Drilling into the nitty gritty of mine automation

When someone says something along the lines of automation has introduced a new playing
field for efficiency in mining, what does that really mean? Its often the case these days where
such statements are being used interchangeably to represent an inherently true fact:
automation is improving mining operations.
The use of automation for drill and blast is fast becoming an area of great focus for mining
companies who are looking for ways to significantly improve productivity and increase profit
margins.
But many organisations often underestimate the automation journey and are grapping with the
requirements needed to successfully optimise drill and blast operations.
Ahead of Drill and Blast 2015, Mining IQ caught up with Gary Cavanough, Principle Research
Scientist at the CSIRO, to discuss specific examples and trends of automation in drill and blast
and how theyre influencing both efficiency and operational expenditure.
Some of the biggest challenges facing drill and blast teams are hole positioning, diameter
accuracy and hole dipping. How is automation able to mitigate these risks?
If you take open cut coal mining as an example, drilling and
blasting accounts for approximately 10 to 15 per cent of
mining costs. Outcomes in drill and blasting operations can
significant affect the cost of other operations, such as a blast
with poor fragmentation and lead to an extra $300,000 or
even $400,000 cost to digging.
In relation to hole positioning and hole dipping, current
practice is to print out a list of hole numbers and a map of
their position. This is taken to the bench, where each hole
must be located manually, measured with a tape measure
and the hole depth written onto the print-out list.
At the end of the shift, this is taken back to the blast designer, who then manually enters this
data into the blast design software to generate loading sheets. The automatic hole dipping
system is uploaded with drill hole numbers and GPS coordinates of each hole via Wi-Fi from the
blast design software.
On the bench, the hole is identified and measured, with information transmitted to the blast
design engineer; real time data comprising the actual hole position, depth, and depth of water
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which might be in the blast hole. The blast hole load sheets are then generated using this
information.
Diameter accuracy is important because if you have a planned 229mm, which is in fact 240mm
(due to bad drilling of the ground), youll need to load 10 per cent more explosives mines
generally know regions where this occurs.
On drill scanning systems need to be developed to accurately measure blast hole
volumes. This could be a data mulling system, whereby the instrument scans a hole as the drill
is withdrawn from it and the data is transmitted when the device reaches the surface.
A major development would be to monitor blast holes prior to, at and after loading. Prior to
loading, there is real time monitoring of hole depth, temperature and the depth of water
(should it be present).
At loading, there is a real time measurement of the depth of explosive column; whilst after
loading, theres real time monitoring of the temperature and density of explosive products.
After the holes are drilled, a low cost sensor cable is placed in each hole, and the cable is
prewired to a wireless transmitter. Before the hole is loaded with explosives, the sensor cable
monitors the depth (cave-in detection), depth of any water present, and hole temperature.
This information is used to plan the blast hole loading and identify hot holes. During loading,
the sensor cable monitors depth of the explosive column as the explosive fills the hole.
After the holes are loaded with explosive products, the same sensor cable is used to monitor
density and temperature of the products. Subsequent data can be used to:

Monitor the holes during sleep time, and ensure that the density is not approaching a
critical value
Detect any water ingress of explosive products (due to a decrease in density and
temperature)
Identify any reactive ground reactions (due to a significant temperature increase). At
detonation the same sensor cable is used to measure the Velocity of Detonation.

What are other examples of innovative automation trends that youre seeing?
Underground
Top hole hammers have limited depth due to energy loss caused by drill couplings, as well as
accuracy issues. An exciting innovation are down-hole hammers to enable drilling of longer,
more accurate holes for massive blasts, which are traditionally conducted with air hammers.

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Water hammers have had limited use due to requirements for high pressure clean
water. However, water recycling or cleaning units are now becoming available to make water
hammers more viable.
They are able to drill much more accurately than air hammers due to the small aperture
between the drill rods/motor and the wall of the hole. Teams can subsequently drill longer
holes without the risk of over-sized rocks remaining after blasting (over-sized rocks are a big
problem in underground mining as they are very difficult to handle).
Water hammers should also produce smoother holes to ensure packers seal the hole for
fracking, which is used to pre-condition for block cave mining. There is significant automation in
these long hole water hammers, including steering and survey.
Fibre optic survey systems are in development to allow fast, accurate survey of underground
blast holes. These are in the form of a fibre embedded in a flexible snake which pushes into
the borehole, and the shape of the fibre is then measured. It has previously been a tedious
operation to survey holes upwardly. Accurate hole survey will allow the most effective blast
design and remediation prior to blasting, should the hole trajectories indicate a poor blasting
outcome.
Open cut
1. Remote control drill rigs have been developed and used in Australia. A company in the USA
offers a service to retro-fit out the drill rigs for remote operation.
2. Pick type drill bits are now available. This requires less pull down force than conventional
Tricone bits and higher air flow rates to carry out larger particles. Pick bits offer the opportunity
to increase drilling rates but require rigs to be modified.
Additionally, for bulk mining operations, the development of bulk explosives trucks (MMU) will
enable faster explosives production and delivery. Current practice for wet holes is to pump
explosives into the blast holes by placing a hose at the bottom of the hole and raising it as the
hole fills with explosive (displacing the water). This is very slow when youre charging hundreds
of deep holes.
To learn more about the strategies and requirements needed when considering automation in
drill and blast, join Gary at Drill and Blast 2015 where he will explore further how to:

Sett the agenda - What you need to consider before embarking on an automation
journey

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Use data and measurements to help you invest in the right equipment for you
automation projects
Examine the ROI of recent innovative technologies, including Measure While Drilling
Analyse recent case study of drill and blast automation projects

For more information visit www.drillandblastevent.com.au or call +61 2 9229 1000 or email
enquire@iqpc.com.au

Download Brochure Call + 61 (2) 9229 1000 Email: enquire@iqpc.com.au