Engineering & Mining Journal

APR 2016

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OPERATING STRATEGIES 74 E&MJ; • APRIL 2016 www.e-mj.com World's Biggest Blast Instrumental in Improving Australian Mine's Effi ciency The Daunia coal mine in northeastern Queensland, Australia, reported it re- cently surpassed what it had previously claimed as a world record for the largest electronic detonator blast ever, by fi ring 5,665 detonators in 2,683 blastholes us- ing the AXXIS digital detonation system from BME. Last year, Daunia reported an AXXIS- controlled blast that successfully initiat- ed 4,303 detonators in a single blast to break 2.8 million m 3 of overburden. The $1.7 billion coking coal mine was opened in September 2013 by the BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance and is de- signed to produce 4.5 million metric tons per year over an estimated mine life of 30 years. Situated in Australia's largest coalfi eld—the Bowen Basin—the surface mine has taken advantage of the benefi ts of electronic detonation to conduct larger blasts that generate greater operational effi ciencies by reducing the number of mine stoppages that must take place ev- ery time blasting is conducted. The mine also chose this technol- ogy in response to its faulty ground conditions. If not well controlled, faults tend to slide over each other during a blast; when using non-electric detona- tors, there is a possibility of the product being snapped by this movement of ground before it can be detonated, result- ing in a misfi re. "These misfi res are eliminated with electronics, as the detonator operates as a stand-alone entity the instant you push the 'fi re' button," said Trevor Grant, managing director of the Australia-based blasting optimization company Advanced Initiating Systems (AIS). The latest record blast was prepared and carried out by Daunia staff using a single initiation point and one master control box. The blasting team was ini- tially trained and certifi ed by AIS, who are supplied by explosives fi rm BME; both companies are subsidiaries of Omnia Holdings, which is listed on the Johan- nesburg Securities Exchange. "The use of the AXXIS system and electronic detonators allowed the mine to better control and manage the shock waves and rock movement arising from the faulty ground conditions," said Grant. "The size and success of the blast demon- strates both the ease of use and the con- fi dence that the client has in the system. Very few, if any, other electronic detona- tor suppliers empower clients to conduct blasts of this magnitude and complexity on their own." BME said its AXXIS electronic delay detonators feature very high accuracy, as well as timing fl exibility between detona- tions. The average depth of each hole in A view of the blast area at the Daunia mine prior to detonation. The blast involved 5,665 detonators in 2,683 blastholes. Diagram showing blast design and simulation, developed with BlastMap III design software.

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