual Property Ab

Sandvik Ab

Driltech Mission, LLC

Jarmo Leppanen

A blast-hole drilling rig includes a carriage, a mast disposed on the carriage, and a rotary head mounted on the mast for up-and-down movement. The rotary head includes: a housing forming an internal chamber, a hydraulically driven motor, and a rotation transmission mechanism disposed in the chamber. The rotation transmission mechanism includes a gear system having a high-speed power input section operably connected to the motor, and a low-speed power output section adapted for connection to a drill pipe. The rotation transmission mechanism includes an anti-vibrational inertial body forming part of the high-speed power input section for storing rotational energy to even-out rotary speed variations and resist the generation of vibrations during operation. The inertial body includes a downwardly open recess in which the motor casing extends, wherein the motor projects downwardly past a bottom wall of the housing.

Drilling apparatus with anti-vibration inertial body

A mobile drilling rig includes a platform mounted on drivable ground supports. Drilling equipment is disposed on the platform and is operated by a power system that includes hydraulic pumps, a screw type air compressor, and a motor for driving the pumps and the compressor. A gearbox is common to the hydraulic pumps and the air compressor and includes an intermeshing gear arrangement for transmitting an inputted power from the motor to the pumps and the compressor. Compressed air from the compressor travels to an air reservoir in which compressor oil is separated from the air. The compressor oil is conducted to an oil inlet of the gearbox and is circulated through the gearbox to an oil outlet of the gearbox which communicates with an air inlet of the compressor.

Drilling rig having a compact compressor/pump assembly

A screw compressor is connected to a motor to be driven by the motor even during periods of low compressed air consumption. During such periods, the screw compressor is at least partially unloaded to make it easier and less costly to drive the compressor. The unloading is performed by removing air from the compressor. Preferably, that is done by communicating the air inlet of a small capacity vacuum device with the air outlet of the screw compressor. Suction from the vacuum device is transmitted to the air outlet of the screw compressor to suck air out of the screw compressor to reduce the engine horsepower needed to rotate the screw compressor. The vacuum device can also be used to boost the air volume and/or the air pressure. The system can be used in a drilling rig which drills holes in the ground. The screw compressor can be unloaded during start up of the motor by briefly driving the vacuum device by pressurized liquid from a pre-pressurized hydraulic accumulator.

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Gainesville, FL, United States of America

Jarmo Leppanen