Optimization of drilling and blasting operations in an open pit mine—the SOMAIR experience

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• 作者：Thomas Busuyi AFENI
• 关键词：drilling ; blasting ; cumulative time ; unit consumption explosive
• 刊名：Mining Science and Technology (China)
• 出版年：2009
• 出版时间：November 2009
• 年：2009
• 卷：19
• 期：6
• 页码：736-739
• 全文大小：261 K

文摘

Drilling and blasting play vital roles in opencast mining. These operations not only affect the cost of production directly but as well and significantly, the overall operational costs. This research was carried out to find a possible way of optimizing the drilling and blasting operations in an open pit mine of Somair (Société des Mines de l'Air), in the Niger Republic. In order to optimize the drilling operation, the time taken by two drilling machines to accomplish the same task was analyzed statistically. The result indicates that the Down the Hole Hammer Drilling Rig (DMNo406) is more efficient than the Drill Master (DM405). The relative unit consumption of two explosives (Explus and Nitram 9), when used under the same operating conditions, were also considered and the results indicate Explus to be more economical per unit consumption with a range of 0.15 g/t–0.183 g/t, when compared with Nitram 9 with a unit consumption range of 0.19 g/t–0.24 g/t in the study area.