EXPLOSIVES AND BLASTING
to the use of wireless electronic detonators . This ensures the blast is carried out from a safe area inside or outside the mine .
The entire process is overseen from a remotecontrol station or a centralised operations station , the company added .
In the digitisation field , Enaex has developed the Enaex Bright platform , which is comprised of four modules that aim to optimise blasting results .
The first module seeks to improve QA / QC processes with the information generated from blast design and execution . “ This helps our Enaex Mining Technical Solutions teams to reduce deviations and , therefore , reduce drill and blast costs ,” the company says .
Enaex ’ s data transmission and fleet management modules enable a display of operational information that offer a more transparent process and improved operational decision making .
Lastly , the optimised modelling module , enabled by all the data gathered from the drill & blast process and artificial intelligence , helps Enaex ’ s teams and customers define the best blasting design based on the conditions of the bench to be blasted and historic data .
Enaex said : “ All together these modules allow Enaex to add value in the drill and blast arena .”
Avatel advancing
Orica says it is leading innovation and partnering for performance , co-developing , in conjunction with Epiroc , a semi-autonomous and fully mechanised development charging solution called Avatel™ .
Avatel will soon start its first commercial trial at Newcrest Mining ’ s Cadia operation in New South Wales , Australia , with Adam Mooney , Vice President of Blasting Technology at Orica , explaining the solution ’ s significance to the mechanisation and automation of the underground blasting process .
“ The removal of operators from immediate hazards at the development face is a complex challenge encompassing many tasks , including face preparations , dewatering , priming , charging , tying in and initiation .” he told IM .
“ Critically , the mechanisation of the charging process must minimise the risk of misfire such that the requirement for personnel to re-enter an area is mitigated . Mechanised handling of wires , signal tubes and connections carries an increased risk of damage or misfires . Orica ’ s solution eliminates this risk with WebGen™ and Avatel as the only truly wireless solution under development .”
Orica ’ s partnership with Epiroc to deliver Avatel is not only focused on remotely charging a development face , but doing so in a way that can be executed productively and repeatably in the multitude of underground mining scenarios Orica expects to encounter , Mooney said .
“ We are focused on providing a useful mining solution whereby personnel can safely operate from a protected cabin separated from hazards , and continue to develop our solution ( including options like tele-remote capability ) over time .”
Cases continue to be identified where increased levels of mechanisation or automation are necessary , but , in many situations , using WebGen wireless capability eliminates many personnel exposures to hazardous work environments such as open voids , brows and active drawpoints , according to Mooney .
Up to this point , Orica ’ s WebGen solution has fired over 100,000 units in over 3,000 blasts globally across customer sites . The use of wireless primers enables pre-charge of blastholes whereby workers are never required to re-enter the footprint of an active excavation .
WebGen 200 , which builds on the experience with first generation WebGen 100 , is another leap forward in the process , offering enhanced capabilities , security and versatility to adapt to all range of surface and underground mining challenges . It will eliminate the need for wired connections and subsequent exposure of crews at the face , enabling continued and safe access , even in poor or seismic ground conditions , to accelerate the development cycle , Orica says .
WebGen 200 will be available in four product variants and includes a wider range of booster weights , opening up new segments , applications and opportunities in both surface and underground mining . The complete product range now includes the WebGen 200 Surface , WebGen 200 Surface Pro , WebGen 200 Underground Pro and WebGen 200 Dev .
Avatel includes Orica ’ s HandiLoader™ emulsion process body , Epiroc ’ s M2C carrier integrating an RCS 5 control system with Orica ’ s LOADPlus™ control system , a WebGen 200 wireless initiation system and an automated WebGen magazine . Epiroc has also incorporated onboard dewatering and lifter debris clearing capability , while Orica ’ s SHOTPlus™ intelligent blast design software is leveraged to deliver superior blasting outcomes , Orica says . These components help eliminate the need for personnel exposure at the development face throughout the charging stage of the mining cycle .
Avatel will offer mine operators like Newcrest an effective solution to keep personnel out of the line of fire , by substituting inherently high hazard manual tasks with a mechanised development charging solution , Orica says .
Successful trials with a prototype machine have taken place at Epiroc ’ s Kvantorp and Nacka Underground Test Mines in Sweden , while extended underground trials in a production
environment will also be conducted at Agnico Eagle ’ s Kittilä Mine in Finland .
“ Our goal for Kittilä is to expose Avatel to a real mining environment , putting the unit through its paces in an active mine where safety , productivity and reliability are core requirements for success ,” Mooney said . “ We will gain a practical understanding of how Avatel will fit in with and benefit the entire mining cycle , while also taking the opportunity to measure the blasting improvements possible through the combined use of electronic initiation timing and the precise blast energy control available with Avatel .”
A separate unit currently undergoing predelivery commissioning at Epiroc ’ s customer centre in Burnie , Tasmania , will be deployed at Cadia , Mooney clarified . The prototype unit will remain in the Nordic region as a test machine for any modifications , improvements and the addition of new features .
“ This allows comprehensive testing of any changes prior to implementing on commercial units in the field while giving us an opportunity to continue research and development and evolve the future of Avatel as we learn together with Epiroc and customers over time ,” Mooney concluded .
Orica ’ s current automation focus in the openpit market is the automation of the product production on the MMU™ , including chemical sensitisation to reduce the reliance on operator ability to consistently deliver quality products , according to Mooney .
“ We are also focusing on the automation of the digital flow of information with our Design for Outcome service from inputs such as measurewhile-drilling information and outputs from the blasting operation including fragmentation and blast movement and using cloud-based computing to optimise and iterate blast designs to improve blasting outcomes ,” he said .
Having conducted over 300 production blasts at the Roy Hill iron ore operation in Western Australia with Design for Outcome , the company is now conducting implementation trials at two mines in South America , Raj Mathiravedu , Vice President of Digital Solutions for Orica , says . An additional two operations are preparing data sets from instrumented drill systems to evaluate , too .
“ The technology itself has also further progressed ,” he told IM . “ Last year , we provided the capability to utilise drill data in a mining production workflow to tailor the blasthole loading configuration .
“ We have now deployed the capability to apply Design for Outcome at an earlier step in the process , using machine learning applied to both drill sensor and block model data in order to generate blast domains ahead of drilling . This enables a more informed selection of the drill
44 International Mining | AUGUST 2022