Centralised Blasting increased production by eliminating downtime before and during blasting
Document type: Case Study

Centralised Blasting – Increasing Production
 by Eliminating Downtime Before and During
 Blasting
 completely cleared of personnel. This practice can lead to
 Project Summary production delays as digging units need to be stood down early
 enough for the shotfirer to connect all blast headings safely
 prior to end of shift. CENTRALISED BLASTING IMPROVES BOTH
SAFETY AND PRODUCTION Once the tag board was cleared, the shot crew would start
This underground mine was employing conventional methods initiating the blasts, firing all work areas independently, as they
for the initiation of multiple blasts, but found the end of shift retreat up the decline. firing requirements to be time consuming and inefficient. There This practice was time consuming with the added risk of
were also concerns about employee safety when blasts had to leaving personnel in the line of fire during blast time. be fired from underground. In order to address these issues,
the mine was seeking a reliable, remote initiation system that
would ensure the safety of its workforce by having the
underground workings clear of personnel prior to firing. After speaking with Dyno Nobel, the mine decided to
 ®
implement BlastWeb , a centralised blasting system that is
specifically designed for use in underground mining operations.

onnel prior to firing. After speaking with Dyno Nobel, the mine decided to
 ®
implement BlastWeb , a centralised blasting system that is
specifically designed for use in underground mining operations. BlastWeb allows reliable remote initiation of development,
production and stope blasting from a safe and controlled
location on the surface. The blast areas can be completely
evacuated as no-one is required to be underground for the
blasting. In addition to the obvious safety benefits, the other main
benefit of the system at this mine is a reduction in the re-entry
time. After the implementation of BlastWeb, a comparison was
made of the blast completion times before and after its
introduction. It was determined that centralised blasting
reduced the blast completion time, on average, by 10 minutes. The implementation of Dyno Nobel’s Centralised Blasting
System supports both the safety of the mine employees during
blasting and an increase in production time.

Project Goals
 Background
 IMPROVE BOTH MINE SAFETY AND PRODUCTIVITY
DIFFICULT AND TIME CONSUMING BLAST
 There were two main project goals being:
CLEARANCE PROCESS
At this mine, blasts are generally initiated at the end of shift 1. The ability to fire all blasts from the portal with the whole
with multiple development headings, production and stope underground complex cleared of personnel.
blasts fired across various levels and areas of the mine. With a 2. To reduce the average mine re-entry time, thereby
multitude of personnel working over this vast area, blast increasing production time.
clearances can be difficult and time consuming.
The existing blast practices dictated that blast headings could
only to be connected to firing lines once a blast area was

Centralised Blasting – Increasing Production
 by Eliminating Downtime Before and During
 Blasting
 underground for the blasting. This has obvious safety benefits
 Technology Applied for site personnel. The system is easy to use with a shallow learning curve, which
BLASTWEB FACILITATES SAFE, CENTRALISED in turn supports blast crew acceptance. Within weeks, the shot
BLASTING FROM THE PORTAL crews were capable of operating the system without any
The basis of the BlastWeb system is to enable firing of all supervision. underground blasts from a safe, central location, nominally on BlastWeb continuously scans the installation allowing
the surface. The system supports easy initiation of NONEL ® detonators to be connected to the firing line once the individual
detonators to fire development headings and production blasts, blasts are completed, up to two hours before end of shift. The
as well as initiating electronic detonators that are used in more risk of high voltage being accidentally applied to the firing line
complex blasts. is engineered out by routing the blast voltage through the blast
To guarantee robust communication, Ethernet was chosen as key which is only inserted into the BCU on retreat from the
the primary communication medium, rather than conventional blast area. This feature allows mining to safely continue in
modems or RF Leaky Feeder.

ich is only inserted into the BCU on retreat from the
the primary communication medium, rather than conventional blast area. This feature allows mining to safely continue in
modems or RF Leaky Feeder. To ensure a robust installation, areas where blasts have already been connected to firing lines,
the blast equipment was permanently installed, powered without delaying the blast cycle at end of shift or impacting on
directly from mains with battery backup capability. This production. Site procedures were updated to enable shot crew
utilisation of permanently installed equipment eliminated blast to connect blasts prior to completely clearing the area. delays as the nature of portable equipment makes them more The two-way communication afforded by the BlastWeb system
susceptible to damage during transport or failures due to ensures transparency at firing time. This provides the ability to
poorly maintained batteries. Primary fire lines were specified positively communicate with all blast areas prior to blasting, as
to withstand normal abuse in the underground mining well as receive confirmation of initiation once the firing
environment. sequence is completed. After the initial infrastructure planning phase; installation, Since the introduction of the permanently installed BCUs, re-
commissioning and training was completed within a month.

ence is completed. After the initial infrastructure planning phase; installation, Since the introduction of the permanently installed BCUs, re-
commissioning and training was completed within a month. entry time has been reduced on average by 10 minutes. Four Blast Control Units (BCUs) were installed to cover all
 Using centralised blasting equipment capable of reliably
working areas with terminators spread across the mine,
 initiating both NONEL and electronic detonators has opened
allowing close access to firing line connection points in nearby
 the door for continued blast optimisation work to further
working areas. Centralised Blasting operations were to be
 improve blasting practices and potentially provide even greater
conducted from portal via Surface Blast Controller. financial benefits to the mine.

The system is also designed to reduce the risk of misfires
 Value Added which can be a serious safety risk in an underground mine
 environment.
BLASTWEB MAKES BLASTING EASIER Overall a great result for the mine.
The installation of BlastWeb allows the reliable remote initiation
of development, production and stope blasting from a safe and
controlled location on the surface. The blast areas ®
can now be evacuated, as no-one is required to be

Disclaimer This case study is provided for informational purposes only. No representation or warranty express or implied, is made or intended by
DYNO NOBEL INC. / DYNO NOBEL ASIA PACIFIC PTY LIMITED or its affiliates as to the applicability of any procedures to any particular situation or
circumstance or as to the completeness or accuracy of any information contained herein and, to the maximum extent permitted by law, each of them
expressly disclaims any and all liability arising from the use of this document or the information contained herein. User assumes sole responsibility for all
results and consequences of such use.
Dyno Nobel Inc. and Dyno Nobel Asia Pacific Pty Limited (ACN 003 269 010) are subsidiaries of Incitec Pivot Limited (ACN 004 080 264) Level 8, 28
Freshwater Place, Southbank Vic 3006.
® DYNO, GROUNDBREAKING PERFORMANCE, NONEL, DYNOCONSULT and the DC device are registered trademarks of the Dyno Nobel / Incitec
Pivot Group. BLASTWEB is a registered trademark of DetNet South Africa (Proprietary) Ltd
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