en.Wedoany.com Reported - Recently, Sunward Intelligent's SWDM series extended-range rotary drilling rigs have been deployed on the front lines of several national key transportation construction projects. The equipment has generated real-machine operational data in scenarios such as highway renovation and expansion, railway bridge pile foundations, and complex slope support, centrally validating the application effectiveness of extended-range piling equipment in terms of energy saving, efficiency, and adaptability to complex strata.
The Weirong Expressway renovation and expansion project in Pingdu, Qingdao, Shandong Province, is a typical application scenario for this equipment. The pile foundation construction at the project site is located in slightly weathered granite strata, with pile diameters of 1.2 meters and hole depths of 15 to 17 meters, placing high demands on the rotary drilling rig's rock penetration capability, torque output, and continuous operation stability. The SWDM520E extended-range rotary drilling rig deployed on site operates in extended-range mode, consuming approximately 10 liters of fuel per hour, significantly lower than fuel-powered rotary drilling rigs of the same class. For highway renovation and expansion projects, pile foundation construction often occurs in an environment constrained by existing traffic, construction organization, and tight schedules. The reduction in equipment energy consumption not only lowers the single-machine operating cost but also helps reduce the operational and maintenance pressures caused by fuel resupply, on-site emissions, and long-duration high-load operations.
The construction conditions for the Changsha-Ganzhou High-Speed Railway project are more complex. The pile foundation construction site features an interlaced distribution of dolomitic limestone, inclined rock formations, and irregular karst caves, which can easily lead to hole deviation, drill sticking, and fluctuations in hole-forming efficiency. The Sunward Intelligent SWDM620E extended-range electric rotary drilling rig participated in operations on this project. This model is currently the world's largest extended-range electric rotary drilling rig, with an output torque of 620 kN·m and a maximum drilling depth of 145 meters. The first pile hole completion took 12 hours and consumed 1,680 kWh of electricity. Compared to fuel-powered rotary drilling rigs of the same class on site, energy costs were saved by approximately 70%, with cost savings of nearly 3,500 yuan per hole. On-site feedback indicates that the equipment effectively controlled issues like hole deviation and drill sticking in inclined rock and karst cave strata. For railway projects, pile foundation construction in such complex strata is often a critical link affecting node progress and pile quality. Whether the equipment can maintain torque output and attitude control in unstable geology directly impacts the subsequent advancement of bridge foundations and line engineering.
The construction site of the Mianyang-Suining-Neijiang Railway in Sichuan Province corresponds to the construction requirements of narrow and long slope platforms and square support piles. The SWDM420E adopted a two-step construction method on site: "first guiding a round pile hole, then hydraulic milling to a square shape." Under the same working conditions, a fuel-powered rotary drilling rig consumes about 55 liters of fuel per hour, while the SWDM420E consumes about 100 kWh of electricity per hour, achieving energy savings of up to 80%. The direct motor drive design provides more stable torque output for heavy-load operations, and the smoothness and verticality of the completed pile walls meet design requirements. This scenario illustrates that the application of extended-range rotary drilling rigs is not limited to large-diameter deep holes but can also extend to support engineering constrained by site limitations, special pile type requirements, and more complex construction organization.
The technical approach of Sunward Intelligent's SWDM series extended-range rotary drilling rigs focuses on aspects such as multi-motor synchronization, motor buffering against sudden load changes, main winch potential energy feedback, and intelligent thermal management control. Rotary drilling rigs experience frequent load changes during rock penetration, drill lifting, soil dumping, slewing, and winching. Traditional fuel-powered equipment relies on the engine and hydraulic system to continuously respond to high-impact working conditions, resulting in significant energy consumption and emission pressures. The extended-range electric solution uses the electric drive system to undertake the main power output, combined with energy recovery and intelligent control, to optimize high-frequency start-stop, heavy-load rock penetration, winch recovery, and long-duration continuous operations in stages. The 200-ton class extended-range rotary drilling rig previously rolled off the production line by Sunward Intelligent in Changsha supports three mode switches: pure electric, extended-range, and plug-in, with an energy recovery rate exceeding 70% and comprehensive energy savings of 5% to 10%. This also indicates that the electrification of its piling equipment has moved from single product testing into a phase of serialized development.
Transportation infrastructure projects provide high-intensity validation scenarios for the electrification of construction machinery. Highway renovation and expansion, railway bridges, and complex slope support construction typically feature tight schedules, rapid geological changes, long continuous operation times, frequent equipment relocation, and increasing environmental protection requirements. The operational data generated by extended-range rotary drilling rigs in these scenarios helps equipment enterprises assess the reliability of electric drive systems, thermal management, batteries, and power generation units in dusty, vibrating, humid, high-load, and complex strata environments. For construction units, if the energy-saving effect of the equipment can be improved simultaneously with hole-forming efficiency, pile quality, and failure rate, the comprehensive cost and on-site organization method of pile foundation construction will change.
Subsequent project milestones include continuous equipment validation under more strata and pile type conditions, accumulation of operational data, optimization of construction methods, improvement of after-sales service and maintenance systems, and the promotion and application of extended-range rotary drilling rigs in bridges, railways, highways, municipal infrastructure, and large-scale comprehensive transportation projects. As national key projects impose higher requirements for green construction, low-carbon equipment, and high-efficiency pile foundation construction, the engineering application of Sunward Intelligent's SWDM series extended-range rotary drilling rigs will continue to test the implementation capability of China's piling equipment transitioning from fuel-driven to electrified and intelligent operation.
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