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Atlas Copco Rental to the rescue – providing extra drilling air in Australian town’s emergency water crisis

20 November 2019

Tenterfield – a town of 4066 citizens in New South Wales, Australia – risked running out of water by Christmas. At an average daily water consumption of 340 liters per person, the prospect of running dry was dramatic. The township is usually supplied by a reliable surface water dam, but severe drought and bushfires in summer and autumn 2019 created a water crisis.

To tackle this emergency, Tenterfield’s town council called on Water Resources Drilling, a drilling contractor specializing in the drilling and repair of deep high-pressure artesian water bores and large-diameter town water bores.

Keeping the bores clear to continue drilling

Drilling for water rental project - drillair Y1260
Water Resources Drilling’s mission: to seek and find another water supply, with a tight deadline (only 126 days until Christmas), drilling through very tough granite terrain. As the company drilled test production bores to depths down to 150 meters, they found that they needed extra air pressure to keep the bores constantly clear of rock debris. That’s when they called on Atlas Copco Rental!

DrillAir Y1260 – the specialized air compressor, combining all the features for drilling faster

Drilling for water rental project - drillair Y1260
We provided the drilling company with a DrillAir Y1260 – a diesel-driven oil-injected air compressor perfectly suited for any high-pressure drilling jobs, with a pressure range of 15 - 35 bar (or) 304.5 - 507.6 PSI. With its robust frame, highest-quality parts and excellent fuel economy, the DrillAir Y1260 is designed to be our workhorse for any drilling projects requiring pressure ranges up to 35 bar!

Mission accomplished

“The extra air volume with the Y1260 increased our drilling penetration rate by 30% in the granite country around Tenterfield,” says Mick Wilson, Director of Drilling Operations, Water Resources Drilling. Wilson continues: “We needed to drill 9-inch holes during the Tenterfield project and our old XRVS 965 machine struggled to clear the cuttings at depths of around 90 to 100 meters. But no problem with the Y1260 – it has met all the challenges required for this emergency town water supply.” The town of Tenterfield feels the drilling has struck ‘liquid gold’ – and even better, they say, because you can’t drink gold!

The added value of working with the Atlas Copco Rental Y1260:

  • 24/7 support, plus 24/7 monitoring of the equipment for the customer.
  • DrillAir is suitable for sustainable projects, thanks to its compliance with Stage V emission standards.
  • Small footprint: short, 4.1-meter compressor frame means that a single truck can carry both the compressor and the rig.
  • Drilling with 30-35 bar pressure allows you to drill more metres in an hour with lower cost per metre.
Check out the Seven News channel report to see our equipment at work during this project!

For more information please contact:

                • Olivia Gambin - Communications Manager, Atlas Copco Specialty Rental Division

At Atlas Copco, we have been turning industrial ideas into business-critical benefits since 1873. By listening to our customers and knowing their needs, we deliver value and innovate with the future in mind. Great ideas reinforce sustainable development. At Atlas Copco Specialty Rental, we team up with our customers to set up state-of-the-art temporary air, flow, steam and nitrogen solutions. Our passionate experts have extensive application and equipment knowledge. We understand our customers' needs and can provide a total solution for any industry, no matter if it is for emergencies or planned projects. We are a division of the Power Technique business area, headquartered in Boom, Belgium and offer specialty rental solutions under several brands around the globe.