Technology Drives Blasting Efficiency And Safety

Mines have traditionally been considered slow adopters of technology, but in the field of blasting, digital technologies have certainly made a significant contribution to improvements in efficiency and safety. 

A good example, says Ralf Hennecke, MD at explosives manufacturer BME, is mining’s uptake of electronic delay detonator technology, which lends itself to a range of digital innovations. Electronics provide the crucial bridge to modern digital platforms which can generate, store and utilise valuable operational data.

“Another aspect of mining’s adoption of innovative blasting technology is its buy-in to sustainability initiatives, such as BME’s inclusion of used oil in its emulsion explosive. Mines have been quick to support BME’s used oil initiative, in which the company supports Sustainable Development Goals through the responsible disposal of waste oil in our emulsion products,” he says. 

“When it comes to performance, emulsions have a higher velocity of detonation than ammonium nitrate fuel oil. This improves rock fragmentation, and in underground applications, this helps reduce damage to side walls and hanging walls – as there is less gas energy and more shock energy in the product.”

AECI Mining Explosives notes that blasting has to be accurate to achieve optimal fragmentation, which directly impacts load and haul, which needs to be managed to improve handling and processing time.

The company has been exploring a range of technologies to help mines improve their blast planning, initiation and analysis, using a range of digital tools. For example, a digital twin is a digital duplication of a production facility in a software model, which assists mines to better understand the impact of changes made to the process. 

In addition, its Blast Design solution includes the disparate data generated by multiple design and data capturing software in a single repository. This facilitates dissemination and data mining for continuous improvement of field application, operational transparency and business intelligence.

Other technologies it has developed include BlastHub, a software portal, which is a receiving and launching platform for predictive software and links to enable data mining, interrogation and application of methodology.

Finally, AECI says its autonomous MMU technology will be available in the near future. This allows for the delivery of explosives in hazardous environments through application of a computer controlled and propelled delivery system.

BME’s Hennecke points out that while the early days saw the rise of software-based blast design, in recent times this has evolved to include real-time reporting, data mining and the quest to achieve predictability before every blast. 

“These technological advances have accelerated their contribution to mining more than ever over the past decade. The take-up of these systems was faster in opencast mines, as connectivity above surface was more readily available. Data and analytics are giving mines quick access to information on drill holes, explosives and other blast-related indices – to ensure quality blasting.”

He adds that there has since been more take-up of digital technologies in the underground environment, as connectivity capabilities have improved. 

“Increased digitisation in blasting has improved the precision, accuracy and quality of blasting – all key aspects of mines’ efforts to continuously improve productivity and efficiency. Underpinning this trend has been a progression towards smart mining, where processes are carefully monitored, more data is collected, and more effort is directed at properly analysing this data,” he says.