If you own a sizeable tract of land, you may have purchased this property with an eye to the future, as you believe that there are valuable resources underfoot and you can take full advantage of their extraction. In the beginning, however, you've got to do some investigation to find out what you're dealing with and will need to gather some core samples for geological analysis. What type of equipment do you need and what is involved in this process?

Getting Started

In order to do this correctly, you have to follow a very strict protocol, as you gather the relevant samples from different parts of your land. To begin with, you have to set up the drilling platform in its place, so the operator can start the first cycle. This involves advancing the drill bit into the ground before the core sample is retrieved from the barrel.

You may need to remove several different samples from each location, which will require a new cycle each time, as the core barrel is pushed further into the ground to elongate the hole.

Wireline Versus Conventional

You can make this process a lot more efficient by choosing a wireline core drilling technique. If you chose the conventional approach instead, you would have to remove the entire drill string from the hole after each drilling cycle, so you could take the threads apart and retrieve the all-important sample. However, the wireline approach allows you to send a special piece of equipment (known as an overshot) down into the tube itself, to receive the innermost portion. You can then hoist these elements out using the wireline while the core bit and rods remain in place. After removing the core sample, you can then reverse the process and lower the inner portion back down into place.

Lubrication

Always remember to introduce the right amount of fluid to lubricate the drill string, to cool the equipment and to help gather the cuttings for removal. Some experts believe that this is the most important part of the entire operation, so you may need to choose your drilling fluid carefully.

Cataloguing

When you have removed your sample, be careful to catalogue it correctly and put it into its own 'core box'. This will help avoid any confusion as it is transported to the geologist.

Make sure that you get the right equipment from experienced suppliers and always follow the correct protocol. Hopefully, you will have good news from the analyst, and this will make your efforts all worthwhile. For more information about core drilling equipment, contact a supplier.