An offshore oil platform. A barrel is often used to cut through the rocky seafloor during drilling.
A center cylinder is a cutting device that is circular in design, with an open center portion. This piece of machinery is typically used for cutting extremely hard surfaces, such as rocky-bottomed seabeds and steel-reinforced concrete. There are three main types of center cylinder drills: standard cylinders, diamond cylinders, and rotary cylinders. This type of equipment is commonly used by industrial construction companies and geological investigation teams.
The barrel is usually mounted on stabilizing equipment, such as a drilling rig or truck bed, which can be operated by fewer workers and used for smaller cores. The barrel itself is made from a variety of hardened materials such as steel and titanium, designed to withstand large amounts of pressure and features a row of cutting teeth along the bottom edge. The teeth can be made of drill-like materials and are usually reinforced with additional heavy metals. These bits are manufactured in a variety of sizes and can usually be designed to the specifications of the purchasing company. Some drill types have an additional inner drill core.
A rotating core cylinder is a two-part drilling system consisting of a rotating bit that moves around a non-rotating inner core. This type of drill bit is often used to penetrate hard, crunchy rock on the ocean floor and is often used on offshore oil platforms to drill wells. The bit rests on the rock surface and begins to rotate into the hardened sediment. The non-rotating inner core can be inserted periodically to sample the rock for analysis. The stationary core can be removed at any time and replaced with a secondary rotary drill for increased strength.
A diamond core cylinder is similar to a rotating core. It uses an inner and outer core to sample rocks and minerals during the drilling process. The diamond core bit, however, is used where materials are too hard for a standard rotary cylinder to penetrate. The diamond bur can be inserted into the existing well and then rotate the outer barrel around the inner barrel to cut the sample. This technique is also beneficial in preventing external water from entering the core sample during the extraction process, which is a primary concern when drilling in the ocean.