Modern Mining January 2017

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January 2017MODERN MINING79
PRODUCT News
In a first for South African mining, Gold
One’s Modder East mine has rolled out an
innovative infrastructure to use emulsion
explosives for all 70 of its underground nar-
row-reef stope panels, as part of its strategy
to reduce its cost per ton mined.
Developed and installed in partner-
ship with leading blasting company BME
over the past three years, the unique rapid
reloading system includes the world’s deep-
est vertical emulsion pipeline of 318 m to
deliver emulsion from surface to storage
tanks underground. Used with BME’s nar-
row-reef pump technology, this system has
allowedModder East tomove away from the
use of cartridge explosives and fully convert
to BME’s emulsion explosives.
“The new arrangement will allow us to
achieve our campaign goal for the coming
year of a 0,8 m advance per panel per day
– a substantial improvement on the 0,65 m
we used to average,” said James McArdle,
Explosives and Technical Manager at
Modder East. “The cost savings and produc-
tivity improvements convince us that this
technology will be the only way for mines
to go in the future.”
Modder East ups advance rate with
rapid reloading emulsion system
Specialised transporters in the haulages
are filled with BME’s Megapump emulsion
from the underground tanks and delivered
to re-filling stations near the stope face,
from where the BME Minicharger portable
charging units (PCUs) are filled.
“With collaboration from BME experts,
we have already shown that our targeted
advance rates can be achieved,”saidMcArdle.
“Our crews are receiving intensive training to
further improve their drilling discipline, and
the improved results are coming through.”
He said the increase in the daily advance
rate could generate additional gold mined
per month.
“The beauty of using this emulsion sys-
tem includes the time saved to get the
product underground, as well as the effi-
ciencies gained by not having to manually
manage explosive cartridges – which are
also closely regulated for safety and security
reasons,” he said.
The emulsion-filled bags, or bladders,
that fit onto the hand-held Minichargers
weigh just 18 kg each – making them lighter
and easier to carry than the cartridge boxes
traditionally moved from surface to the
stope face for blasting.
The handling and storage of emulsion
is much less onerous than cartridges as it is
classified as a 5.1 oxidiser – rather than an
explosive – and is only sensitised when actu-
ally inside the drill-hole.
The highly stable characteristics of BME’s
double-salt emulsions have allowed them
not only to be pumped to this record-
breaking depth, but also to be re-pumped
frequently and stored for extended periods
before use.
BME, tel (+27 11) 709-8765
Modder East’s James McArdle.
End-to-end logistics solutions offered
Land & Sea Shipping, a full supply chain
logistics brokerage in Southern Africa, is
staking its name in local and international
markets with tailor-made end-to-end
logistics solutions.
The company has launched its Advisory
Division in addition to an already impres-
sive portfolio. Its expertise includes
Reserve Bank rulings, currency risk,
weighted average of capital, debt or
equity capitalisation versus cash conver-
sion cycles, FX spread, and conversion and
transactional costs to name a few.
“Maintaining high service levels and
offering competitive logistics solutions is
the core of our business,” says Siva Pather,
one of Land & Sea Shipping’s directors.
“Being able to offer our clients savings
across their balance sheet through our
Advisory Division enables healthy busi-
ness and a growing economy.”
Land & Sea Shipping, tel (+27 11) 679-1651