Offering drillers a new way to reduce water consumption

Fordia's system helps drillers use less water and be more eco-friendly. — Thinkstock

Fordia, a provider of global drilling solutions that include diamond tools, equipment and accessories, has been serving customers in the mineral exploration, geotechnical and environmental industries for over 35 years. The company found that its customers—drilling and mining companies alike—were struggling to find ways to reduce their water consumption. Many municipalities have restrictions on how much water can be used, often forcing mining and drilling companies to stop operations because limits have been surpassed. Customers were looking for ways to recycle their water so it could be re-used, but solutions were hard to find.

Until recently, water treatment systems for the mining industry were very expensive, very large machines with limited efficiency and functionality. Fordia looked at developing a water treatment system (WTS) that was easy to transport even to remote sites and that would be easy to operate. They now have a preliminary model that is being tested.

The new WTS from Fordia is small, lightweight system with a primary function of separating cuttings from water so that the same water can be re-used. This is an ideal solution for underground drilling as well as surface mining where water is scarce or distant. Once these cuttings are isolated, they can be disposed of in environmentally approved ways, eliminating the need for site remediation. In the case of underground drilling, the recuperated cuttings can be used to backfill the boreholes.

This early model is currently being tested at select customer sites. It represents a more economical option compared to existing systems and current customers are finding that up to 80 per cent of their water can be recuperated. More importantly, they are able to respect all environmental restrictions and municipal regulations.

“We’ve had our customers report back to us with excellent results from the WTS,” said André Derguy, Fordia’s vice president of sales and marketing. “We are known for our onsite technical support and have been working closely with our customers to make sure they leverage the most benefits possible from the system.”

The introduction of the WTS comes a few months after the launch of Fordia’s Aquaguard, a solution that helps underground drillers cross zones with high-flow water groundwater while maintaining good core recovery.

The company sees that surface and underground drilling operators share many of the challenges. They are focused on providing solutions that make drillers’ lives easier. View the following video to see Fordia’s water treatment systems in action.