Electronic Detonator initiation system assists with improving stope productivity
Document type: Case Study

UNDERGROUND CASE STUDY

Electronic Detonator System Assists with Improving
Stope Productivity
 PROJECT SUMMARY TECHNOLOGY APPLIED
AN UNDERGROUND MINE WITH COMPLEX ELECTRONIC INITIATION SYSTEM FACILITATES
MINERALISATION THE BLASTING OF LARGER STOPES
The underground mine has two access declines with The requirement to accurately control the blast initiation
portals located in the open pit walls and is being sequence and eliminate the potential for misfires due to
progressively developed to simultaneously explore and cut-offs meant it was necessary for the mine to move to an
exploit multiple orebodies. It is currently developed to a electronic initiation system.
depth of approximately 700m below the land surface.
 Accordingly, Dyno Nobel’s electronic initiation system was
Due to the complex nature of mineralisation, original implemented to facilitate the blasting of larger stopes.
underground ore production was derived from narrow and
highly selective open stopes, which proved to be slow and The system is a state-of-the-art electronic initiation system
expensive. The low ore grades, loss of blasted ore and that enables the user to design and implement complex
need for permanent pillars reduced the resource yield per blast designs with ease. The user-friendly system is fully
metre of development. programmable, secure and reliable.

In addition, the process of selective mining of the complex It provides the operator with a firing window of up to
orebody was proving to be, at times unpredictable, 20,000ms in millisecond increments with millisecond
making it difficult to produce an accurate mine schedule. accuracy. Flexible timing, a total burning front and longer
It was also susceptible to production delays and had high available delays mean larger and more complex blasts can
operating costs. It was clear that the mine needed to do be fired, as was the customer’s requirement.
things differently.

PROJECT GOALS
IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY AND REDUCE MINING
COSTS
The project goal was simple: Improve productivity and
reduce mining costs. This would in turn lead to a reduction
of the operating costs.

Mining of small narrow stopes was:
 • resulting in lower productivity;
 • more susceptible to production delays;
 • resource intensive, requiring an increased level of
 engineering input and support to maximise recovery Loading electronic detonators in production charging.
 from these small stopes.

For the mine to consistently achieve the required
 production targets it was necessary to increase the size
 of open stopes and extract multiple mineralised zones at
 once. Such a change involved a rethink of the drill and
 blast practices that were being used for the narrow small
 stopes.

UNDERGROUND CASE STUDY

VALUE ADDED
LARGER STOPES RESULT IN IMPROVED
SAFETY, HIGH PRODUCTIVITY AND LOWER
OPERATING COSTS
The electronic initiation system has allowed the customer
to move towards larger longhole open stopes.

In one orebody, these have consistently produced
excellent results, with minor overbreak and underbreak,
high productivity, and mineral recovery in excess of initial
expectations.

These results have meant a reduction of the total cost
which has lowered the economic cut-off grades required,
increasing the proportion of in situ mineral resources which
can be economically extracted.

The mine has been able to design blast timing to utilise
dynamic void creation, where the required void is
progressively formed during the blast, rather than available
from the outset.

Dyno Nobel’s electronic detonator system has given the
mine the ability to mass fire stopes over multiple levels
allowing the mine to deliver:
 • increased broken ore stocks and improved
 fragmentation, resulting in an increase in production
 rates;
 • Improved efficiencies in the production cycle leading
 to a significant reduction in mining costs;
 • Improved mining efficiencies through superior
 conventional / tele-remote bogging ratios (up to 85%
 of blasted ore has been extracted via conventional
 methods from some stopes);
 • Reduced exposure of personnel to hazards.

For the mine to consistently achieve the required
production targets it was necessary to increase the size
of open stopes and extract multiple mineralised zones at
once.

Such a change involved a rethink of the drill and blast
practices that were being used for the narrow small stopes.

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to any particular situation or circumstance or as to the completeness or accuracy of any information contained herein, and, to the full extent permitted by law, Dyno Nobel expressly disclaims
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