Technology advances yielding more accurate, detailed information for better drilling

21st August 2015 By: Zandile Mavuso - Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor: Features

With the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), global positioning systems (GPSes) and three-dimensional (3D) photogrammetric software, the field of blast design has been taken a step forward, as this provides accurate and detailed information for better drilling in mining operations, says explosives manufacturing company BME.

“The technical advancement of using drones has provided more accurate and detailed information for better drilling and charging designs that optimise powder distribution and reduce the risk of fly rock,” says BME technical director Tony Rorke.

He adds that this has allowed for high-quality images that provide good visual assessments and measurements of block conditions and blast results, which is often not achievable from the blast elevation or from fixed elevated viewpoints.

Commenting on mining operations where BME has implemented the use of drones, Rorke notes that the company has been combining drones, GPSes and 3D photogrammetric software to more effectively quantify blast parameters, including drilling quality, block geometry, back damage, heave profile and fragmentation evaluation.

“This approach involves the use of small fixed-wing drones that are preprogrammed to fly a grid across a particular area of interest on the mine site. This is done before and after a blast in order to create accurate and measurable 3D images for analysis,” he explains.

Rorke mentions that the information is valuable not only for reporting purposes but for assessing blast performance by examining the distribution of fragmentation and fly rock around a blast. As these are orthophotos with geo-referenced points, measurements can be made directly off the images. The view from directly above a blast is unique, as it is possible to see and measure features that are not necessarily obvious from any other angle.

“Given our experience in the projects we have worked on in the South African mining sector, this technology has shown the usefulness of using drones to leverage existing photographic software and GPS technologies to improve blasts; there is no doubt that this science has plenty of potential yet to be uncovered,” he concludes.