DynoConsult Saves Coal Mine $100,000 per ramp shot with Optimized Timing
Document type: Case Study
Categories: Case Study

DYNOCONSULT SAVES COAL AT A GLANCE
MINE $100,000 PER RAMP $100,000 SAVED PER
SHOT WITH OPTIMIZED RAMP SHOT

TIMING
 29.4% INCREASE NON-
PROJECT SUMMARY CAST PERCENTAGE

DYNOCONSULT PROVIDES BLAST TIMING TO HELP COAL
MINE IMPLEMENT NEW RAMP DESIGN
A surface coal mine used DynoConsult’s optimized blast timing to CHALLENGE
implement a new ramp design, saving the mine $100,000 per ramp shot. • Provide blast timing for ramp
 blast that reduces costs and
BACKGROUND total cast percentage

IMPLEMENTING A NEW RAMP DESIGN SOLUTION
 • Implement new blast timing
A surface coal mine needed to implement a new ramp design to reduce the
 and use electronic detonators
haul distance for removal of surface dirt. The ramp would be constructed
using material from their uppermost rock bench. This rock is typically for precision and accuracy
cast into the pit bottom, leaving a small muck pile remaining on top of
 OUTCOME
the highwall.
 • $100,000 saved per ramp shot
It was determined that the volume of the remaining non-cast material was • Non-cast percentage increased
not sufficient for the construction of the ramp. The customer implemented from 52.3% to 67.7%
a new timing scheme to reduce the casting effect, but the volume of
material was still insufficient for ramp construction. As another blast was
already loaded, DynoConsult was asked to provide timing for the next
experimental blast that would reduce the total cast.

Figure 1: Timing Scheme for the Ramp Blast

The site uses the DigiShot electronic initiation system, and all blasts are timed by inputting a hole-to-hole and row-to-row
timing. Due to time constraints, the customer requested a simple tagging and timing scheme. Previous blasting experiments
in similar rock found that a 43 millisecond regular rhythmic timing reduces total movement in a casting environment. The
DynoConsult team theorized that the best way to reduce the total cast of the shot without causing excessive burden or
dead-pressing was tagging the ramp blast as a 22-row by 6-hole blast with the effective burden following the echelon
angle. To reduce the power trough and keep the material from casting into the pit, the timing was designed to pull to the
center.

TECHNOLOGY APPLIED

DYNOCONSULT AND ELECTRONIC TIMING FOR
GREATER MUCKPILE SHAPE CONTROL
The customer’s primary goal of reduced total cast for ramp
blasts and secondary goal of shaping the muck pile in a way
that allows for efficient construction of a ramp using the non-
cast material required accuracy and precision. As seen in figure
2, the crest of the muck pile is nearly level with the remaining
bench, and the power trough is over 40 feet shallower than the
typical cast. The customer considered this the best outcome,
with the bulldozer fleet doing minimal prep work before being
able to construct the ramp.

Without electronic detonators, this outcome would be
significantly more difficult to achieve, as the precision timing
required to maintain the desired timing contours is only
possible with single millisecond-level accuracy. Given the time
constraints for the ramp blast, the crew needed a simple way
to tag and program the detonators to prevent any delays in
the pit. Because of the simplicity of changing the timing of an
electronic blast, there were no unscheduled delays associated
 Figure 2: Comparison of Post-Blast Ramp and Cast
with changing the timing for the ramp shot.
 Blast Surface Models

PROJECT GOALS PRODUCTS/
 TECHNOLOGY &
TIMING A BLAST TO ACHIEVE THE DESIRED MUCK PILE
 SERVICES USED
CHARACTERISTICS
The primary goal of the ramp blast was a reduction in total cast. The
secondary goal was to shape the muck pile such that the power trough
was minimal and the crest of the muck pile was level with the bench DYNOCONSULT
surface.

The coal mine’s ramp blast was designed as a square pattern with six
rows of twenty-two holes on an echelon with burden and spacing of 20 ELECTRONIC
feet by 34 feet. This design is typical of the cast blasts used at the mine DETONATORS
site. Because the ramp blast was already drilled and loaded, blast timing
was the only viable method to change the blast outcome.

Following the successful test of the ramp blast timing, the customer implemented the design for successive cuts in the pits
where they intended to use a temporary ramp. The simple change to the tagging and timing of the blast proved successful
and led to a permanent change in the way the customer shoots their ramp blasts.

Table 2: Comparison of Ramp and Cast Blast Material Movement Costs

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document or the information contained herein. User assumes sole responsibility for all results and consequences. © 2025 Dyno Nobel

VALUE ADDED
$100,000 SAVINGS PER RAMP SHOT
Following initiation of the blast, customer drone footage
showed far less material casting into the pit than is typical.
A post-blast aerial survey of the blast site provided the data
necessary to quantify the visual difference seen in the initial
drone footage. The key performance indicator for the ramp
blast was non-cast percentage. The timing achieved the goal
of retaining more material within the initial boundaries of the
blast, with the non-cast percentage rising from an average of
52.3% to 67.7% for the ramp shot.

By utilizing the specialized timing developed by DynoConsult,
the customer saves approximately $100,000 per ramp shot
compared to building the ramp using material from a typical
cast shot. This is because due to the lack of sufficient non-
cast material in a typical cast blast, any additional material
 Table 1: Cast Blast vs. Ramp Blast Performance
needs would require a truck and shovel unit in the pit. This
adds approximately $100,000 to the construction costs and
does not generate any cost savings when it comes time to
remove the ramp. These savings are realized in every 150-
foot cut at the coal mine.