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Drilling to start at synclinorium shaft this month

12th September 2014

By: David Oliveira

Creamer Media Staff Writer

  

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Mining contractor and engineering firm Redpath Mining Africa will begin drilling at Mopani Copper Mines’ synclinorium shaft project, in Kitwe, Zambia, at the end of the month.

The project is owned and operated by joint venture company Carlisa Investments Corporation, comprising mining companies Glencore, First Quantum Minerals and Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines.

Redpath Mining MD Ockert Douglas tells Mining Weekly that the Redbore 100 raise drill will be used to drill the vertical shaft, which will reach a total depth of 1 167 m, in two phases.

The Redbore drill will be used to drill a small-diameter pilot hole. Once the drill reaches the required depth, the bit will be removed and replaced with a cutting tool, called a reamer. The reamer is rotated and pulled up towards the surface, cutting the rock face at a diameter of 6.1 m. The cuttings drop to the bottom of the shaft, where they are collected and removed.

“The first lift is just over 700 m deep and will be intersected by a horizontal tunnel at 2 370 level. Once it reaches the intersecting tunnel, the reamer will be assembled and lifted to excavate the shaft. The same process will be used to drill the 447-m-long bottom section of the ventilation shaft between 2 370 level and 3 960 level,” Douglas explains.

The 76 t Redbore 100 was transported in 34 cargo containers from a large-scale mining operation in Australia, where it had been operating, to the Port of Durban, in KwaZulu-Natal, with the last of these containers being delivered to the Durban port in July. Another three cargo containers, filled with spare parts, were also shipped from Redpath’s head office in Canada, where the company manufactures all its Redbore raise drilling machines, to the Port of Durban.

The unit was then trucked to Redpath Mining’s Johannesburg premises, where it was reassembled to ensure that all the components were in working condition. It was then disassembled, marked for correct reassembly and transported by truck to Zambia this month.

Douglas notes that Redpath Mining received the contract for the synclinorium shaft, following the award of the current drilling project of the Redbore 90 raise drill at Mopani’s Mindola shaft, which is about 2 000 m deep.

He adds that drilling for the Mindola shaft was separated into four lifts. The Redbore 90 has completed drilling for the first three shafts, each about 500 m long. The reaming process at the third intersecting tunnel started last month.

“We achieved excellent drilling accuracy with the first three holes. On the first leg, we were 67 mm out from centre. In the second and third holes, we were 25 mm out from centre. This is a phenomenal achievement for us,” says Douglas.

The shaft is scheduled for completion and hoisting by the first quarter of 2017.

Douglas notes that Redpath is also undertaking about 9 000 m of associated development concurrent with the shaft raising, including the development of a decline to the bottom of the shaft, as well as horizontal tunnels towards the orebody.

He adds that, once excavation work has been completed, Redpath will begin to equip the shaft with the shaft steelwork and headgear for the hoisting of rock, men and material.

“These projects encompass much of our capabilities, including construction, raise boring, shaft equipping and infrastructure development,” he enthuses.

Growth Strategy
Douglas notes that Redpath Mining’s growth strategy is to balance the work inside and outside the borders of South Africa to meet the future growth targets for the business and to ensure growth is controlled in terms of work inside and outside the borders of South Africa.

“We are exceeding our projections and I think Zambia is one of the best mining countries currently in which to work. The Zambian copper sector is planning to double its output by 2017, which suggests that there are phenomenal opportunities for companies to invest in the country’s mining sector.”

The company is also working with Mopani to establish a Zambia-based centre of excellence for mining- and engineering-related training. There is currently a team of Redpath Mining and Mopani employees at Redpath Mining’s Indonesia-based training centre, which has been in operation for more than ten years.

“The team is aiming to duplicate this facility in Zambia, with planning to commence as soon as possible,” Douglas says.

A training centre in Zambia will contribute significantly to community development, he says, adding that Redpath Mining, with the assistance of the client, aims to reinvest in the Zambian community so that it can benefit from the expansion in the copper sector.

Edited by Samantha Herbst
Creamer Media Deputy Editor

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