Shaft Sinking And Underground Development At T

Kermac Potash Mine

JACK M. SWALES

ermac Potash Co., the newest American entry in

K a rapidly expanding industry, has come on the
scene with notable variations in conventional shaft-
sinking and mining techniques. Located in the famed
potash producing district east of Carlsbad, N. Mex.,
Kermac started up its mine in November, 1965, to
supply ore to the company's 500,000-tpy potash
crystallization refinery. In so doing, the company (1)
drilled the first large diameter mine shaft in the
potash industry and (2) has employed new continu-
ous miners especially adapted for use in thin potash
beds.
REACHING THE ORE ZONE
In its initial mine planning, Kermac, a partnership
owned jointly by Kerr-McGee Corp. and the Na-
tional Farmers Union Development Corp., considered
it imperative that the shafts be sunk and equipped
as soon as possible and that the mine be developed
sufficiently to insure a constant ore feed to the mill
when the unit was placed on stream. After examin-
At Kermac's new ing the alternative sinking techniques available to
potash mine, it, the company decided to accept a proposal by
(I steel liner u:hich
Big Hole Drillers, Inc., to drill the shaft from the
served as both
a structural
surface through various formations of sandstones,
component and a siltstone, shales, anhydrite, limestones, dolomite and
form for placing salts to the potash ore zone.
neat cement Within two months of this decision, preparations
was installed in for drilling were underway. A standard oil field
the first 935 ft
of the shaft, rotary drilling rig modified for large diameter hole
represented here drilling was moved on to the site; a heavy 42-in.-
b y a columnar O.D. drill collar was designed; 2500 ft of 133Js-in.-
section. O.D. drill pipe equipped with special threaded tool
joints were ordered; and all pumps and engines were
assembled.

J. M. SWALES, member of SME, i s Mine Superintendent of

Kermac Potash Co., Hobbs, N. Mex. The author presented this paper
a t the recent SME Fall Meeting in Tampa, Fla.

DECEMBER 1966, MINING ENGINEERING49


The 48-in. hole drilled at the Kermuc mine was expanded
tuitlz this 124-in. bit, shown with the rotary table and drill
stern to the right.
The completed shaft was drilled to a total depth
of 1650 ft with a finished inside diameter of 8% ft.
The entire job, from rigging up to tearing down, was
accomplished in 173 days, the time broken down as
follows:
Laying gas lines, levelling location and
rigging up 14 days
Drilling 48-in. pilot hole 935 ft to salt 33 days
Reaming this 48-in. hole to 124 in. diam 70 days
Installing casing and cementing annulus 12 days
Drilling 48-in. hole to shaft bottom 17 days
Reaming 48-in. hole to 102 in. 23 days
Tear down 4 days
Using a fresh water mud gel, the drilling of the
48-in. pilot hole to the top of the salt progressed
generally as planned. Since it was necessary that
this pilot hole be as near vertical as possible, an
instrument, specially designed and built by the
Sperry Sun Company, was used to make frequent
measurements of deviation during the drilling oper-
ations.
To minimize deviation, the contractor used some-
what lighter than normal bit weights which reduced
penetration rates to some extent. Even under these
conditions, the over-all penetration rate for the 48-
in. hole was 1.87 ft per hour. The total deviation to
the 935-ft depth was 14 in. in a northwesterly di-
rection.
The 48-in. bit was then exchanged for a specially
designed bit to expand the diameter of the hole to
124 in. Again a fresh water mud gel was used to a
depth of 650 ft (the top of the gypsum and anhydrite
section). At this point, the mud was converted to a
brine-water starch mud to prevent dissolution of
the salt section to be drilled below. This conversion
required approximately 590 tons of salt. While the
cost and maintenance of this mud system was one of
the major expense factors in the job, it proved
worthwhile in that there was no extensive deteriora-
tion in the shaft walls.
Because of unexpected difficulties, the experience
and engineering ability of the contractor was put to
70-MINING ENGINEERING, DECEMBER 1966
the test during the drilling of this particular portion
of the shaft. One of these problems was the vibration
of the drill string which was severe enough to twist
it off just above the drill collar. Subsequently, the
bit dropped to the bottom of the hole and 27 hours
were required to "fish" it out. The vibration problem
was overcome by designing, constructing and instal-
ling a 122-in. stabilizer above the bit so that it (the
stabilizer) would ride against the shaft walls and
dampen vibration. Other problems were caused by
the various formations: the siltstones drilled easily,
but were abrasive and required extra trips for re-
placement of bit cutters; the shales had a tendency
to ball up on the cutting surfaces of the bit; the
anhydrites were tough and caused a continuous
rough rotation and bounce of the bit. Penetration
rates of the 124-in. hole varied from a maximum of
3 ft per hour in the sandstone to a minimum of 6 in.
per hour in the toughest of the anhydrite. Over-all
penetration rate averaged 0.94 ft per hour for this
particular phase of drilling.
The next phase of the operation was the lining of
the first 935 f t of shaft. A steel liner was designed to
serve as a combination structural component of the
shaft and a practical form for placing the neat ce-
ment. This cement was preferred to concrete because
of the ease with which it could be pumped into place.
The liner was constructed of Y4-in. steel externally
stiffened with 3 x 3 in, rolled angle irons and fabri-
cated in 40-ft sections. The average weight of a sec-
tion was 20,000 lb. To facilitate alignment and
welding, a slip joint collar was installed at the top
of each joint. To prevent contact of the external
stiffening rings with the wall of the hole and to
provide a carrier for the concreting pipes, six verti-
cal runs of perforated 4%-in.-O.D. pipe were welded
symmetrically to the outside of the stiffener rings.
The sections were then hoisted into the mast, low-
ered into the slip joint and welded at the collar by a
four-man team using a predetermined welding se-
quence.
Following positioning of the liner, the hole was
bailed dry and preparations made to cement the
annulus from the bottom to the surface.
The Goodman 306 boring machine at the Kermac potash
mine accepts 4160 volts c~ndallows for low headroom.
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 A salt saturated cement plug was first placed i n
the bottom of the hole and allowed to equalize
around the liner in the annulus. This formed a seal
to contain the rising cement and prevented the ce-
ment from equalizing around and into the inside of
the liner. After the cement plug set, cementing oper-
ations were continuous until completion. A total of
23,554 cu ft of cement slurry was used in this opera-
tion. During the cement placement, the inside of the
liner was simultaneously filled with mud to offset
the hydrostatic load imposed by the rising cement
column.
Prewarations were made to resume drilling - while
the cement was setting. The 124-in. bit and the 122-
in. stabilizer were easily modified to 102 in. and
101 in. respectively.
In drilling below the casing, it was necessary to
make a decision between two possible methods of
penetrating the carnallite (KC1.MgC1;6H20) de-
posits at approximately 980 ft. The two alternatives
were: (1) to saturate the drilling brine with mag-
nesium at a cost of approximately $250,000; or, ( 2 )
attempt removal of cuttings by air. The contractor
had had past experience with air drilling and this
method was selected and a system designed whereby
air could be blown into the annulus of the hole and
cuttings returned to the surface through the hollow
drill steel. This method proved to be extremely
successful in that hole enlargement was effectively
controlled and penetration rates were accelerated.
The drilled shaft. now known as the "Man and
Materials" shaft, is equipped with a single drum
Nordberg hoist. It is interesting to note that the
schedule called for certain work to be done in the
previously sunk production shaft while the Man and
Materials shaft was being drilled. The production
hoist, already ordered, would not be delivered for
10 months, and before this the company wanted to
erect the permanent headframe, equip the shaft with
dividers, guides, escapeway, power cables, etc., in-
stall skip loading facilities and develop the shaft
station. With this work accomplished, Kermac would
then be ready to install the permanent hoist and
proceed with mine development. The company could
have elected to purchase or rent a temporary hoist
and the necessary loading facilities, make the neces-
sary installations and proceed. It was decided, how-
ever, to purchase a hoist that would be suitable as
a permanent hoist for the Man and Materials shaft,
locate it in such a position midway between the two
shafts so that by overwinding the hoisting rope, it
could be used for all the work in the production
shaft and then, by merely underwinding the same
rope, use it as a permanent facility in the Man and
Materials shaft. The cost of this permanent installa-
tion was about equal to the investment that would
have been required for the temporary facilities.
The 15-foot-diameter, concrete-lined production
shaft is equipped with a Koepe-type friction hoist
having an 88-in. drum, six 1-in. hoist ropes and
three 1%-in. tail, or balance, ropes. It was necessary
to use a smaller drum with a greater number of
ropes to permit the hoisting drum to be mounted
directly over the skip compartments without the use
of rope deflection sheaves. All of the main facilities
MINING ENGINEERS
are enclosed in a concrete T-shaped headframe. The
equipment deck of this headframe has been pres-
surized to keep out dust; a bridge crane, installed in
the building and capable of lifting from ground level,
was invaluable during the erection of the hoist, and
can be used in the future for change-out of heavy
pieces of equipment; a two-man electric elevator has
permitted easy access for inspection of the equip-
ment in the headframe. The electrical control equip-
ment for both hoists is enclosed in a pressurized
building immediately adjacent to the hoist house
and located so that one man can control both hoists.
The Man and Material. shaft and hoisthouse at Kemac's new
potash mine.
MINE PLAN
At the start of the mine development, it was real-
ized that an entirely new approach would be re-
quired to mine the Kermac potash profitably.
All but two of the seven operating companies in
the district are mining principally in one ore zone
where the ore varies from 5 to 15 ft in height, is of
reasonably good grade and contains not more than
2% clay or insolubles. Kermac is mining in a dif-
ferent, higher ore zone, which averages 54 in. in
height and contains 5 to 7% clay or insolubles. To
insure maximum extraction with minimum dilution,
the mining department felt that some type of con-
tinuous mining machine adaptable to a form of long-
wall mining would be most suitable.
At that time, the only available continuous min-
ing machines suitable for these mining heights were
ripper-type miners, but, after considerable observa-
tion and study, it was decided that the ripper type
machines would not meet Kermac's requirements.
A low headroom boring machine made by the
Goodman Mfg. Co. seemed more suitable and had
proven successful in coal fields, so the company
contracted with Goodman for a trial machine
built to certain specifications.
Because of the higher horsepower required to cut
potash and because the proposed system of mining
required the use of long trailing cables, the company
became concerned about the availability of adequate
power at the face. Any excessive voltage drop would
DECEMBER 1966, MINING ENGINEERING-71
reduce torque output of the machine and could be
the difference between running or stalling the ma-
chine. The apparent advantages of feeding 4160 v to
the machine rather than the generally accepted 480
v left no choice but to proceed in that direction. A
brief comparison of a 350,000 CM type G cable such
as would be used on a 4160-v machine is: weight,
7.2 lb per foot for the 480-v machine and 2.2 Ib per
foot for the 4160-v machine. The lighter weight is
an advantage when men are pulling cable in entries
only 54 in. high. The cost for the 480-v cable is
$7.48 per ft compared to $2.82 per ft for the higher
voltage cable. The voltage drop is 5: for 500 ft of
480-v cable at 500 KVA, compared with 1.3% for
2000 ft of the higher voltage cable.
The manufacturer incorporated into the machine
a fail-safe ground-wire monitoring circuit whereby
either an open control wire or ground wire or a
short circuit between control and ground wire will
automatically stop the machine. While it is inevita-
ble that trailing cable will be damaged during oper-
ation, there has not been a single injury to personnel
attributable to the high voltage on the five con-
tinuous boring machines Kermac now has in use.
The present mine plan is considered as a modified
longwall system. Panels 800 to 1000 f t in width by
2500 f t in length are driven from a main entry sys-
tem. Initially, a three-entry system is developed to
the full length of the panel with the belt conveyor
installed in the center entry. The conveyor is ad-
vanced in 160-ft increments or every other break-
through.
The rapid advance of these miners while in de-
velopment (up to 1200 ft of advance per miner per
month), requires careful planning and scheduling
to keep the belt advanced for several machines.
Upon completion of the development headings, the
borer is turned at 90" to the entries and starts the
retreat program. This consists of driving headings
26 f t wide on a double pass to a predetermined
depth of 300 to 400 ft. Several of these headings are
driven on the one side and then the machine is
moved to the opposite side of the entries where a
A plrzn of the Kermnc potcish mine.
72-MINING ENGINEERING, DECEMBER 1966
similar number of headings are driven. This width,
with a 7-ft-wide pillar, gives an extraction of ap-
proximately 80%. To date, subsidence has been
gradual with no major roof problems. Dilution has
been kept to a minimum and, with controls recently
initiated, further improvement is anticipated.
In the roof, a thin clay streak separates the ore
bed from a competent 41%-ft-thick salt bed. In nor-
mal practice, the boring machine cuts to the salt
leaving an excellent firm back. However, if for any
reason ore is left in the back, the ore will separate
from the clay seam and it becomes necessary to
roof-bolt this particular area with 2-ft bolts. At the
face, the ore is dropped onto the floor by the miner,
picked up by a loading machine and loaded into
six-wheel shuttle cars for haulage to the feeder, and
then onto the conveyor.
Ore from three different directions is conveyed
on 42-in. rope suspended-type conveyors to a central
surge pocket. All of the belts are interlocked and
sequenced to prevent overloading. The ore is then
fed onto a vibrating scalping feeder where the
minus 4-in. ore is dropped directly onto a belt con-
veyor, the oversized ore is crushed to 4 in. by single
roll crusher and all material is then conveyed to a
500-ton underground storage pocket. The bottom
of this pocket is equipped with a vibrating feeder
which regulates the feed onto a 36-in. conveyor used
to carry the ore to a 50-ton surge bin located over
the skip loading pockets a t the production shaft. Ore
is hoisted in 12-ton, bottom-dump skips operating
on a 91-sec cycle. From the shaft it is conveyed, de-
pending on demand, either to the mill or to a 15,000-
ton raw ore storage building. Both the hoisting and
conveying systems from the mine face to the sur-
face storage building are completely automated and
unattended.
The 4160-v power is brought into the mine via the
production shaft through two 600 MCM cables to
the main switch house located near the shaft section.
Electrically, the mine is divided into two areas,
north and south, with a separate 600 MCM feeder
going to each area. At the intersection of a panel
with the main entry system, a switch house is pro-
vided. This switch house has a feed-through for
power extension into the main entries and a breaker
for power into the panel. As the panel is developed
2/0 5 KV power cable is extended to feed the con-
tinuous miner control box or ampguard. This amp-
guard also contains a feed-through which permits
feeding a 4160/440 transformer for power into the
shuttle cars, loaders, fans, etc., and a breaker for the
trailing cable to the continuous miner.
The original continuous mining machine has been
in operation for slightly more than a year and has
mined more than 300,000 tons with no major main-
tenance problem. Numerous minor improvements in-
dicated by experience have been incorporated in
the later machines. On several occasions, more than
1000 tons of ore per machine shift have been mined.
Although the mine has been in operation only a
short time, Kermac has been able to meet produc-
tion requirements, and has established that continu-
ous mining is more economical than conventional
methods for its potash orebody. zs
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