Reverse Circulation VS Conventional Drilling Tools

Depending on the industry you are in, one type of system may work better than the other for your job.

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When working in construction and thinking about drilling for foundation, oftentimes we use Reverse Circulation due to the heavily regulated areas that construction is being done in. In Foundation and Construction Drilling,  RC systems are also able to be used in partnership with other technologies. Holte&#;s Grout Through Technology for secant walls is a common technology to use in tandem with RC systems.  

Both Conventional Drilling and Reverse Circulation Drilling are used in the Water Well Industry. Conventional is used more often for most wells. If a well is large (16 inches or more) or has some unconventional requirements, a RC system may be useful to help speed up your project. RC is also great for unstable ground conditions, where blowing rocks up the hole might cause it to cave in. 

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Concentric Drilling System.

When exploring something new, you may want to be able to examine your cuttings that are coming from the hole you are drilling. Reverse Circulation Drilling is a great option to investigate the cuttings because you can control where they are discharged. When paired with a cyclone, silt sifter, or an archeologist, discharge can be reused or explored! 

Advantages over Eccentric System

Straighter Holes: Because this ring bit system doesn&#;t use any eccentric parts, it will drill in any overburden with almost no deviation. The driver bit also has a pilot portion that drills 3&#; to 5&#; before the crown bit, allowing it to keep the casing very straight. If you try to drill on the side of a boulder with an eccentric system, the reamer will kick you out of your trajectory. Better Rate of Penetration: There are two (2) distinct advantages when drilling with the Xs drill system:

• Concentric: On the crown bit there are carbide buttons all around the periphery of the hole, as opposed to approximately one third (1/3) on an eccentric system. That means for each turn you do with a ring bit you have in fact drilled a deeper portion of that hole.

• Hammer: If you have a lot of bounders or if you need to drill in fractured rock, the Xs is the only system offering the advantage of using a larger hammer to drill with the crown. The penetration rate in rocks will be almost the same as if you are drilling with a conventional oversized bit.

Smooth Drilling: Compared to an eccentric method, drilling with the full face Xs drill system will be an unbelievable experience. Working with an eccentric system is very hard on every piece of equipment due to excessive torque applied by the reamer on the driver device, hammer, drill rods, rotation head, and mast. Wear on Gage Carbide Button: The wear on the carbide buttons on an eccentric system (on the pilot and especially on the reamer part) will occur very fast, especially in abrasive rock or harder ground. On the Xs drill system there are double the quantity of carbides on the gage row that are actually needed to give extended life. Components: Eccentric systems consist of a lot of different components, all necessary for its operation. Usually there is a pilot bit, a reamer bit, a driver, steel balls, set screws, pins, spring pins, etc. If you are using a wing-type system, a driver device, two, three, or four wings, pins, screws, spring pins, etc., all of those parts are very costly, and this can cause you a lot of time on the job site. With the Xs drill system there is a driver with a crown already assembled and ready to drill. That&#;s it! Toughness of Parts: In those eccentric and/or wing bit systems every component is very fragile, and as soon as you have a little bit of wear in the overall system those parts are inclined to break without notice and leave you again with down time. Direct Energy Transfer: With the Xs drill system, the energy given by the hammer is transferred directly and entirely to the drilling part of the crown bit and not to the driving shoe. Easier to Weld: The crown bit is composed of two (2) assembled swivel parts. The lower rotating part, which has carbide buttons to drill, receives the impact and rotation from the hammer. The upper part is welded to the casing, doesn&#;t receive any percussion directly from the hammer, and is pulled down with the casing through a swivel joint. The impact of the joint is minimized because the drilling action of the rotating crown portion has absorbed most of it, leaving however enough energy to pull down the casing. Less Maintenance: In almost any other system there is a lot of maintenance to do on the most expensive part, which is the driver device. The driving shoe is fixed to the casing and the driver rotates and impacts on the upper shoe, causing rapid wear to appear on the driver, which needs to be repaired or replaced. On the Xs drill system that grinding effect is transferred to the swivel joint between the upper and lower part of the crown, which is left in the hole 90% of the time.

Because this ring bit system doesn&#;t use any eccentric parts, it will drill in any overburden with almost no deviation. The driver bit also has a pilot portion that drills 3&#; to 5&#; before the crown bit, allowing it to keep the casing very straight. If you try to drill on the side of a boulder with an eccentric system, the reamer will kick you out of your trajectory.There are two (2) distinct advantages when drilling with the Xs drill system:Compared to an eccentric method, drilling with the full face Xs drill system will be an unbelievable experience. Working with an eccentric system is very hard on every piece of equipment due to excessive torque applied by the reamer on the driver device, hammer, drill rods, rotation head, and mast.The wear on the carbide buttons on an eccentric system (on the pilot and especially on the reamer part) will occur very fast, especially in abrasive rock or harder ground. On the Xs drill system there are double the quantity of carbides on the gage row that are actually needed to give extended life.Eccentric systems consist of a lot of different components, all necessary for its operation. Usually there is a pilot bit, a reamer bit, a driver, steel balls, set screws, pins, spring pins, etc. If you are using a wing-type system, a driver device, two, three, or four wings, pins, screws, spring pins, etc., all of those parts are very costly, and this can cause you a lot of time on the job site. With the Xs drill system there is a driver with a crown already assembled and ready to drill. That&#;s it!In those eccentric and/or wing bit systems every component is very fragile, and as soon as you have a little bit of wear in the overall system those parts are inclined to break without notice and leave you again with down time.With the Xs drill system, the energy given by the hammer is transferred directly and entirely to the drilling part of the crown bit and not to the driving shoe.The crown bit is composed of two (2) assembled swivel parts. The lower rotating part, which has carbide buttons to drill, receives the impact and rotation from the hammer. The upper part is welded to the casing, doesn&#;t receive any percussion directly from the hammer, and is pulled down with the casing through a swivel joint. The impact of the joint is minimized because the drilling action of the rotating crown portion has absorbed most of it, leaving however enough energy to pull down the casing.In almost any other system there is a lot of maintenance to do on the most expensive part, which is the driver device. The driving shoe is fixed to the casing and the driver rotates and impacts on the upper shoe, causing rapid wear to appear on the driver, which needs to be repaired or replaced. On the Xs drill system that grinding effect is transferred to the swivel joint between the upper and lower part of the crown, which is left in the hole 90% of the time.

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