GROUNDWATER

Valoria VA20 - the new water well drill rig from Epiroc

Epiroc has introduced the VA20 (Valoria) water well drill - a modular drill rig designed to meet the changing demands of the market while continuing to reduce total cost of ownership.

 The all-new VA20 rig from Epiroc is available in select regions including the markets of Africa, Asia, Middle East, South America and Latin America

The all-new VA20 rig from Epiroc is available in select regions including the markets of Africa, Asia, Middle East, South America and Latin America

The all-new VA20 rig is available in select regions including the markets of Africa, Asia, Middle East, South America and Latin America.

"Epiroc took this initiative to develop a new sturdy, reliable and cost-effective solution. We have a rich history in water well drill segment with DB- and TH- water well rigs series. The new VA20 drill inherits the well-known Epiroc's quality. With its robustness, ease of operation and lower operating cost, VA20 will be a true win-win solution for our water well customers," said Mukesh Chaturvedi, head of product management.

The VA20 rig offers customers the unique flexibility to select the preferred carrier to create the right configurations for their drilling operation. Customers can purchase the VA20 along with a truck assembled at the factory or as a module to easily mount it locally on the truck of their choice.

Equipped with a rugged rotary head featuring a single hydraulic motor drive for rotary and DTH drilling, the VA20 can reach depths up to 280m (900ft) with 165mm (6-1/2in.) final diameter. The drill rig offers 10.8kN (23,800lb) of pullback force and 5.09kN (11,600lb) of pulldown force as well as a table opening of 270mm (10.6in). A highly efficient cable feed system can trip out of the hole at speeds around 84m (275ft) per minute.

The manual single rod loader facilitates the rod operations directly from the rod box, therefore increasing safety.

The Atlas Copco C146 air compressor is configured with a two-stage rotary screw airend producing 28.3m3/min at 20.6-bar pressure (1,000cfm flow at 300psi) for DTH drilling needs and can be disengaged (manual de-clutch system) to increase fuel economy up to 30 per cent.

All operational functions of the VA20 rig are mechanically controlled from the driller's console with clear separation of main and auxiliary functions. The ergonomic layout allows for increased operator comfort for maximum productivity levels. Large display gauges, performance indicators with alarms, LED lights for safe night drilling and an emergency stop ensure operator and crew safety.

"The VA20 drill rig is rigorously field-tested and proven for water well drilling application," said Hrishikesh Labdhe, product manager, Water Well Drills. "It has field-proven fuel efficiency (litres/metre or feet), higher drilling speeds and safety over conventional drills. We have carefully built in many efficiencies in this machine for our customers that will help them keep the investment at the lowest while getting faster returns."

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