High Altitude Copper Exploration Drilling Rig: CSD1800X in Ali, Tibet, China
Executive Summary
In the Ali (Ngari) region of the Tibet Autonomous Region, at an elevation of 5,090 m above sea level, Xizang Yanyu Mineral Exploration Co., Ltd. ran a copper exploration program that demanded a rig capable of delivering deep wireline core in thin air, bitter cold and on rugged plateau terrain. The contractor deployed the CORTECH® CSD1800X full hydraulic crawler core drilling rig and completed a 1,548 m deep exploration hole at a 75 mm final diameter in 43 days. The rig's 194 kW turbocharged Cummins engine, 28 MPa hydraulic system with air cooling, 5,500 Nm top drive and lateral side-shift power head sustained steady penetration and high core recovery despite the low-oxygen, high-altitude environment — demonstrating the plateau adaptability that a high altitude copper exploration drilling rig must provide.
Project Background & Challenge
High-altitude copper exploration above 5,000 m is among the harshest drilling environments on earth:
- Thin air and engine derating: at 5,090 m the air contains roughly half the oxygen of sea level. Naturally aspirated engines lose a large share of their rated power, and undersized hydraulic cooling systems overheat under sustained load — exactly when a deep hole needs continuous torque.
- Cold, exposed working conditions: temperatures swing sharply on the plateau, and wind chill slows crew productivity and stresses hydraulics, seals and drilling fluid.
- Deep-hole coring: the target copper horizon sat at 1,548 m. At that depth, tripping time, string weight control and core recovery dominate cost and data quality.
- Remote logistics: drill sites are far from roads, workshops and spare-parts supply, so the rig must be reliable, self-sufficient and mobile enough to relocate on its own tracks.
Our Solution
Xizang Yanyu selected the CORTECH® CSD1800X, a heavy-duty full hydraulic surface core drilling rig engineered for deep solid-mineral exploration. The features that matched the plateau conditions:
- Turbocharged, altitude-capable power: the Cummins B6.7CS4 260C turbocharged engine delivers 194 kW at 2,200 rpm; turbocharging recovers much of the power lost to thin air, and the paired 28 MPa heavy-duty hydraulic system with an efficient air-cooling module keeps top-drive output stable in extreme environments.
- Deep-hole wireline rating: reference coring depths of 2,000 m (B size, 55.5 mm), 1,700 m (N size, 71 mm), 1,200 m (H size, 89 mm) and 700 m (P size, 114 mm) meant the 1,548 m production hole was drilled inside the rig's certified envelope.
- Lateral side-shift top drive: the power head slides hydraulically sideways off the borehole centre, opening full clearance for lifting and running heavy drill strings — cutting tripping time at depth and reducing auxiliary labour at a remote plateau site.
- Crawler mobility: heavy-duty tracks with 30° climbing capacity and 2 km/h travel let the rig navigate rugged mountain trails and relocate between pads without external towing.
- Compact transport footprint: at 5,530 × 2,350 × 2,850 mm and 11.3 tons, the rig moved along narrow plateau roads and to remote pads with manageable logistics.
Key Results
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Location | Ali (Ngari), Tibet, China |
| Elevation | 5,090 m |
| Ore type | Copper |
| Final hole diameter | 75 mm |
| Final hole depth | 1,548 m |
| Project duration | 43 days |
| Rig | CORTECH CSD1800X crawler core drill |
| Drilling process | Diamond wireline core drilling |
| Operating company | Xizang Yanyu Mineral Exploration Co., Ltd. |
| Core recovery | Continuous wireline core sustained in high-altitude strata |
For the full technical specifications of the CORTECH® CSD1800X, see the CSD1800X product page.
Customer Value & ROI
- Kept schedule at 5,090 m: the 1,548 m hole was finished in 43 days, protecting the client's narrow plateau working window before winter closes the field season.
- Stable power where it matters: turbocharged engine and air-cooled hydraulics avoided the power loss and overheating that plague under-specified rigs at altitude, reducing downtime and lost core intervals.
- Fewer tripping hours: the side-shift top drive accelerated rod handling at 1,500 m depth, directly shortening the most time-consuming phase of deep coring.
- Reliability in a remote camp: with workshops and spares far away, a certified CE / ISO rig minimized field breakdown risk.
FAQ
How does a drilling rig perform at 5,000 m altitude?
Performance depends on turbocharging and cooling. The CSD1800X uses a 194 kW turbocharged Cummins B6.7CS4 260C engine paired with a 28 MPa air-cooled hydraulic system, which recovers much of the power lost to thin air. In the Ali project at 5,090 m it sustained drilling through a 1,548 m copper exploration hole in 43 days.
What depth can a CSD1800X copper exploration rig reach?
Reference wireline coring depth is 2,000 m on B-size (55.5 mm) rods, 1,700 m on N-size (71 mm), 1,200 m on H-size (89 mm) and 700 m on P-size (114 mm). The Tibet copper hole was drilled to 1,548 m at 75 mm final diameter.
Why does engine derating matter on high-altitude rigs?
Thin air reduces an engine's oxygen supply and therefore its power and cooling capacity. A naturally aspirated rig can lose so much power that penetration stalls and hydraulics overheat mid-hole. A turbocharged engine with adequate cooling, as on the CSD1800X, mitigates this and keeps torque available at depth.
How long does it take to drill a 1,500 m copper exploration hole?
In this high-altitude case, the CSD1800X drilled the 1,548 m hole at 75 mm in 43 days, including tripping, rod handling and coring in a remote 5,090 m plateau location.