CRADLE TO GRAVE
A BOOST FOR DRILLING DATA NOW MOBILE
The Mandela Mining Precinct in Johannesburg, South Africa,
has unveiled two new rock drill prototypes developed by local
innovators. Mining company Assmang has rolled out a ground-
breaking mobile data centre solution at its Khumani Iron
Ore Mine in the Northern Cape province of South Africa.
The solution was proposed, designed and deployed by
Infrasol, Datacentrix’ infrastructure design and deployment
business unit.
The prototypes are the culmination of an open innovation
challenge, the Isidingo Drill Design Challenge, launched in 2018
to develop a new rock drill for the South African mining industry.
The challenge was launched with the aim to improve efficiencies
and reduce harm at the mining face. According to Martin
Pretorius, programme manager at the Mandela Mining Precinct,
drilling is the most important part of the entire mining cycle.
“After a vigorous evaluation, Novatek and HPE were selected to
develop prototypes, which were tested at the Mandela Mining
Precinct,” says Pretorius. “The tests successfully illustrated both
company’s adherence to the primary criteria of enhancing the
performance of the drill, reducing the exposure of operators
to dangerous conditions and contributing to zero harm,” says
Pretorius.
According to Ferdi Kirsten, manager: information
technology at Assmang Khumani, the mine needed to
update and expand its existing server room, which was
designed in 2006 prior to Khumani becoming operational
in 2008. “The original Khumani server room had become
far too small for our needs. The four metre by four metre
room with six racks meant that there was very little space
to manoeuvre and we had experienced some issues with
cooling,” says Kirsten.
Assmang invited Datacentrix to join the tender for the
project, and according to Kirsten, the solution provider
submitted the winning proposal for a specialised, fire
protected mobile unit, which would be the first of its kind
to be installed in South Africa.
Bennett Naidoo, Infrasol business development manager
at Datacentrix, says that the installation was not without
challenges. “The initial plan was to build the entire solution
at the mine. However, health and safety requirements
made it difficult and in addition, we struggled to obtain all
the necessary approvals to enter the site over weekends.
Novatek’s rock drill in action at the Mandela Mining Precinct in
Johannesburg, South Africa.
BLASTING GETS SMART
“We had to come up with a strategy that could speed up
delivery, making the decision to construct two three metre
by 13m modules at the factory. The two sections, each of
which weighs 11t – were transported to the mine, lifted
over the Khumani administration building using a crane,
and placed in position. The two sections were successfully
lifted and rigged into position with no difficulties,” says
Naidoo.
Blast initiation specialist DetNet has handed over a state-of-the-
art-smart blasting system to the Wits Mining Institute (WMI) in
Johannesburg, South Africa.
DetNet’s BlastWeb system, which was installed in the mock
mining operation on the Wits West Campus, promises to boost
research capacity and learning at the university. DetNet is an
industry partner in the WMI’s Sibanye-Stillwater Digital Mining
Laboratory (DigiMine). According to WMI director Professor Fred
Cawood, the system will be a vital resource for masters and PhD
students in mining engineering.
“Electronic blasting from a control room puts distance between
mine workers and risk,” he said. “The system also has a powerful
analytics element, so workers can ‘inspect’ the quality of the
blast from the control room.”
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African Mining February 2020
“Blasting and explosives is a very specialised field, and BlastWeb
will allow researchers to do a range of tests using the system,”
says Cawood. Key research areas that will benefit include:
the relationship between blasting and seismicity; optimal
rock fracturing using explosives; and safe, controlled blasting
practices. He says that access to the system gave Wits a significant
resource in helping the industry realise its goal of zero harm.
Assmang has rolled out a mobile data centre solution at its Khumani
Iron Ore mine in the Northern Cape.
www. africanmining.co.za