Patent Abstract:
A pump collects waste fluid and debris from the drilling of a borehole in a mine and for disposing of the waste fluid in a controlled manner. The pump collects the waste fluid into the pump housing through a grate. The pump also includes a centrally located hole which allows a drilling shaft to pass through the body of the pump. The pump further includes a funnel-shaped collar for collecting waste fluid that is dispersed from the mine borehole. A drill head may be attached to the pump for powering the drilling shaft, and for powering an impeller within the pump.

Full Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to the mining arts, and more particularly, to an apparatus for removing debris in conjunction with a roof drilling apparatus in a mine. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Most earth drilling systems employ some form of rotary or percussion powered drills. Typically, a drilling machine, such as for forming a hole for an explosive charge, or for anchoring a roof bolt, includes a drill socket for receiving a stem with a drill bit on the distal down hole section thereof. The stem/bit on a rotary drill machine is rotated by a shaft, sometimes called a spinner, mounted on a drill head to form the drill hole. The rotary driving motion of the spinner is usually hydraulically or pneumatically driven. 
     Various types of drilling systems utilize a drilling fluid in combination with a drilling tool. This drilling fluid may be a liquid such as water or a water-containing liquid. The uses of a drilling fluid may include assisting in removing drill cuttings from a borehole, stabilizing borehole walls to prevent caving, controlling dust produced during the drilling process, and cooling and cleaning the drill bit. Such use of a drilling tool with a drilling fluid may be termed wet-drilling. 
     As can be seen in  FIG. 1 , wet-drilling generally involves the introduction of the drilling fluid into a borehole in a surface to be drilled, such as through a channel within the drill bit. As the drilling fluid is introduced into the borehole, the fluid cools the cutting edge of the drill bit and flush away the dust and cuttings within the borehole. The combination of fluid and cuttings is generally forced out of the borehole through an annulus between the drill bit and the borehole. By flushing away the cuttings, the longevity of the drill bit may be extended because the drill bit is not forced to continuously re-cut the cuttings within the borehole. By reducing or eliminating the dust created during the drilling process, the air quality in the mine may be greatly improved. 
     In the case of overhead drilling, such as in the drilling in the roof of a mine shaft, the amount of drilling fluid used may be increased in comparison to a horizontally drilled borehole. This additional fluid may be necessary to maintain the advantages of wet-drilling, as gravity forces the fluid out of the overhead borehole more quickly than a horizontal borehole. As gravity forces the combination of fluid, dust, and cuttings (i.e. the waste fluid) down the shaft of the drill bit, the spinning of the drill, especially at the drill head, may cause this waste fluid to be rapidly and somewhat violently dispersed in the mine shaft in the area of the drill. This dispersed waste fluid deleteriously accumulates in the mine and makes for unpleasant working conditions. 
     Accordingly, a need is identified for an apparatus that provides an improvement in wet-drilling overhead boreholes within a mine. 
     SUMMARY 
     One aspect of the disclosure is an apparatus for use in wet drilling a face of a mine passage with a fluid. The apparatus includes a drill head for drilling the face using the fluid and a pump associated with the drill head for collecting used fluid and for directing fluid away from the drill head. In one embodiment the pump is a centrifugal pump. In another embodiment, the apparatus further includes an impeller for inducing flow of the fluid in an exiting direction which is generally perpendicular to an entering direction. 
     The drill head and the pump may each include an opening for receiving a drilling member for drilling the face of the mine passage. The pump may be attached to the drill head such that the opening in the drill head is coaxial with the opening of the pump. 
     In another embodiment, the pump includes a housing forming a chamber surrounding an impeller. The housing may include an inlet and an outlet. The inlet may include a frustoconical collar for directing fluid into the pump. 
     Another aspect of the disclosure relates to an apparatus for use with a drilling shaft in wet-drilling a face of a mine passage with a liquid. The apparatus includes a drill head for powering the drilling shaft for drilling the face in connection with the liquid and a centrifugal pump adapted for collecting used liquid and for directing said fluid away from the drill head. 
     In one embodiment, the pump includes an impeller. The impeller may comprise an annular disc having a plurality of curved blades for displacing the liquid. 
     In another embodiment, the apparatus further includes a first motor for driving the drilling shaft. The first motor may also drive the centrifugal pump. Alternately, the apparatus may include a second motor for driving the centrifugal pump. 
     An additional embodiment further includes a pump housing, wherein the housing comprises an inlet concentric with the drilling shaft and an outlet. The inlet may further include a grate. 
     In a further embodiment, the drill head and centrifugal pump may each include an aperture for receiving the drilling shaft, and the apertures may be aligned concentrically. 
     A further aspect of the disclosure relates to a method of wet drilling a face of a mine passage. The method includes the steps of drilling a borehole into the face of the mine passage using a drilling liquid and collecting the used liquid from the drilling step. The method may further include the step of recirculating the used liquid for reuse as the drilling liquid. This may include the step of removing debris from the used liquid. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a prior art drill for use in wet-drilling; 
         FIG. 2 a    is a perspective view of a drill apparatus according to one aspect of the disclosure; 
         FIG. 2 b    is a side elevational view of the apparatus; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view of a pump associated with the apparatus; 
         FIG. 4  is a top plan view of the pump of the above embodiment; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic of an embodiment of the drill apparatus in use with a recirculating system; 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of the pump of  FIG. 4  through the line  6 - 6 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a front elevational view of one embodiment of the apparatus. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     One embodiment of the present invention relates to an apparatus  10  for collecting and disposing of fluid in association with a drilling tool used in combination with a drilling fluid, such as a wet drilling tool in a wet-drilling environment. The apparatus  10  may be used in conjunction with the drilling of a face  20  of a mine passage with the use of a drilling fluid F. The drilling fluid F may be a liquid such as water or a water-containing fluid. 
     As can be seen in  FIG. 2 a   , the apparatus  10  may include a drill head  12  for rotating and driving a drill shaft  16  and drill bit (not pictured). In the wet-drilling embodiment, the drilling fluid F may be introduced to the mine face  20  or borehole through a passage within the drill shaft  16  (see  FIG. 2 b   ). As the fluid F enters an overhead borehole and collects the dust and cuttings within the borehole, it exits the borehole as waste W. This waste W may follow a generally downward path along the drill shaft  16 . 
     The drill head  12  may also be used in association with a pump  14  to collect this waste W. The pump  14  may be aligned with the drill head  12  along a longitudinal axis of the drill shaft  16 . In that manner, the pump  14  may recover the waste W from the borehole and divert the waste to a desired location. The pump  14  may be attached to a portion of the drill head  12  such that the pump  14  lies between the borehole and the drill head  12  during use. 
     The pump  14  may be any pump capable of transporting the waste W from one location to another, such as a centrifugal pump. As shown in more detail in  FIG. 3 , the pump  14  may include a collar  22  for collecting waste W. The collar  22  may be of a frustoconical shape, with a wide annulus facing upward, and a smaller, concentric annulus associated with the body of the pump  14 . In practice, this collar  22  is adapted to collect and divert waste W to the pump. 
     The pump  14  may include a housing  24  for receiving the waste W collected by the collar  22 . The housing  24  is sealed with a pump cover  32 , which may include a central cover aperture  34  through which the drilling shaft  16  may pass. The pump cover  32  may further include one or more cover openings  38  for allowing waste W to enter the pump  14 . These openings may include a mesh or filter to prevent large pieces of cuttings from entering and possibly clogging the pump. In one embodiment, the pump cover  32  includes a plurality of cover openings  38  forming a grate  39 , wherein the cover openings  38  are dimensioned so as to prevent large particles from entering the pump. These cover openings  38  are located within the smaller annulus of the collar  22 . 
     Within the housing  24 , the pump  14  may further include an impeller  26  for directing the waste W to an outlet  28 . The impeller  26  may take any shape capable of diverting the waste to the outlet, but is shown in the shape of an annular disc with one or more curved blades  36 . The impeller  26  of a centrifugal pump is configured to direct fluid entering the top of the pump in a perpendicular direction, toward an outer wall of the housing  24 . 
     The impeller further includes a central aperture  30  through which the drill shaft  16  may pass. The central cover aperture  34  may align with the central aperture  30  of the impeller  26 . The drill shaft  16  may pass through the concentrically aligned central aperture  30  of the impeller  26  and cover aperture  34 , as well as the collar  22 . In this way, the drill head  12  may drive the drill shaft  16  through the pump  14 . The pump  14 , therefore, is positioned between the drill head  12  and the borehole during use. 
     As can be seen in  FIG. 4 , the pump  14  is generally circular in shape, and the housing  24  may include an outwardly spiraling extended portion  40  for directing waste W to the outlet  28 . The outlet  28  may further include a port fitting  42  for connecting the outlet  28  to a tube or hose (not shown) for transporting the waste W from the pump  14  to a desired location. 
     In one embodiment, the waste W may be recirculated subsequent to collection so as to be reused as a drilling fluid F. As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , drilling fluid F may be supplied to the drill head  12  from a fluid source  52 . The fluid F is then utilized in a wet-drilling process as described above. The waste W may be collected by the pump  14 , and then may be diverted to a collector  54 , wherein debris from the waste W may be removed. This collector  54  may comprise any mechanism capable of removing debris and/or sediment from the waste W, such as a filter, a settling tank, a centrifuge, or the like. Once the debris and/or sediment has been removed from the waste W, the cleaned fluid portion of the waste may be reused as drilling fluid F. This fluid F may be delivered from the collector  54  to the fluid source  52  in order to be reused within the drilling process. The transfer of fluid within this embodiment may be accomplished via gravity, or any number of pumps (not shown) associated with the various system components. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the pump  14  and drill head  12  as viewed through line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 4 . The drill head  12  includes a driver  44  for rotating and driving the drill shaft  16 . In one embodiment, the drill head  12  further includes a driving extension  46  in communication with the driver  44  for driving the impeller  26 . The driving extension  46  may engage an underside of the impeller within the housing  24  through one or more connectors  48 . These connectors  48  may be in the form of a screw, bolt, or any other fitment for holding the impeller  26  and driving extension  46  in relative contact for coordinated movement. 
     The driver  44  of the drill head  12  may be configured for simultaneously driving both the drill shaft and the impeller  26 . In such an embodiment, the impeller  26  may further include an extension  50  dimensioned for contacting the housing  24  so as to seal an internal volume of the housing  24  from the driver  44  and the drive extension  46 . In an alternate embodiment as shown in  FIG. 7 , the pump  14  may include a motor M for driving the impeller  26  independently of the drill head  12 . 
     The foregoing descriptions of various embodiments are provided for purposes of illustration and not intended to be exhaustive or limiting. Modifications or variations are also possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments described above were chosen to provide the best application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the disclosed embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the claimed inventions.

Technology Classification (CPC): 4