PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS

How electronics can release the imagination

G.V.R. Landman

DetNet™, 1 Platinum Drive, Long Meadow Business Estate, Modderfontein

SYNOPSIS

It is self-evident that economic pressure demands that today's mines stay ahead and stay competitive. The challenge, however, is to find fresh approaches to the pursuit of efficiency and operational effectiveness. Rather than focusing on individual activities in isolation, a process that can lead to poor investment decisions affecting other critical areas of operation, a key concept is optimization of the whole value-adding process of mining. This concept is often called 'mine to mill'. Whereas it is never easy to establish optimal conditions across a whole mining operation, the quality and consistency of the blasted rock strongly affects all operations. In many instances an inability to control rock breaking has been unchallenged, leading to significant investment in time and money to manage the consequences of poor and/or inconsistent rock breaking. This paper discusses how electronic initiation systems can play a major role in optimizing the whole mining operation. Electronically programmed detonators provide not only the ability to tightly control a key parameter, namely timing, but also the opportunity to extract blast data for a continuous improvement process. The ability to alter predictably, using feedback from the downstream processes, blasting variables such as fragmentation, throw, wall stability, and vibration, is a huge advantage. The current understanding of the effect of timing, accuracy, and scatter on rock fragmentation is reviewed and offers reasons why there is significant progress in controlling blast results. Two case studies are examined, which demonstrate the benefits of the technology on the economics of the operations under review.

Keywords: Blasting, electronic, detonators, mine to mill, blasting timing, continuous improvement, optimization, productivity, electronic initiation systems, mine process optimization

“Full text available only in PDF format”

References

1. PERSSON, J., HOLMERG, P., and LEE, R. Rock Blasting and Explosives Engineering. s.l. CRC Press, 1993.         [ Links ]

2. CRAIG IMRIE, J.O. Ore Flow Optimization-Mine to Mill. s.l. Hatch, 2001.         [ Links ]

3. CRUISE, J.A. Rock breaking-a science, not an art. Drilling and Blasting School. Johannesburg, The Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 2010.         [ Links ]

4. IRELAND, K. Initiation and timing of blasts, Chapter 4. Surface Mining Explosives Engineering Training Course. Modderfontein, Johannesburg, AEL Pty Ltd, 2000.         [ Links ]

5. CUNNINGHAM, C.V.B. The effect of timing precision on control of blasting effects. Explosive and Blasting Technique, R. Holmberg (ed.). Rotterdam, Balkema, 2000.         [ Links ]

6. WINZER, A.P. and RITTER, S.R. Effect of delays on fragmentation in large limestone blocks. Martin-Marietta Laboratories. s.l. National Science Foundation, 1980.         [ Links ]

7. BERGMAN, O.R., WU, F.C., and EDL, J.W. Model rock blasting measures effect of delays and hole patterns on rock fragmentation. Engineering Mining Journal. Washington, s.n., 1974.         [ Links ]

8. KATSABANIS, P.D., TAWADROUS, A., BRAUN, C., and KENEDY, C. Timing effects on fragmentation. Society of Explosives Engineers, vol. 2. 2006.         [ Links ]

9. MOHANTY, B. Intra-hole and inter-hole effects in typical blast designs and their implications on explosives energy release and detonator delay time-a critical review. Rock Fragmentation by Blasting, J. A. Sanchidrián (ed.). s.l.: Taylor & Francis Group, London, 2010.         [ Links ]

10. VAN DER WALT, H. Electronic detonator timing accuracy. Internal report, DetNet (Pty) Ltd. South Africa, s.n., 2010.         [ Links ]

11. BEDSER, G. In Search of Fines. Internal Lafarge Study Document. Cape Town, Lafarge (Pty) Ltd., 1993.         [ Links ]

12. MCKINSTRY, R., FLOYD, J., and BARTLEY, D. Electronic detonator performance evaluation. The Journal of Explosives Engineering. s.l.: International Society of Explosives Engineers, 2002. vol. May/June 2002.         [ Links ]

13. HEUGH, D. Development of explosives, explosive products and blasting scince during the last decade. Eigth International Symposia on Rock Fragmention by Blasting-Fragblast 8. Santiago: s.n., 2006.         [ Links ]

Address presented at the Annual General Meeting on 11 August 2010