PROFILE
What are the challenges in bringing these innovations into the industry ? Continuous professional development . The majority of people in the sector completed their blasting tickets 30 years ago , myself included .
The problem is how do you take people forward with learning ? You can use the renewal of your driver ’ s licence as an analogy . Is it enough to go for an eye test every five years , or do people need to retake their driver ’ s licences to ensure that they can still drive safely ? It is a debate worth having .
The sector had two incidents recently that could have resulted in fatalities . The safety inspector used the right word when summarising the learning from the incident : complacency . The individuals concerned were so used to a blast happening in a certain way that they didn ’ t recognise the changes that occurred as posing a potential risk . Re-education is the challenge — it ’ s the issue of : “ I know how to drive , why should I be reassessed for my licence again ?”
Over a short period , rock science and new technology have changed rapidly . When I joined the industry , safety fuses had just entered the market . My first miner still used boxes of detonators and a roll of fuse . He would cap length the fuse he wanted and crimp it on . I will never forget : I used a tool and he told me , “ No , that ’ s not the way to do it ”. He picked up the detonator with the fuse , put it in his mouth and crimped it like that . That ’ s where we came from , and now we ’ re using detonators that are effectively computers .
What ’ s next ? Well , we ’ re entering a world where we ’ re getting rid of the wires . As the drive towards safer operations continues , the industry is starting to use remote controlled drill rigs . With satellite technology , a drill can now position itself . The intention is to remove people from the mine face completely in an attempt to reduce blasting incidents .
So now , the drill rig can drive on the bench by its own and position itself , and it ’ s complete autonomous mining . But then the explosive truck comes and someone has to put a detonator down the hole , wire it and pump it with explosives , in the dangerous area . It defeats the purpose of removing drill operators from the face . Our R & D team is actively looking at wireless and remotecontrolled delivery of explosives .
The challenge is finding partners who are interested in working with us to test such technologies . There needs to be a pull from the industry and we are joining in on those discussions . For example , we could develop hybrid machines that combine the drill rig and explosive equipment , using a boom to simply switch it around . But for that to happen , we need to work closely with drilling companies .
Is such equipment available ? We are currently partnering with the University of Pretoria . The intention is to use virtual reality to model the equipment before you build it . In the past , you would build a machine and test it in the field , which is pricy . Today , you can test the pros and cons in virtual reality down to the finest detail . If the results are fascinating , you can then commit to building it in the field . To me that ’ s the exciting part of where the sector is heading . I put on a pair of goggles , stand in a safe area and model the quarry as if in real life .
What will be the next wave , after wireless blasting ? The use of non-explosives will eventually begin to make inroads , especially in the quarry sector that is highly sensitive to built-up areas . Traditionally , you would ’ ve blasted four rows with 18 holes , but with non-explosives , you create a single line of holes along the free face and use nonexplosive tunnel cartridges , working on the principle of gas expansion , to simply crack the rock off . It sounds simple but then nature delivers the challenges of geology and the ever changing rock properties .
Quarries have been laid out specifically for blasting and the use of non-explosive blasting methods will change this , so it will be challenging .
How will the design of the pit change to accommodate non-explosive methods ? You would have to design longer faces to get the same quantity of stone and you would work on much smaller bench heights . So where we typically have a 15m bench now , it will be reduced to a 3m bench . The geology also dictates the process . If you have heavily fractured ground , then the gas doesn ’ t work as well and you need to line the holes to ensure that the gas can do the work .
Have you tried it out in the field ? Currently , we are breaking boulders where it is blocking an ore passage or tips at underground and surface mines . Traditionally , if a boulder blocks a passage , you would bring a rig in , drill a hole and then blast it , but the problem with that is
Drone flight
you could damage the mine . With the nonexplosive cartridge method , you still drill a hole , but because there is a lot less energy , you crack it . We have done this at crushers in quarries as well .
Are there any environmental issues around these methods ? No , it is all naturally occurring elements .
What is your overall outlook for the industry for 2017 ? I think the 2017 outlook is positive . It is about getting the building programmes going . The industry is over-subscribed and there are too many players , but that will change if we get some of these infrastructure projects off the ground .
I think it has to be a combined approach from the private and the public sector , and that would also be one of the challenges , trying to get the players to talk to each other .
And then , getting the youth involved in the quarry sector is critical . They are the ones that will determine whether the sector is going to be explosive-driven or whether we are going to find different ways of quarrying .
For me , in the foreseeable future , explosives will remain the status quo , mainly from an economic point of view , but into the future — because of environmental and urbanisation constraints — we are going to have to seriously change the way we blast .
“ The intention is to remove people from the mine face completely in an attempt to reduce blasting incidents .”
QUARRY SA | JANUARY 2017 _ 33