Conference Proceedings
EXPLO 2011
Conference Proceedings
EXPLO 2011
Through Seam Blasting - Leighton Wahana Experience
Leightons is the sole contractor at the Wahana Coal Mine Project (part of the Bayan Group), a multi-seam thermal deposit consisting of 13 coal seams with thicknesses ranging from 20cm to 500cm. The average dip of the deposit is 18 - 20. However the deposit is heavily faulted in certain domains with anticlinal and synclinal structures present causing seams to dip up to 90. Average thickness of coal inter-burdens range from less than 2 to 12 m. The minimum coal thickness being mined is 20 cm. Coal production is direct mine mouth feed and there is no coal processing plant currently used.Conventional blasting between the highly variable coal horizons in the early phases of the mine life was suboptimal from a production perspective. Drilling short holes with a reduced drill pattern, and on occasions with sloping benches, resulted in low drilling and explosives loading efficiency.A high frequency of small size blasts fired up to two times daily was required with each blast consisting of four up to five small blast areas. Each blast averaged approximately 36000 bcm thus causing a low utilisation rate of the mining fleet from frequent blast delays and the inability to deploy larger Liebherr 9350 excavators on bench. It was identified that increasing the production targets required a more efficient drilling and blasting process. Furthermore, due to the highly variable nature of the deposit, the existing coal model was determined to not be able to accurately predict the coal seam location prior to blasthole drilling.In August 2009, Leighton Contractors Indonesia and Orica Mining Services with the full support of the Wahana team, initiated through seam blasting trials using electronic blasting systems. Further trials were conducted in November 2009. Trial evaluations indicated that the benefits from decreased lost time events due to blasting, an increased vertical advance rate per blast, and increased overall blast size could be attained while not damaging or diluting coal.Full-scalethrough seam blasting has been ongoing since February 2010 for the upper eight coal seams to extract coal seam thicknesses ranging from 20 - 100 cm. This paper will discuss the parameters of the through seam blasting process in Wahana and the resulting benefits to the overall mine production.
Contributor(s):
S Agdaca, Yukiman, H Wibowo
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- Published: 2011
- PDF Size: 2.063 Mb.
- Unique ID: P201113009