https://www.miningweekly.com

Miners need to focus on long-term economic benefits

LEARNING CURVE R.A. McClure presents courses that are suitable for individuals involved in blasting operations such as drillers, blasters, managers and operators

LEARNING CURVE R.A. McClure presents courses that are suitable for individuals involved in blasting operations such as drillers, blasters, managers and operators

Photo by Bloomberg

20th October 2017

By: Marleny Arnoldi

Deputy Editor Online

     

Font size: - +

To alter the cheaper-cost mindset miners sometimes adopt in trying economic times, explosives technical services company RA McClure president Robert McClure recommends focusing on long-term downstream gains and valuable technological investments.

“It’s often difficult for companies to realise that they need to make a greater investment upfront in technology to achieve better downstream value, especially with blasting, considering that it can impact on other operational efficiencies, such as excavation, haulage and crushing.”

McClure will for the eighth time speak at explosives supplier BME’s twenty-fifth yearly Drilling and Blasting Conference on November 2 at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research International Convention Centre, in Pretoria.

He will discuss three-dimensional (3D) surveying for underground blasting operations, focusing on the underground application of photogrammic surveying technology in a challenging environment.

McClure will present the value this technology brings, how it is employed in the field and how it addresses safety and optimisation challenges. A workshop will also be available to provide a more detailed look at the technology and how it can be used in specific applications in metal and nonmetal underground applications.

The mining industry, he says, has for a long time been challenged by a lack of underground-related tools that optimise blast design and provide accurate, detailed information to drillers, blasters and engineers. This information is necessary to enable changes in the field and, ultimately, allow blast results to be quantified and analysed in-depth.

For openpit, quarry and construction operations, all these aspects can be addressed by using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), such as drones.

“UAVs allow us to fly over the location of the next blast, design blasts and, following the blast, conduct a pre- and post-blast analysis to see what kind of efficiencies have been gained as far as changes in explosives or delay sequences are concerned,” explains McClure.

As the mining industry has started to embrace these technologies, McClure says the software capabilities have grown significantly, with RA McClure offering 3GSM BlastMetriX and ShapeMetriX 3D software packages, providing a custom package and training to meet customer requirements.

McClure notes that this technology is also empowering for mines and blasting contractors, since the technology can be put in place at the operation. Technicians can fly UAVs in the field and conduct surveys themselves, without relying on outsourced services to improve the effectiveness of blast design and quantify and analyse blast results.

Further, he points out that the mining industry has also recognised the value of electronic initiation systems. By doing so, it has solved a major optimisation challenge – the inaccuracy of conventional pyrotechnical systems. These inaccuracies and their negative effects have now been overcome with high accuracy timing provided by electronic initiation systems.

“With this accurate timing, coupled with advanced blast design and analysis software, we now have the tools to improve the blast design, bringing blast performance to an entirely new level. Not only does this technology help address safety and environmental issues but it also offers optimisation and performance benefits.”

McClure says, in uncertain economic times, mines should pay closer attention to how they operate and at what cost.

“Blasting is your primary crusher. Chemical energy is more cost effective than mechanical energy. Make the investment in drilling and blasting technology to achieve the most economical operating cost downstream,” he urges.


Studying for Safety

Each year, RA McClure alternates between presenting a Surface Blasting course and a Blasting Explosives Safety Training (BEST) course.

On September 1, RA McClure presented its Surface Blasting course in South Dakota, in the US, with attendees ranging from explosive and blasting regulatory agencies – at both a state and federal level – to quarry and openpit operations’ staff.

McClure says the courses are limited to 25 attendees to ensure individual attention. This year, the attendees included people from Nigeria, the Caribbean and North America.

The Surface Blasting course has previously been presented in South Africa as a custom course, which is tailored to a mine’s specific needs and presented on site.

The course includes information on rele- vant technologies used by the industry, including vibration and air overpressure control and how it should be managed near urban areas.

McClure notes that the courses are suitable for individuals involved in blasting operations such as drillers, blasters, managers and operators, as well as those overseeing personnel that have to select companies to undertake blasting projects.

The BEST course is specifically designed for the safe handling, transport and use of explosives, and safety practices in blasting.

“A hot topic of discussion in the industry are the fumes involved in explosives use, with most people unaware of incidents taking place worldwide. This course is designed to outline and discuss the consequences of these incidents, while also providing information on how to avoid the mishandling of explosives,” highlights McClure.

The next BEST course will take place in September 2018 in South Dakota.

Edited by Tracy Hancock
Creamer Media Contributing Editor

Comments

Latest News

Magazine video image
Magazine round up | 29 March 2024
Updated 4 hours ago

Showroom

Yale Lifting Solutions
Yale Lifting Solutions

Yale Lifting Solutions is a leading supplier of lifting and material handling equipment in Southern Africa. Yale offers a wide range of quality...

VISIT SHOWROOM 
Willard
Willard

Rooted in the hearts of South Africans, combining technology and a quest for perfection to bring you a battery of peerless standing. Willard...

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Hyphen, Eva mine, ferrochrome price make headlines
Hyphen, Eva mine, ferrochrome price make headlines
27th March 2024
Resources Watch
Resources Watch
27th March 2024

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.146 0.179s - 95pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now