Air Rotary Drilling with a 7822DT

Never underestimate the capability of the 7822DT!  Every day, customers become aware of applications they can offer their clients based on the power of the 7822DT.

According to Tom Wardell, Geoprobe® Sales for the Midwestern Region, “One of the really great, and sometimes overlooked, applications of a 7822DT is air rotary drilling,” he said. “I’ve had many customers ask me if the 7822DT has enough power for air drilling. My quick answer is a definite, ‘Yes, you can!’.”

The GA4000 Augerhead on the 7822DT, when paired with a side port swivel and an auxiliary air compressor, is all you need.

Several field applications that work well with this setup include residential geothermal well installation, installing anodes for underground storage tank remediation, or monitoring well or water well installation.

“Because of the versatility of this machine,” Tom added, “it gives companies the ability to expand their business from basic environmental sampling to the wide range of tasks that can be completed by using air rotary drilling.

7822DT Options for Air Rotary Drilling

Options are available for the 7822DT that make air rotary drilling possible.

The 78-in. Stroke allows plenty of room for mounting a side-port swivel, with a 1-5/8 in. hex, directly to the auger drive on the machine. “This is a quick and easy connection to the air flow line from an air compressor,” said Victor Rotonda, Geoprobe® Sales for Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions. “The swivel also comes with a stabilizer arm that connects to a mounting bracket on the 7822DT. This produces a solid connection to the drill string,” Victor explained.

The 7-in. Breakout Kit, which mounts to the ‘toes’ of the 7822DT, generates 17,500 lbf clamping force, and its hydraulic breakout wrench has over 6,000 ft-lbf breakout torque. The operator and crew can quickly and safely break apart tight joints on larger diameter drill rods.

The 7822DT can also be equipped with Feed Rate Controls for the Operator to adjust to changes in subsurface conditions. “It’s not surprising that many Geoprobe® 7822DT Owners now offer air rotary services,” Victor said. This seems to be one of the important options that make the 7822DT so attractive to customers.”

“What a machine!”, he added.

Having the ability to do air rotary with your 7822DT is often times overlooked. The 78 machine can be equipped with a GA4000 augerhead which provides plenty of power and rotation for air rotary drilling. What a machine!
Victor Rotonda • Geoprobe® Sales Mid-Atlantic and Northern Regions