BLASTING ENGINEERING PROGRAMME

Wolter de GraafDepartment of Mining Engineering

4 October 2017

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Road map

History Current Programme Programme overview

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History

Industry wide need for advanced Blasting Engineering programme

Explosives Technology and Explosives Management – for Explosives Manufacturing environment.

No accredited “Application of Explosives in Mining” courses through any institution.

SASOL Nitro – In-house development and field staff - Key driver

Course duration – 8 modules over 8 months

Course is set at NQF Level 6 and 5 CDP (ECSA)

14 delegates (2013)

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Current programme

Nine modules over 9 months Combination of contact sessions and individual assignments Face to face – Lecturer / delegate and delegate / delegate Group discussions / Case studies Strict academic standards applied Skills development Course is set at NQF Level 6 and 5 CDP (ECSA)

Successful completing and comply with assessment criteria – awarded certificate by UP in recognition of professional skills development.

Delegates successfully completed: (2013 – 2016) 2013: 13/14 – 93% 2014: 30/31 – 97% 2015: 32/34 – 94% 2016: 39/39 – 100% 2017: /49 -

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Remote Sites

1st off-shore program

On-site training (Rand Gold in DRC)

45 candidates

Next year – Zambia, Namibia and Mali

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Blasting Engineering Program - Snapshot

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Module 1: Drilling and Geology

Drilling Impact on blast outcomes Mechanical action Errors Drillability index

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Module 1: Drilling and Geology

Geology Elementary Geology Structural geology Rock properties (UCS, E, Density, water …) Joint orientation / spacing relative to free face Weathering

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Module 2: Commercial Explosives

Bulk explosives (Surface & U/G) Emulsions Watergels ANFO

Cartridge explosives Initiation systems

Detonators Boosters

Tamping / Stemming Delivery systems (MMU’s etc)

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Module 3: Underground Blasting / Application

Tunnelling Design and marking Drilling Charging (De-sludge – priming) Timing, tamping Outcome of blast

Stoping Large excavations (Ring blasting/workshops) U/G Bulk explosives / Emulsions VCR & Drop raising

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Module 4: Surface Blasting / Application

Blast design (Basic principles) RoB, PF Blast parameters Geology & Explosives

Specialized blasting Wall control blasting

Pre-Splitting, buffer Trim

Secondary rock breaking

metres aHK

LM BTECH

C=

kg/m 1273

M2

CDρ

=

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Module 5: Fragmentation

Fragmentation Fines, oversize, mid-size Market specific

Kuz Ram Evaluation Uniformity Index

3019

115

REE

Q K A = X 61

0.8-

Blastoutcome

You can’t controlwhat you can’t measure

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Module 6: Environmental Blasting

Ground vibration What is… Reduce Manipilate

Airblast Understand Reduce

Flyrock Sources Eliminate

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Module 7: Blast Assessment

Pre-Blast Geology, blast parameters, explosive Face profiling

During High speed video VoD, vibration / Airblast (Flyrock)

Post-Blast Fragmentation, muckpile profile back break/ over break

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Module 8: Blasting Economics and Virtual Reality

Value chain (Mine to Mill™) Downstream effects

Virtual Wall & 3D Marking / timing of tunnel Eg: Influence of rock structure on blast result Incident re-construction M/F identification MMU Pre-start checks

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Module 9: Safety and Legislation

Safety Incident case studies

Legislation Roll players Transport, storage, destruction

Courtesy: Corrie Rautenbach

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“Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I may remember.

Involve me, and I will understand.”Confucius, 490BC

Thank you