EXPLOSIVES & BLASTING
The focus will be on continuously improving the inhibition process against sulphate ground types – through chemical formulation and mechanical manipulation . We trust that our investigation and solutions will add valuable insights to blasting professionals and the global explosives engineering community .”
Hypex Bio ’ s explosive market entry
A year on from IM ’ s last interaction with Hypex Bio , there was plenty to report .
On top of numerous successful trials and commercial sales of its hydrogen peroxide explosive ( HPE ) solution for surface or underground blasting , the company has seen Omnia come in and acquire a minority equity stake , while it has started a second HPE manufacturing plant in Sweden .
Hypex Bio launched its nitrate-free emulsion technology into the mining market in 2021 , saying that the solution solved a long-standing problem in the explosives space : the development of a nitrate-free emulsion explosive without NOx , nitrate leaching and crystallisation issues that matched the performance of standard nitrate-based explosives .
The product can be custom made to exhibit a wide range of viscosities and comes with or without a sticky texture , facilitating use in various applications . The emulsion is waterproof and can be used in wet applications and underwater , according to the company .
Thomas Gustavsson , CEO , said the company has made significant progress in the last three years , but admits that breaking into a “ commoditised ” market such as explosives takes time .
“ We have what we believe is an operationally non-disruptive solution for the mining marketplace ; 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 ,” he said . “ Yet , to bring a new product into a market with global , UN framework-type regulations tied to the transport and storage of dangerous goods requires education and coordination with various stakeholders .”
Hypex Bio has been successful in its discussions with regulators in Sweden – as mentioned , it has just established an emulsion plant and is using the HPE solution in a commercial application with Boliden ’ s Kankberg mine – but the same processes are not necessarily transferrable overseas .
“ In the last year , we have made significant breakthroughs in getting to understand what testing frameworks we need to follow for ‘ dangerous goods ’ in other strategic locations ,” Gustavsson said . “ Once we have identified these , we can start the testing process with a better understanding of what results regulators are looking for .”
As it stands , Hypex Bio can transport emulsion in small quantities across Europe .
Outside of Europe , the company and its partners have been identifying strategic growth areas for the solution , with one notable example being Canada .
“ We are looking to build a plant in Ontario , Canada , with BME Canada , partly owned by Omnia ,” Gustavsson said . “ The plan is to deliver that in the March quarter of 2025 .”
Gustavsson also identified potential trials in sub-level stoping applications underground and an open-pit trial in the next year as part of the company ’ s growth plans .
Flexibility is already proving key for the company increasing its exposure across the mining space .
Its first plant in Norway is meant as a commercial hub , able to churn out 200 tonnes of emulsion per week per shift . It plans to add a similar size facility in Switzerland in the near term , which it is opening in partnership with SSE , another minority stakeholder in the company .
Its facility in Garpenberg , Sweden , however is much smaller scale and meant for supplying the Boliden-owned mine ’ s emulsion needs only .
“ One of the reasons we have this concept of mobile , small-scale plants is for specific projects ,” Gustavsson said . “ It is an entry model to enter a new region or new customer – with trials for mining customers , for instance .
“ We still need to make it economically feasible though and that is where bigger , commercial plants will also be lined up as we go along .”
Hypex Bio ’ s extensive trialling shows that , at a charge quantity about 20 % lower than the comparable ammonium nitrate ( AN ) technology , the HPE solution achieves the same results in terms of fragmentation , pull and wall control but without any NOx gas , nitrates or ammonia .
It is these operating cost and sustainability benefits that are being discussed with the clients Hypex Bio engages with .
“ As we are bringing in something new and addressing well-defined problems , we will have to price in a margin ,” Gustavsson . “ Any conversation we have has to compare the cost and value of deploying the product otherwise it is a non-starter .”
Another catalyst for further HPE uptake is changing regulations in certain parts of the world .
“ When you look at a lot of the directives that came out of Europe and elsewhere in regard to the deployment of environmentally friendly technologies , they initially lacked alternative technology solutions ,” he said . “ As our solution – and inevitably others ’ – becomes commercialised and well known , this will no longer be the case in the field of explosives . In such a scenario , it is hard to imagine regulators and politicians not bringing these directives into law and enforcing them .”
Austin Powder managing elevated temperatures
Elevated blasthole temperatures are a norm at many mine sites and are dealt with while the drill and blast process continues under elevated states of alert . The choice of explosives products including the type of detonator , primer , accessory and bulk product , all must be taken into consideration when loading blastholes with the potential for elevated temperature conditions , according to Austin Powder .
The risks associated with the loading of primers and bulk explosives in holes where elevated temperatures are present include : the ejection of the bulk explosives product , deflagration of the explosives during initiation of the blast , or premature and uncontrolled initiation of a blasthole ( s ).
Austin Powder has devised a “ unique and novel ” approach to tackling this issue with the application of electronic detonators with integrated temperature measuring ( ITM ) capabilities .
“ The deployment of ITM-capable electronic detonators allows a user to monitor and record the real-time temperature at multiple locations ( eg toe , middle and collar ) at each electronic detonator ’ s position within the blasthole , with the ability to react instantaneously to elevations in temperature reported ,” the company says . “ The measurement of the temperature can be for a single ITM electronic detonator , or simultaneous for an array of ITM electronic detonators , allowing the potential for the data to be represented by a time / temperature / hole depth in a 3D heat map .”
Changes in temperature at different borehole positions can vary , however – often the collar position is expected to be the most reactive due the combination of bulk explosive product and oxygen exposure , which can be confirmed with the application of the ITM electronic detonators .
A mine site ’ s reaction to a measured elevated temperature within a blasthole can vary depending on the temperature measured and the change in temperature from the last measurement made .
Austin Powder has since carried out a study to produce real-time in-hole temperature information that was previously unobtainable without the introduction of another device . At an open-pit copper mine in Mexico , new and adaptive elevated temperature hole policies have been created with this data and adapted proactively as real-time information is received ,
72 International Mining | AUGUST 2024