Capital Equipment News July 2018

MINING NEWS

Safe, dependable blast-hole drilling

Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology has delivered and commissioned the first DR461i (now identified as the DR412i) rotary blasthole drill to the African continent. The next generation blast-hole drill drastical- ly improves productivity while returning better-than-ever fuel efficiency and vastly improved availability compared with its predecessors. The Sandvik DR412i is focused on the changing requirements of surface miners and designed to improve conservation and deliver dependable penetration in the world’s harshest mining conditions. Constructed for rotary or down-the-hole drilling, the DR412i is automation-ready and built to guarantee reliability while bringing a new level of safety and productivity to any operation. The DR412i is designed for a hole range of 216-311 mm (8 ½’-12 1/4”) with high and low pressure versions available with a multi-pass maximum hole depth of 75 m (246’). The Sandvik DR412i has several unique features that work to protect operators and maintenance employees. Foremost of these features is its emphasis on creating space for accessibility and visibility which starts at the operator’s cab and extends to work Despite South Africa’s stated intention of nurturing a junior mining sector as a key strategy in revitalising and transforming the sector, voices at the recent Junior Mining Indaba in Johannesburg, South Africa, were clear that this was not happening. “There is a strong sentiment among junior mining companies that they are marginal- ised and excluded from the action,” says Mark Wanless, principal geologist and partner at SRK Consulting (SA). Wanless says the message from speakers was that they were strongly opposed to Mining Charter 3, and had not seen any benefit from Mining Charter 1 or 2. “They would like smaller firms and start-ups to be exempt from BEE requirements, as having a large BEE shareholder with limited funding capacity is a big hurdle when seeking capi- tal funding from investors,” he says. There was also a sense that government and the Department of Mineral Resources have stifled business by over-regulating the sector, and by setting unrealistic hurdles for mining and exploration companies to acquire prospecting licenses. “The DMR has no usable portal where explorers or investors can find out who

areas and routine maintenance ports. Work areas are optimised to serve productivity with the entire layout of the rig optimised for ergonomic functionality and safety in line with worldwide standards and guidelines including Mining Design Guidelines (MDG) and Earth Moving Equipment Safety Round Table (EMESRT). The DR412i is equipped with the Sandvik Compressor Management System (CMS), which effectively isolates the compressor from the motor, saving up to 30% on fuel with a proportional increase in engine and compressor life while reducing carbon emissions. The drill rig offers a host of automation features to further improve performance. These include line of sight remote control options which allow a single operator to control multiple rigs, or more advanced tele-remote-control operations allowing operation from a remote location using cameras, sensors, software and vehicle te- lemetry. Our scalable (non-bundled) surface drill automation architecture allows for a customized path to the level of automation you need, when you are ready to implement the next level. The Sandvik DR412i is designed to drill requires which prospecting licenses, and what licences are available,” he says. “The application process is quite opaque, time-consuming and expensive; previously, it was possible to get a prospecting license for a nominal fee on the same day.” Geological information should be easily available to explorers, but is not – as there is no proper geological survey; while the Council for Geoscience holds valuable in- formation, it has no efficient and accessible way to share it. He notes that many junior miners felt that the way the DMR works has led investors to believe that South Africa is a risky place to invest money in exploration; they also said that corruption within the DMR was a major headache, as bribing of officials is apparently common to ensure an application was processed. “Factors like these have made fund raising on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange for mining projects within South Africa very difficult – despite attempts by the JSE to provide a fast-track, cheaper listing process for junior miners,” says Wanless. “Getting funding from outside SA is equally difficult, given the regulatory environment and the

blast holes with a diameter of 216-311 mm to a maximum multi-pass depth of up to 75 m. It can be fitted for both down-the-hole (DTH) drilling and rotary drilling and has a CAN-Bus-controlled hydraulic system for higher availability. ❂ The Sandvik DR412i has several unique features that work to protect operators and maintenance employees.

Junior miners still struggle against system in SA

Mark Wanless, SRK Consulting partner and principal resource geologist.

difficult permitting process; there is little appetite for high risk investment.” He highlights, however, that there were still a number of presentations at the Indaba which confirmed that South Africa remained a very good place to be conducting exploration work – as there was substantial geological potential. ❂

CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS JULY 2018 36