Gulf Construction Online - New drill rig boosts UAE firm's output

Quarrying

A Tamrock Ranger rig at work at Al Fahd Crushers Company's quarry.

New drill rig boosts UAE firm's output

Al Fahd Crushers Company, which has supplied gabbro rock armour to prestigious projects such as The Palm and Dubai Marina, has taken delivery of a new Tamrock drill to help increase its productivity.

01 June 2003

The UAE-based Al Fahd Crushers Company has taken delivery of its first Tamrock Ranger 700-2 drill rig, complete with Sandvik rock drilling tools from local distributor Dynatrade to meet increased demand for its quality aggregates.

Located in Fujairah, Al Fahd is looking to double its production from 400 tonnes/hr to 800 tonnes/hr to meet local demand.

The quarry produces high-quality aggregates from gabbro for asphalt and concrete production.

Featuring a density of 2.93 tonnes/cu m and an aggregate crushing value of 10, gabbro - which is totally free of limestone, highly abrasive and with a 61 per cent silica (SiO2) content - is in high demand.

Al Fahd, which produces a wide range of crushed aggregates for domestic and export sales, has gained a reputation for its high-quality Grade 1 aggregate which is in high demand as rock armour for breakwaters.

Al Fahd has recently supplied gabbro rock armour for the prestigious The Palm development in Dubai. The quarry has also supplied 100,000 tonnes for the Dubai Marina southern breakwater in Jumeirah and 250,000 tonnes for three dams close to the quarry, Wadi Hail, Wadi Mai and Wadi Hamad.

Rock armour - generally in three sizes of one to three tonnes, three to five tonnes and five to seven tonnes - have been supplied for the three projects.

Al Fahd started developing a second quarry some 18 months ago and already has four working benches while it is still under development. According to quarry manager, Essam Abdul Salam, the company anticipates cutting into the main mountain within six months.

"The quarry will then have an operational life of some five years, before we extend into the next area," he adds.

Tamrock

Al Fahd took delivery of its first Tamrock rig in October 2001, following the delivery of a similar rig to its sister company Gulf Rock a month earlier.

"At the time, Gulf Rock was subcontracted to undertake the drill-and-blast operations," explains Salam, "but we soon began to share the operation with both Tamrocks working together at both quarry operations."

"It, therefore, made sense that we should undertake the drill-and-blast ourselves to make it cost-effective - hence the order for the Ranger 700-2," he adds.

Sandvik

Al Fahd generally drills up to 120 holes, 14 m to 17 m deep, to total approximately 1,800 drill m, ensuring a bench blast of 40,000 tonnes.

Throughout drilling operations, Al Fahd is using the successful combination of Sandvik rock drilling tools with the Tamrock Ranger 700 rig - a practice it will continue with the delivery of the new self-propelled, hydraulically operated 700-2.

The combination of Sandvik T51 tools, 89 mm button bits and T51 extension rods is providing significantly improved penetration rates, says a spokesman for the Sweden-based AB Sandvik Tamrock Tools. In areas with loose rock and overburden, Sandvik retrac button bits are used.

"The quarry is achieving 1,000 drill m per bit in the very hard and abrasive gabbro rock - a figure we are happy with, considering the difficult rock conditions," says Salam.

Ranger 700-2 rig

Three Ranger 700-2 rigs have been delivered to date to local contractors following their launch in the UAE last December by newly appointed distributor Dynatrade.

With the delivery of the latest rig, Al Fahd is confident that it will quickly meet its increased production demands, in the rough terrain of the non-established benches.

Outlining the features of the new rigs, the spokesman says: "The Ranger 700-2 hydraulic drilling rig features a rear-mounted power pack to effectively counterbalance the feed and boom assemblies to provide an inherently more stable drilling platform. The rig also features a TIM2305 laser-based measuring system which guarantees accurate production drilling.

"Turntable-mounted articulated boom and rock drilling assembly offer 120 degrees arc movement and a large 17 sq m drilling area coverage. The configuration provides improved drill location range at even the most acute angles.

"A major emphasis has also been placed on operator comfort and safety, with the new rig including laminated windows and both roll over/falling object structure protection to the appropriate ISO standard.

"Excellent all-round visibility of the drilling area together with air-conditioning, filter air intake and soundproofing to 80 dB(A) provide the operator with an excellent working environment."

According to Salam, Sandvik Tamrock has provided "an incredible amount of assistance".

"Drill and blast was a completely new field of operation for us, but the company provided excellent training for my teams, on both the original rig and the new 700-2. They are very helpful people and it is much appreciated," he explains.

For newly appointed Al Fahd operations manager P A N Murthy, it is his first experience with Tamrock. However, he is already impressed with the high drilling rate/hr of the Tamrock 700-2 rig and Sandvik Rock Tools combination.

Ranger 700-2 operator Gulzconcos has 14 months' experience with Tamrock rigs. "The new rig is brilliant," he says. "The cab is so comfortable and the water and diesel filling systems are easier and better."