EXPLOSIVES AND BLASTING pattern , which is then further optimised for blasthole loading after the holes are drilled .”
Automation of blasting activities in open-pit mining will start with removing the support people from on-bench first , according to Mooney , as they represent the greatest number of people , and they are exposed to the environment around them from a safety perspective .
“ The introduction of our wireless WebGen 200 system into open cut is the first step , reducing the time spent deploying and readying blasts to fire ,” he said , adding that the company has already carried out 17 blasts using the system in Canada . “ It will enable us to deploy and encode the WebGen 200 primers autonomously , as we are doing on our Avatel underground development service .”
BME on fast-evolving technology
BME has been refining its own electronic initiation systems , having recently launched AXXIS Titanium™ , a platform that , by consuming less energy , allows up to 1,000 detonators to be initiated by each blasting box .
As the latest generation of BME ’ s popular and well-proven AXXIS system , AXXIS Titanium takes blasting safety and flexibility to a new level , according to Tinus Brits , BME ’ s Global Product Manager for AXXIS™ .
“ This latest iteration builds on the achievements of the AXXIS GII™ model and improves many of the features that have served our customers so well ,” he said . “ These include further refinements in safety , accuracy , flexibility , ease of use and speed in preparing each blast .”
BME says safety remains of paramount importance , with the incorporation of an application-specific integrated circuit ( ASIC ) chip in the BME detonators delivering several added benefits . The ASIC gives the system more internal safety gates against stray current and lightning , enhancing safety levels and allowing for inherently safe logging and testing .
This comes on top of the use of dual capacitors and dual voltage , allowing BME to conduct low voltage logging to avoid any chance of detonation . Blasts are initiated by a robust , encrypted blast command ensuring that detonators all receive their respective commands and fire as planned . Brits emphasised that the detonator will only react if it receives the correct encrypted firing sequence from the blasting equipment , not from any other source .
“ We have developed AXXIS Titanium to be resistant to electro-magnetic pulses ( EMPs ) caused by the blast , which can affect the accuracy of detonators or even cause them to fail ,” Brits said . “ Our intensive tests in conjunction with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research ( in South Africa ) showed that our detonators can withstand a significant EMP without any impact on their timing .”
He says there is much value to be gained from technological integration of AXXIS with BME ’ s
BME says AXXIS Titanium takes blasting safety and sensitivity to a new level
BLASTMAP™ blast planning software and XPLOLOG™ platform and cloud-based storage for post-blast analysis .
Speaking of XPLOLOG , BME has recently released a new generation of this platform to help further optimise blasting results and provide real-time data from mines ’ blasting blocks .
The latest iteration of XPLOLOG is doing just that at a large open-pit mine in South Africa ’ s Northern Cape province .
BME Product Manager ( Software Development ), Christiaan Liebenberg , said : “ The digital revolution is giving mines valuable stepping stones toward progressively smarter mining . As blasting is an early-stage activity in the mining cycle , it can impact significantly on the efficiency of subsequent stages . Mines are looking to fastevolving blasting technology to do this .”
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AUGUST 2022 | International Mining 45