Bringing autonomy to blasting
A new addition to AECI Mining Explosives’ IntelliShot® system, the high accuracy Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) is bringing autonomy to the blast hole tagging process.
The DGPS enables faster blast deployment, greater accuracy and increased efficiency.
The benefits are fourfold:
Potential human error from incorrect blast hole identification or incorrect delay assignment can be a thing of the past. The timing process is predisposed to human error, with incorrectly marked blast holes resulting in incorrect delay assignment. The process of identifying the location of the unconnected hole is time-consuming, while incorrect timing may compromise fragmentation and therefore downstream operations.
The DGPS is capable of achieving location accuracy within less than a metre. The design mitigates signal degradation for a high level of precision.
Increased safety, through the system’s ability to protect against human error, is also a major value addition. Blast hole coordinates, along with the respective detonator delays, are downloaded onto the tagger to prevent the user from incorrect delay assignments on the bench. The response to blast hole location and fault-finding are made faster, safer and simpler. Additionally, the tagging process does not need to follow a specific tagging path.
Another key value proposition is data availability, allowing for reconciliation of planned versus actual blast holes, enabling continuous improvement.
The DGPS will assist in bringing large-scale mining into the digital era and supports new blasting techniques and mining methods to increase productivity and reduce blasting costs. Mining customers will reap quantifiable benefits on their surface operations, including better ore recovery, high levels of safety and improved operational flexibility, all of which are necessary parameters in their quest to operate sustainably.