Freiburg, September 2021 | With the Drill-Pilot® NG, the Freiburg-based technology company LITEF presents an inertial navigation system for a targeted drilling process at MinExpo in Las Vegas, USA.

Continuous monitoring and rapid correction

The Drill-Pilot® NG is an inertial navigation system based on three fibre-optic rotation speed sensors and an accelerometer triad. During the drilling process, it provides position and orientation data and thus allows for continuous monitoring as well as rapid correction of drilling direction. “The Drill-Pilot® Next Generation works reliably, is robust and above all is very precise. It can also be used as the perfect solution for survey measurement of existing drill holes,” says Dr Andrea Dahlhoff, Head of Industrial Solutions at LITEF GmbH. “Next Generation because it is already an enhanced, optimised system. We are currently working on a single-conductor solution for continuous data transmission during the drilling process which will make handling significantly easier and allow for drilling up to two kilometres.” An enhanced navigation algorithm for MWD (Measurement-While-Drilling) applications is also currently being implemented and will soon be entering an intensive test phase. “The existing development goals are not enough for us: our systems are constantly being further developed and pushed to the limits of what is possible.”

Orientation and position data for measurements during drilling

The Drill-Pilot® NG provides inertial, propagated orientation and position data for Measurement-While-Drilling as well as drill hole survey tasks. The system is designed for use directly behind the drill bit and allows for exact measurements during the drilling process as well as short reaction times in the execution of steering manoeuvres. “It is important, particularly with increasing urbanisation, to avoid collisions between individual drill holes and the surrounding infrastructure to the greatest extent possible. It is therefore necessary to determine the precise course of the individual drill holes in order to be able to execute steering manoeuvres quickly and safely.”