Carmeuse has new drill in operation this week

October 1, 2015October 1, 2015 Editor featured

by Peter Jakey–Managing Editor

Carmeuse Lime & Stone was putting a new rotary blasthole-drilling rig into operation this week at the Calcite Plant.

Made in the USA, more specifically at the Caterpillar (CAT) plant in Denison, Texas, it arrived in Rogers City in two large pieces, Sept. 22

CAT representatives were training mechanics and drillers this week, preparing for it to become fully operational by week’s end.

THE NEWEST piece of equipment at Calcite is this Caterpillar drilling rig. Standing in front of it are the men that are going to operate and maintain it. At left is operator Chris Shay. Mechanics Anthony Lafleche and Edward Kania are on the right. (Photo by Peter Jakey)

“The drill that’s in service out there right now, that we have had for 14-plus years, will still stay in service,” said Ray LeClair, director of operations, Great Lakes region. “The quarry has expanded to the point where it almost takes a day to tram that piece of machinery from one end of the quarry to the other.”

LeClair said the drills would be positioned at each end of the quarry. “Which will allow us more versatility, and allow the plant to extract reserves without high-grading a particular area.”

Driller Chris Shay said, “It is a larger machine, so we will be drilling faster and keep up with the blasting. The other one was getting old and there were some issues.”

It weighs about 120,000 pounds and the drill tower stands 47 feet and can be operated at 5-degree increments to a maximum of 25-degree angle.

“It will drill a blast hole six and three-quarter inch in diameter, but this rig can go up to a nine inch blast hole in rock,” said CAT rep J.Y. Roch. It can go 120 feet deep; however, “The deepest holes here

at Calcite are 80 feet.”

“That’s if we do full benches, but we have been doing partial benches over the past number of years, which are 40 to 50 feet in height,” said LeClair.

Carmeuse crews in Rogers City were adding a fire suppression system over the last week.

“There are a lot of hydraulic hoses, and if a hose were to rupture and spray hydraulic fluid on the hot engine or the engines exhaust system, that could create the possibility of a fire,” said LeClair. “The fire suppression system will extinguish any kind of a flame instantly, so you don’t do damage to the machine.”

LeClair said the opinions of the current drill operators were sought for input in the decision making process and visited a site with a similar rig. “They went with this one because the controls are similar to the existing drill and it will be a little more user friendly,” said LeClair.