Johannes Mubita shares his team’s transformative drilling experience in Namibia’s copper belt. Struggling with low core recovery, frequent overheating, and slow manual rod handling with conventional rigs beyond 300m, his team faced major barriers to proving deep copper mineralization. After rigorous screening, they adopted YG’s YGX-800 NQ full hydraulic core drilling rig, ideal for their 400–800m deep drilling tasks and extreme high-temperature desert conditions. Equipped with a dual cooling system and wireline coring technology, the rig boosted core recovery from 55–65% to 85–95% and improved overall drilling efficiency by 45%. It greatly reduced deep-hole drilling time, enhanced crew safety, and delivered high-quality core data for reliable mineral resource evaluation, becoming a reliable solution for African deep mineral exploration. The following is his own account. To learn more about this case, please contact WhatsApp: +86 139 3718 3205.
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Dec 9, 2025
Conventional Drilling Could No Longer Reach the Target Zone
Johannes’s exploration company had held licenses in northern Namibia’s copper belt for six years and had already drilled dozens of exploration holes. Geological data showed promising copper mineralization at depth, but their conventional diamond core rig repeatedly struggled beyond 300 meters. Core samples became fragmented, drill rods twisted under the weight of the string, and hydraulic systems overheated in ambient temperatures reaching 42°C. Manual rod changes also created long periods of downtime. With copper targets expected at depths of 400–800 meters, the team concluded that simply upgrading the existing rig would not be enough. They decided to look for a fundamentally different drilling platform.
Jan, 2026
Searching for a Full Hydraulic Core Drilling Machine
The team began comparing drilling solutions that could provide deeper drilling, better hydraulic control, improved cooling, and more efficient core recovery. Their metallurgical consultant recommended a full hydraulic core drilling machine with NQ wireline coring. After researching different manufacturers and their applications in African mining environments, the company contacted YG Machinery. They provided details about the project, including a target depth of 400–800 meters, temperatures up to 45°C, remote-site conditions, and the need for NQ wireline core recovery. YG’s engineering team reviewed the requirements and recommended the YGX-800, equipped with NQ wireline coring tools.
Mar 2026
YG-800 NQ Full Hydraulic Core Drilling Rig Arrived at the Namibian Copper Belt
The YG-800 NQ full hydraulic core drilling rig was transported from Windhoek to the northern exploration camp over three days on dirt roads. The three-person drilling crew then spent two days preparing the machine, connecting the hydraulic and water systems, and completing the initial checks. By the morning of the third setup day, the team was ready to begin drilling. Compared with their previous rig, the crew immediately noticed the responsive hydraulic feed system, which allowed them to adjust feed pressure according to changing rock conditions. The NQ wireline system also reduced the need to pull the entire drill string during core recovery.
First Drilling Program
Faster Core Recovery and Better Cooling
During the first drilling program, the YGX-800 demonstrated its advantages in deep-hole exploration. At 600 meters, a wireline core run took about 30 minutes, compared with roughly 2–3 hours using the previous method. The dual air-and-water cooling system also remained stable even when outside temperatures reached 43°C. This allowed the team to continue drilling without the overheating-related shutdowns they had experienced with their old equipment. The hydraulic system provided more consistent control through hard granite, softer schist, and other changing formations.
End of First 800m Hole
Core Recovery Reached 85–95%
The biggest change was in geological sample recovery. With the old rig, recovery beyond 300 meters had averaged only 55–65%. Using the YGX-800 with NQ wireline coring, the team reported 85–95% core recovery, including 88% recovery at 700 meters in a difficult sheared-granite section. The first complete 800-meter hole was finished in 11 working days, compared with an estimated 18–20 days using the previous rig. The higher-quality core gave the geologists more continuous samples for logging, structural analysis, and geological modeling.
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Full Hydraulic Core Drilling Rig Parameters
| Model | YGX-400 | YGX-600 | YGX-800 | YGX-1000 |
| Drilling Depth(M) | 180-400-500 | 200-600-650 | 400-800-1000 | 500-1000-1100 |
| Rated pressure(MPA) | 21 | 21 | 25 | 28 |
| Rated Flow(L/min) | 168 | 192 | 260 | 300 |
| Heat Dissipation Mode | Air cooling+water cooling | |||
| Engine Brand | Yuchai | Yuchai | Yuchai | Cummins |
| Rated power/speed | 78kW/ 2400r/min | 92kW/ 2400r/min | 92kW/ 2400r/min | 154kW/2400r/min |
| Drilling Angle(°) | 0-90 | 45-90 | 45-90 | 45-90 |
| Lifting Force(T) | 12 | 16 | 24 | 30 |
| Feed Force(T) | 6 | 8 | 12 | 15 |
| Hydraulic Mud pump flow | 30-90（L/min） | 30-90（L/min） | 90-180（L/min） | 90-180（L/min） |
| Hydraulic Mud pump power | 4-7(MPA) | 4-7(MPA) | 4-7(MPA) | 4-7(MPA) |
| Dimension | 4000*1900*1800mm | 4000*2000*1800mm | 5500*2100*2000mm | 6000*2200*2400mm |
| Weight | 4.3T | 4.5/5.5T | 6.5T | 7.5T |
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Common Core Extraction Methods Parameters
| Specification | Drill Bit Outer Diameter (mm) | Core Diameter (mm) | Outer Diameter of the Reamer | Drill Pipe Outer Diameter |
| BTW | 60 | 42 | 60 | 56.3 |
| NTW | 75 | 56 | 75.8 | 75.3 |
| HTW | 95 | 71 | 96 | 91.5 |
| BQ | 59 | 36.4 | 60 | 55.6 |
| NQ | 75.7 | 47.6 | 75.8 | 69.9 |
| HQ | 96 | 63.6 | 96 | 88.9 |
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What Changed for Their Exploration Program
After six months of operating the NQ full hydraulic core drilling rig in the Namibian copper belt, here’s what I can report:
Drilling efficiency increased by roughly 45%. More meters drilled per week, fewer breakdown days, faster core recovery cycles. We’ve completed more holes in six months than we did in the previous 18 months combined.
Core quality transformed our geological interpretation. High-recovery NQ cores mean our resource geologists can make confident calls about mineralization boundaries, structural controls, and alteration patterns. We submitted our first NI 43- 101-compliant resource estimate using data from the YG-800 program, and the technical reviewers specifically noted the quality of the core logging data.
Crew safety and morale improved. The hydraulic rod handling system means drillers aren’t manually wrestling with 3-meter steel rods at height. The automated rod change system on the full hydraulic core drilling machine reduces physical strain and the risk of hand injuries. Our drillers told me they actually enjoy operating this rig now — which I never thought I’d hear.
Remote-site reliability. We’re 400 km from the nearest major service center. The YGX-800 has required only routine maintenance — oil changes, filter replacements, and one set of seal replacements on the mud pump. No major failures, no component replacements, no emergency service calls.
Why NQ Wireline Specifically Matters for Deep Copper Exploration
For anyone evaluating a full hydraulic core drilling rig for similar programs, let me explain why NQ wireline is the right choice for this application.
The NQ system — with a 47.6mm core diameter and 75.7mm drill bit — is the sweet spot for deep-hole mineral exploration. It gives you a core large enough to see mineralization textures, structural features, and alteration patterns clearly, while the drill bit diameter is small enough to reduce the torque and pulling force needed at depth.
Compare that to larger core sizes like HQ: bigger cores are great for shallow, soft-ground work, but at 600+ meters in hard rock, the torque requirements and string weight become problematic. NQ keeps the drilling efficient and the core quality high across the full depth range we’re working in.
The wireline retrieval system is the other half of the equation. At 800 meters, pulling the full drill string for every core run would cost hours per cycle. Wireline retrieval through the drill rods means we pull only the inner core barrel — lightweight, fast, and mechanically simple.
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Johannes’ Advice for Other African Exploration Teams
If you’re running a deep-hole mineral exploration program in Africa and you’re still struggling with core recovery and rig reliability, here’s what I’ve learned:
- Match the rig to your target depth, not your budget. A rig that can barely reach your target depth will fail. The YGX-800’s rated depth goes to 1,000 meters, but we operate in the 400-800 range. That headroom means the rig isn’t being pushed to its limits — it’s working comfortably within its design parameters.
- Insist on NQ wireline for deep holes. The wireline retrieval system is not optional for programs targeting depths beyond 400 meters. The time savings alone justify the investment, and the core quality is dramatically better than conventional core barrel systems.
- Dual cooling is non-negotiable in hot climates. The YGX-800’s air cooling plus water cooling system was specifically designed for demanding thermal environments. Don’t compromise on this — hydraulic system failures from overheating are the number one cause of rig downtime in African mining.
- Plan your mud pump capacity. The 90-180 L/min hydraulic mud pump on the YGX-800 handles our borehole flushing requirements, but make sure your water supply can sustain continuous operation. We built a 20,000-liter water storage system at the drill pad — essential for deep holes.
- Train your crew on hydraulic systems before the rig arrives. Drillers coming from mechanically-driven rigs need to understand hydraulic pressure control, wireline core barrel operation, and automated rod handling. YG provides operational documentation, but we also ran a two-week training program before deploying the full hydraulic core drilling machine to site.
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Copper is there. We know it’s there. The geology has been pointing to it for years. But knowing and proving are two different things — and the bridge between them is high-quality, deep core data.
The NQ full hydraulic core drilling rig from YG gave us that bridge. It gave us the depth, the core quality, the operational reliability, and the efficiency to actually deliver the data we need. After six months in one of the most challenging drilling environments in southern Africa, the YGX-800 hasn’t missed a beat.
For any exploration team working the deep copper belt of Namibia — or similar geological settings across Africa — I’d say this: stop fighting the limitations of older rigs. The technology to drill deep, recover quality core, and operate reliably in extreme conditions exists. We’re using it every day. And the results speak for themselves.