DIFFERENTIAL ENERGY® provides productivity and cost benefits
Document type: Case Study

CASE STUDY

TELFER GOLD MINE IMPROVES AT A GLANCE
PRODUCTIVITY AND REDUCES
 7% ESTIMATED
EMISSIONS BY 7% WITH REDUCTION IN
 EMISSIONS
DIFFERENTIAL ENERGY®
 13% IMPROVEMENT IN
PROJECT SUMMARY TRUCK FILL FACTORS
DIFFERENTIAL ENERGY REDUCES EMISSIONS AND
IMPROVES SAFETY AND PRODUCTIVITY AT GOLD MINE CHALLENGE
The Telfer gold mine in Australia found that by implementing Dyno • Improve safety, productivity,
Nobel's DIFFERENTIAL ENERGY (∆E) and TITAN® Bulk Emulsion, they fragmentation, and diggability
were able to improve safety, productivity, fragmentation, and diggability while reducing emissions and
while reducing carbon emissions and eliminating NOx incidents. eliminating NOx incidents

SOLUTION
BACKGROUND • Conduct a three-month trial using
 ∆E and TITAN bulk emulsion

CASE STUDY
IMPLEMENTING ∆E TECHNOLOGY TO SOLVE CRITICAL
CHALLENGES
 OUTCOME
 • 7% estimated reduction in emissions
Prior to this project, the Telfer gold mine was using an ammonium nitrate/ • 13% improvement in truck fill factors
emulsion blend and experienced occasional issues with fragmentation, • 0 NOx incidents
oversize, and poor productivity from shovels. In addition, reduced sleep
time associated with reactive ground limited the size of blasts, and some
blast events had produced NOx. To solve these challenges, the mine
worked with Dyno Nobel’s DynoConsult team to organize a three-month
trial of ∆E technology.

Dyno Nobel’s technology strategy is focused on working in partnership
with customers and innovating in ways that help them achieve their goals.
To do this, Dyno Nobel focuses on solutions that:

• Improve the safety of mining and quarry operations
• Increase customers’ sustainability by reducing environmental and
 social impacts
• Increase customer productivity and efficiency

Figure 1: Dyno Nobel's DYNOBULK® delivery
 system

CASE STUDY

PROJECT GOALS
 PRODUCTS/
USE CONSISTENT PRODUCT PERFORMANCE TO IMPROVE TECHNOLOGY &
SAFETY, PRODUCTIVITY, AND MORE
 SERVICES USED
The primary goals of the trial were to:
• Improve safety with consistent product performance
• Improve fragmentation and diggability
 ∆E
• Improve productivity
• Lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions

TECHNOLOGY APPLIED TITAN BULK
 EMULSION
∆E AND TITAN BULK EMULSION
∆E is a proprietary explosives system that allows operations to ensure
each rock segment receives the explosive energy needed for optimal
fragmentation by varying the density of TITAN bulk emulsion throughout
the borehole.

In relatively simple geological conditions,

CASE STUDY
∆E can maximize explosive energy at the
bottom of the borehole and minimize
energy density at the top. In more
complex rock geologies, ∆E allows up to
six explosive energy density profiles in a
single borehole.

By matching the density of emulsion to
the rock properties, operations are able
to optimize their blast outcomes, prevent
NOx emissions, reduce energy use and
greenhouse gases, control vibration and
noise levels, and increase productivity
while reducing overall costs.

 Figure 2: Variable explosive density using ∆E

CASE STUDY

VALUE ADDED
INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY, CONSISTENT
PERFORMANCE, AND REDUCED EMISSIONS
∆E technology enabled the mine to increase productivity
and improve blasting outcomes by using a single product
across different pits in both wet and dry ground conditions
and with varying rock hardness and levels of reactivity.

Safety
By removing ammonium nitrate from the site and using
only TITAN 1500 inhibited emulsion, the operation reduced
the risk of loading the wrong product in Telfer’s reactive
ground while also reducing the amount of manual handling
associated with traditional products. There were no NOx
incidents reported following the introduction of ∆E on site.

Consistent Product Performance
Velocity of detonation measurements conducted during
the trial showed that even at a lower density, TITAN 1500
emulsion fired at a faster rate than the previous emulsion
product used on site.
 Figure 3: Velocity of detonation chart for TITAN emulsion
Fragmentation and Diggability
Measurements on the shots loaded with TITAN 1500 and ∆E technology showed improvements in dig performance without
any adverse impact on fragmentation. Analysis conducted by the client showed up to 13% improvement in truck fill factors
since the switch to ∆E. Significant uplift in productivity was observed in areas where reduced explosive density was used
in softer rock types, showing the benefits of matching energy to ground conditions.

Improved Productivity
The success and versatility of the TITAN 1500 bulk emulsion has allowed the mine to eliminate the use of ammonium
nitrate/emulsion blends and standardize the use of a single emulsion product, providing efficiencies in storage, handling,
transport, and placement. Higher payloads on the DYNOBULK® MPU and faster load rates has also led to better on bench
performance and reduced loading times.

Reduced Carbon Emissions
Data collected during the 2022 calendar year allowed DynoConsult to quantify and independently assure the reduction of
greenhouse gases associated with the use of ∆E at the Telfer mine relative to the bulk emulsion blend that had previously
been used on site. According to this limited assurance, emissions from ∆E were projected to be 7% lower compared to the
previous emulsion blend had it continued to be used on site.

Note: (The GHG reduction was expected to be 25% using the standard formulation of ANFO for the 12 months prior to the switch to ∆E. However, it was
discovered that 50% less diesel than the standard ANFO blend had been used for the 12 months prior to the use of ∆E at this site, which reduced the
baseline GHG. Had the standard ANFO blend been used in the period before the switch to ∆E, the reduction in GHG would have been 25%. Calculations
and assurances are available here.)

® DYNO, DIFFERENTIAL ENERGY, ∆E, DYNOBULK, and TITAN are registered trademarks of the Incitec Pivot/Dyno Nobel Group.

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