Modern Mining July 2018

PRODUCT News

Cullinan and BME in blasting collaboration

According to Neil Alberts, BME’s Product Manager for Technology and Innovation, engagement with Cullinan began as early as 2016 – when BME was finalising the development of its AXXIS CBS – with the system’s first blast at Cullinan being initi- ated in March 2018. “Based on our market-leading AXXIS GII electronic detonator, our CBS allows underground mining operations to initiate blasts from a safe and convenient place on surface,” says Alberts. “It also features real-time local monitoring with remote access monitoring capabilities with cloud- based data storage, greatly improving the pre-blasting and post-blasting decision- making process.” A programme of trials was arranged between Cullinan and BME to install the CBS underground and run a series of field tests in terms of the South African National Standard SANS1717 for the design of det- onator initiation systems for mining and civil blasting applications. A trial certificate from the Inspection Authority was also

Cullinan Diamond Mine, owned and man- aged by Petra Diamonds since 2008 and previously known as Premier Mine, is located to the east of Pretoria. The mining operation is rich in South African history as mining commenced in 1903, it employed ±14 000 people at the time of World War I and it produced the famous 3 106-carat Cullinan diamond, the world’s largest gem diamond to date. Cullinan is planning to gain further improvements in safety, min-

ing efficiencies and productivity while reducing mining costs through the recent implementation of BME’s AXXIS centralised blasting system (CBS) across the under- ground operation. The Centenary Cut project is rapidly ramping up and is close to steady-state full production. The C-Cut supplemented by primarily the CC1 East block will deliver the run-of-mine (ROM) production and is expected to reach ±4 Mt/a from the 2019 financial year. Says Johan Du Plooy, Drill and Blast Engineer:“Following a period of significant investment by the Petra Diamonds Group with expansion projects reaching end state and the group now embarking on steady- state operations, a key strategic objective of Petra Diamonds is to optimise value from its operations. By unlocking value during shift changes and doing so safely and in a systematic, controlled and consis- tent way assists in realising this strategy.”

The AXXIS CBS allows underground

mining operations to initiate blasts from a safe and convenient place on surface (photo: BME).

48  MODERN MINING  July 2018