Engineering and Mining Journal - Whether the market is copper, gold, nickel, iron ore, lead/zinc, PGM, diamonds or other commodities, E&MJ takes the lead in projecting trends, following development and reporting on the most efficient operating pr
Issue link: https://emj.epubxp.com/i/94438
UNDERGROUND DRILLING Test probe, McArthur River mine. Retesting at McArthur River mine. modate a larger minimum radius for curvature. Although the storage cassette was relatively large and cumbersome, its pri- mary purpose was containment of the rod during transport from surface to underground. Once the storage cassette and rod were underground, the required rod length would be cut from the reel and stored on pipe racks on the tunnel walls. With the final modifications complete, the new rod type was tested. To better simulate the actual conditions of the long- term application, the retesting was carried out in a longer and larger borehole (the largest diameter available at the time of testing) at Cameco's nearby McArthur River operation. The results from retesting significantly longer deploy- ments, within larger diameter boreholes, and with greater tool weight loads, were positive. The new, stiffer rod provid- ed deployment of vertical distances of 180 to 377 ft, with simulated tool weight loads of 42.8 to 7.3 lb, respectively. Results from testing with the original diameter rod are also shown in the figure below for comparison. The capacities and distances achieved with the cus- tomized 'Vertical Rod Pusher' are expected to easily satisfy primary long-term application requirements involving a 200- ft deployment of approximately 25 lb within a 5-in. borehole diameter. In fact, the new, stiffer rod allows deployment weights of up to 39 lb, within a 4-in. borehole diameter, at a distance of approximately 200 ft. The success of GMP's new Vertical Rod Pusher eliminated the need to use very costly geotechnical drill rigs for deploy- ing survey instruments at Cigar Lake, where it will contribute to savings by reducing labor and equipment inefficiencies. Time will be the ultimate judge, but for now, the new Vertical Rod Pusher offers a potential solution for other mining com- panies that have similar application requirements. "GMP came through for us," said Loehr. "They were respon- sive to every suggestion and engineering request. Together, we have developed a cost-effective solution for a troubling and expensive mining application. I'm glad we partnered with GMP." Information for this article was provided by Cameco and General Machine Products Co. Devon Loehr is a mechanical engineer with the Technical Services Group of Cameco's Cigar Lake project. Bob Young is a sales and applications engineer for General Machine Products Co. He can be reached at 215-630-6264 or ryoung@gmptools.com. Data from retesting at McArthur River. 64 E&MJ; • NOVEMBER 2012 Serving the Power Industry— from Opposite Ends of the Spectrum Cameco is one of the world's largest uranium producers, accounting for about 16% of the world's production from its mines in Canada and the U.S. Its leading position is backed by about 435 million lb of proven and probable reserves and exten- sive resources. Cameco holds land positions in the world's most promising areas for new uranium discoveries in Canada and Australia as part of an intensive global exploration program. Cameco is also a provider of processing services required to pro- duce fuel for nuclear power plants, and generates 1,000 MW of clean electricity through a partnership in North America's largest nuclear generating station located in Ontario, Canada. General Machine Products Co., Inc., is a global supplier of a wide range of products for the telecommunications, power utility and cable television industries, and the contractors that serve them. Product applications include the placement of fiber optic, copper conductor and coaxial cable both aerially and underground. GMP's aerial cable lashing machines, Adams® continuous duty winches and fiber optic cable pullers are accepted as the industry standard. The complete line of GMP's 1,100+ products also includes cable reels and aerial blocks, cable cutters, RJ plug pressing tools, fiber optic cable blowing equipment, and other specially-designed tools for the data, telecommunications and power utility markets. www.e-mj.com