Application of Mining Tricone Bits – Field Trial at Copper Mine in Chile
In 2022, we established cooperation with ROCK TOOL Drilling Company and conducted on-site trial tests of our tricone bits at the LOS BRONCE copper mine owned by Anglo American in Chile.
Trial Basic Information
- Bit Sizes & Models: 10 5/8 K617, 10 5/8 K637
- Trial Location: LOS BRONCE Copper Mine, Chile
- Trial Quantity: 2 pcs of 10 5/8 K617 model, 1 pc of 10 5/8 K637 model
- Competitor Brand for Comparison: Varel
- Top Performance Record of Our Bits: Maximum total drilling footage reaches 2,160 meters for single bit
Field Usage Record of Each Tricone Bit
We recorded complete working data of every trial bit to compare service life and drilling efficiency with Varel’s benchmark products under identical hard rock mining conditions:
Table 1: Individual Bit Operation Details
| Bit Model | Serial Number | Operation Performance | Mining Block | End User |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 5/8 K617-K01 (API Connection) | 2211299JH | Total footage: 2,160 m, pure drilling hours: 143h. Competitor Varel’s average footage only 1,500~1,800m under same formation | LOS BRONCE | Anglo American |
| 10 5/8 K617-K01 (API Connection) | 2211300JH | Total footage: 900 m, ROP: 50 m/h. Varel equivalent bit only reaches 1,200m with lower penetration rate | LOS BRONCE | Anglo American |
| 10 5/8 K637-K01 (API Connection) | 2212264JH | Total footage: 752 m, pure drilling hours: 46h | LOS BRONCE | Anglo American |
Comprehensive Drilling Data Summary
The table below aggregates footage, pure drilling time and rate of penetration (ROP) of all tested bits. The two columns for our Jiangzuan tricone bits show authentic test data, which deliver outstanding service life versus competing products.
Table 2: Aggregated Drilling Performance Data
| Data Item | 2211299JH_MIL L (Our K617 Bit) | 21061016 MILALI | K637-221264JH (Our K637 Bit) | M-21061018 | MILA-21061009 | RB53/21061010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Drilling Footage (m) | 2160.707871 | 1711.123449 | 752.1671787 | 175.2387253 | 541.9584454 | 2024.023304 |
| Pure Drilling Hours (h) | 143 | 107 | 46 | 10 | 32 | 124 |
| Rate of Penetration (m/h) | 15.10984525 | 15.99180794 | 16.35146041 | 17.52387253 | 16.93620142 | 16.32276858 |
Trial Conclusion
Our 10 5/8 series mining tricone bits achieved superior drilling footage in hard copper mine formation in Chile. The K617 model hit a record 2,160 meters single-run footage, outperforming Varel’s average performance by nearly 20% in service life, effectively reducing bit replacement frequency and overall drilling cost for open-pit mining projects.
Condition of the Bit after Drilling 2017 Meters
