EXPLOSIVES & BLASTING what outcome you want . “ The benefits of improved upstream blasting have to trickle through the whole mining process
– it could be about making digging easier , reducing ground engaging tool wear , reducing rope shove wear , improving bucket fill factors for better cycle times on shovels , or what happens when the material hits the primary crusher or the mill . “ For us , it is all about the outcome .” This is where Kotraba is convinced the sector will move towards more readily utilising real-time data in its decision-making practices on the bench , instead of focusing on key performance indicators measured and reviewed after the fact .
“ In order to optimise the value chain , you need to be able to able to make changes when you see things going awry ,” he said . “ We are heading in that direction and have all the technology and expertise to facilitate such a shift .”
HPE-based explosives
Sweden-based Hypex Bio says it has been able to solve a long-standing problem in the explosives space : develop an emulsion explosive without NOx , nitrate leaching and crystallisation issues that matches the performance of standard nitrate-based explosives .
Suitable for underground or surface blasting , the hydrogen peroxide explosive ( HPE ) solution is a highly viscous emulsion with a white to light yellow colour , the company explains . The product can be custom made to exhibit a wide range of viscosities and comes with or without a sticky texture , facilitating use in up ( production ) holes . The emulsion is waterproof and can be used in wet applications and underwater , according to the company .
Developing a solution without the environmental impact the nitrate-based solution has is not all Hypex Bio has achieved , according to CEO Thomas Gustavsson .
“ We have invested significant efforts into ensuring we have a solution which is as nondisruptive as possible in the operational use
Hypex Bio ’ s trials have shows that , at a charge quantity about 20 % lower than the comparable ammonium nitrate technology , HPE can achieve the same results in terms of fragmentation , pull and wall control but without any NOx gas , nitrates or ammonia
phase ,” he told IM . “ The current Hypex Bio product is a bulk emulsion which is chemically sensitised ( gassed ) into the drill hole and initiated using standard detonators and primers .
“ Our extensive trialling shows that , at a charge quantity about 20 % lower than the comparable ammonium nitrate ( AN ) technology , we achieve the same results in terms of fragmentation , pull
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