Maintenance instructions

11. Options

11. Options

RC - Reverse Circulation

General
Most maintenance work consists of checking leakage and wear, as well as replacing
wear parts. All parts that come into contact with cuttings are wear parts. The compo-
nents that wear the most are the inner tubes and deflectors, the former in particular.

There are also a number of lubrication points.

A general inspection is recommended every week or every 50 engine hours.

Before any component is unscrewed the system should be depressurised. Failure to

do so would cause the O-rings to be sucked out from their grooves when the air
escapes past them.

For maintenance of the rotation unit, see the separate documentation.

For maintenance of the down-the-hole drilling machine, see the supplier's documen-
tation.

Lubrication
The lubrication points are on the arm, the rotary actuator, the outlet swivel and the air
swivel. For the rotary actuator, lubrication is recommended every two months or
every 500 engine hours. Other points must be lubricated daily.

CAUTION
• Special tools are required for service:
Article number 9495 6730 00 - 6x screws,
12:9 quality when fitting the adapter.

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B
1250 0309 28

Figure: Lubrication points

A Outlet swivel
B Air swivel
C Shaft
D Rotary actuator

The air swivel should be lubricated carefully. A maximum of a couple of presses with
grease in each nipple is sufficient. Too much lubrication can pressurise the seals and
lead to heat development which damages seals and bearings.

In addition, lubrication is recommended after cleaning the equipment.

Recommended Lubricants:

• Castrol APX T Grease

• Shell Albida Grease HD 2
• Fuchs Renolite LX- EP2
• BP Energrease LC 2

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Maintenance of components
Down-the-hole drilling machine
Good lubrication, clean air and regular maintenance are critical factors for the service
life of the down-the-hole drilling machine.

The most common cause of breakdown is a defective inner tube. The inner tube tends
to wear at the lower end first. If it is allowed to become too short or too thin then the
pipe's end breaks and jams under the piston during the down stroke, which leads to
piston failure and cylinder damage.

Most inner tubes for down-the-hole drilling machines have a wear indicator that
shows when it is time for replacement. It can be seen and/or felt inside the bottom of
the down-the-hole drilling machine when the drill bit is removed. Often, this is obvi-
ous when it becomes more difficult to obtain the sample through the drill bit.

The service life for the down-the-hole drilling machine's inner tube can vary greatly
with a probable average life of around 800 m, but in some abrasive rock types the
service life can be as low as 300 m.

Drill pipe
The drill pipes wear on the outside and need to be measured if you are worried about
size. The diameter is measured at the weld seam because this is the weakest point
when it is worn. For a drill pipe of 114.3 mm (4.5") the time for replacement is at a
size of 109 mm. A pipe of 101.6 mm (4") needs to be replaced at about 96 mm.
Underdimensioned drill pipes could fail which could lead to costly losses.

Drill pipes and inner tubes, as well as inner tubes for adapters, are wear parts. The
degree of wear depends largely on rock conditions.

The inner tube on top of the drill tube is changed by removing the circlip. A damaged
inner tube results in considerable loss of pressure and is therefore easy to diagnose.

CAUTION
• A damaged inner tube causes a
considerable increase in the wear of other
parts. Stop drilling immediately if you
suspect a damaged inner tube.

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Air swivel

11

2 8
5
10

13
1250 0223 99

10 4
12
5 14
1
7
9

Normal maintenance includes lubrication of seals and bearings via the 4 grease nip-
ples (14) on the shell (1). This must be carried out daily or every 10 engine hours. A
maximum of a couple of presses with grease in each nipple. DO NOT OVER
LUBRICATE - Too much lubrication can pressurise the seals and lead to heat devel-
opment which damages seals and bearings.

The normal service life of a seal can be up to 2000 hours, and the service life for shaft
and bearing may be many times this service life. However, seal replacement is una-
voidable.

During dismantling, the lock nut (6), retaining washer (7) and holder washer (3) are
removed so that the shell (1) can be removed from the shaft (2). Check the seal's run-
ning surfaces on the shaft. If it is very grooved then the shaft is replaced. Check the
other parts in terms of wear/damage and replace if necessary. Replace seals and
assemble.

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Some consider it necessary to tack weld the air swivel's shaft (2) onto the rotation
unit's shaft. If this is done then brazing lugs must be used on both shafts. The seam
between the shafts must not be welded.

CAUTION
• Tightening must be secure before tack
welding.

Outlet swivel (without Metzke Blowdown Valve)

20
29
35

16
14

13 37
16
10
30
21
17
18

19
1250 0224 38

11

22

The cuttings seals (17, 18) require regular lubrication in order to have a good service
life. This should be carried out daily via the grease nipple on the rotation head (22).

It is essential to replace the seals when they start to leak. Leaking cuttings seals may
lead to water and dirt penetrating into the rotation unit. The replacement is carried out
by means of the deflectors and plates above the outlet swivel being removed. The
seal sleeve (12) around which the seals run may also need replacement if it is
grooved.

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If the whole upper part of the outlet swivel has been removed then the retaining
screws (30) must remain loose until the seals are fitted during reassembly. The outlet
swivel aligns itself centrally and the screws can now be tightened.

The adapter changeover (14) has a left-hand thread. The whole of the outlet swivel
needs to be removed to access this. It must be loosened/tightened using the tool with
article number 9495 6730 00 and rig rotation. During assembly, it should be locked
with Loctite and torque tightened to about 1000 Nm (50 bar rotation).

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Outlet swivel (with Metzke Blowdown Valve)

14

2
3
19 4
5 6
18 7
9
8 15
9 10

20 11
12
17

1 13

16
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1 Metzke Blowdown Valve

2 Seal
3 Seal
4 O-ring
5 Seal
6 Hex head screw
7 Washer
8 Short adapter housing
9 Washer
10 Socket head cap screw
11 O-ring
12 Spindle adapter
13 Spindle DHR6RC
14 Circlip
15 Inner tube
16 Outer tube
17 O-ring
18 Hex head screw

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19 Deflector 1
20 Deflector 2

Seal 5 on the outlet swivel requires regular lubrication. There is a grease nipple for
this on the adapter housing (8). Grease must be applied daily to this seal (5) via the
grease nipple.

Replace the seals when they start leaking. Leaking cutting seals can cause water and
dirt penetration in the rotation unit. The sealing sleeve around which the seals rotate
may also require replacing if rutted.

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Deflectors

1
2
3
4

B
1250 0309 32

The first deflector (A) meets all the force from the sample flow, which can reach
speeds of up to 200 m/s, and is therefore exposed to hard wear. The deflector has a
heavy ceramic block (4) which is easy to replace by removing the bridge (1) and the
cover plate (2). As the service life varies greatly depending on rock conditions this
block should be checked every month or every 250 engine hours, until a replacement
programme has been established.

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The second deflector (B) has a longer service life, but this also depends on rock con-
ditions.

The connection cover plate (C) becomes worn and is normally checked when replac-
ing the sample hose.

Ensure that all screws are at least 8.8 in strength class and that all nuts have Nylock
for the reassembly of these components.

Discharge System
The roller for the sample hose, fitted on the feeder, requires no maintenance as it is
made of nylon.

The end of the sample hose needs to be replaced on occasion. The hose is often used
until it breaks, in which case it must be replaced immediately. The hose must have
safety sleeving fitted. When fitting a hose it is important to ensure that the clamps
engage in the retaining groove in the collar.

The sample hoses must have hose protection (sleeving) fitted on both ends of the
hose in the event of a functional breakdown. The hose protection must be attached
with shackles onto the attachment points on the hubs.

DANGER
• Burst hoses can cause personal injuries.

Cyclone and splitter

The cyclone has replaceable wear plates inside the shell and inlet. These need to be
monitored and replaced when they are badly worn.

The cone splitter's knife valves have rope seals. If the sample begins to leak this seal
can be tightened until the leak stops. This is performed by tightening the 8 screws
holding the seal holder in place. This can be performed several times before the seal
needs replacing. Be careful not to tighten too hard as this could cause the knife blade
to lock. The rope seals must be replaced as necessary.

About inner tubes

All components from the rotation head shaft down contain an inner tube.

Along with deflectors the inner tubes are the components that wear the most. There
are inner tubes in the down-the-hole hammer, the drill tubes, the different adapters,
the air swivel as well as the shaft that runs through the rotation unit and rotation head.
It is not possible to measure the remaining service life of an inner tube, which often
leads to the inner tubes being used until they break. Apart from the tube in the rota-

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tion unit, a damaged inner tube causes significant pressure loss and it is therefore
easy to diagnose. This may lead to the surrounding components being damaged, and
at best lead to continued drilling not being possible.

All inner tubes are replaceable and are removed through the top of the component by
removing the component from the drill string, removing the circlip and sliding the
tube out.

The inner tube in the rotation head is hardened and is much thicker than other inner
tubes so it lasts longer, but visual inspection (with regard to wall thickness) is impor-
tant when possible (if the swivel is removed or if the seals in the rotation head are
replaced).

The cost of a few inner tubes is often made worthwhile by the reduced downtime that
the replacement of all tubes can result in when one of them needs to be replaced.

All inner tubes are sealed with O-rings in order to separate the high-pressure air from
return air. It is critical that these O-rings are in place and in good condition. When
you access them it is prudent to replace any O-rings whether or not they are worn.

Blow adapters
Blowdown adapter
Certain RC machines from Atlas Copco are equipped with a blowdown system from
Metzke. It is possible to screw blowdown system loosely on the drill string on RC
rigs without one. The blowdown adapter directs the compressed air down through the
inner tubes and in this way clears any blockages and forces return air to the outside of
the drill tubes. We recommend contacting an Atlas Copco service engineer before
making any changes to the rig.

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Blow-up adapter

DANGER
• There are blow-up adapters on the market
that direct the compressed air upwards
through the deflectors and the sample
hose to the cyclone. It is very easy to
subject the sample hose to damage,
which may also cause injury if anyone is
in the vicinity. Due to this you are advised
against using blow-up adapters.

Metzke Blowdown Valve

The Metzke Blowdown Valve directs the compressed air down through the inner tube
and so clears away any blockages and forces return air to the outside of the drill tube.

WARNING
• The blowdown valve works with air under
high pressure. Air under high pressure is
extremely dangerous.
• Remove or isolate the air or hydraulic
inputs before service or maintenance.
• The valve has internal moving parts that
can be dangerous due to pressure forces.
Do not place any body part or object into
the valve ports when in operation.

A daily visual inspection should be carried out in order to check for abnormal wear,
hydraulic leaks and damaged components. Replace parts when necessary.

The Metzke Blowdown Valve does not have any lubricating points.

The spool sleeve, upper and lower inserts, and seals will wear over time - this is nor-
mal. With this in mind, regular inspections must be made through the top of the
valve. It is essential that these parts are replaced before being worn. Any further wear
will cause considerable damage to other components in the valve.

The hardened inserts have a goods thickness of 6 mm and an original inside diameter
(ID) of 50 mm. They should be replaced if the inside diameter exceeds 58-60 mm.

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Check for any uneven wear on the inserts as this can indicate that the main air seals
are leaking.

It is essential the inner pipes included in components fitted in the system after the
blowdown valve are in good condition. Inner pipes in bad condition can impact nega-
tively on test flow and cause extra wear to the blowdown valve.

There is an indicator hole in the cylinder housing. If oil or air starts to leak from this
hole, it means the cylinder rod seal is leaking and must be replaced.

CAUTION
• Serious damage or lethal injuries can
occur if changes or repairs are performed
on this system by unauthorised persons.
• We recommend always getting in touch
with a qualified service engineer before
performing any work on this system.

Conversion to normal drilling

If there is a requirement to convert from RC drilling to normal drilling, there are sev-
eral ways to achieve this, each with a different scope:

• A normal down-the-hole drilling machine is used on RC tubes together with an

adapter for API threads. A stop plug is also fitted in the inner tubes at the down-
the-hole drilling machine or at the spar adapter in order to prevent air from flow-
ing out through the inner tubes. This is not an option in the long-term because the
increased vibration tends to damage the inner tubes.
• The inner tubes can be removed from the RC tubes. The deflectors and sample
hoses can also be removed. If the sample hose is removed then the deflectors must
also be removed and vice versa.
• The RC tubes are removed and replaced with normal drill pipes. The air swivel is
removed and replaced with an adapter. The deflectors and sample hose can be
removed. An adapter is fitted on the rotation head for the air supply to the drill
string. This is a longer-term adaptation and is used if normal drilling is to be car-
ried out over several weeks or more.

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