31 SEPTEMBER 2021 WorldWide Drilling Resource® Better Drilling & Blasting Operations Adapted from Information by Minnovare and Paraplug® Better and safer blasting results are the goals of any drilling and blasting operation. Manufacturers are busy working on improving blasthole results with technology and tools to simplify the work. Minnovare’s Production Optimiser™ is a revolutionary hardware/software system for underground mines. Substantially reducing blasthole drilling deviation, the system improves overall fragmentation and ore recovery. Production Optimiser’s hardware engages with Minnovare’s online client interface, Minnovare CORE, utilizing digital drill plans to sync seamlessly with planning software. Digital drill plans are “pushed” down from engineering and mine planning to the individual drill teams, accessible via the Minnovare CORE mobile app. From within the app, the operator can recall and carry out the daily drill plan. Ground conditions and other information relevant to the charge plan are entered as comments. Operators can access real-time drilling information and recall this later for the blasthole sequence. The resulting benefits are significant improvements in drill and blast efficiency, productivity, and responsiveness. Setup accuracy at the collar, the primary cause of deviation, is improved by up to 60%. Accuracy at the toe/breakthrough improves by up to 100%. It can be installed on any production rig make or model and integrates seamlessly, independent of existing rig-stabilizing alignment systems. By auto-calculating the optimum boom “dip” and “dump” angle, it reduces average deviation. Another blasthole innovation is the Paraplug®, a cone-shaped drill hole blast plug ideal for creating air decks at any depth of the explosives column. A selfsupported design allows it to be placed with great accuracy in any rock type and borehole condition. Versatility and simplicity are features of the plugs, with quick deployment being around 20 seconds. It is easily installed without tools or poles and recoverable in case of incorrect positioning. The air deck allows for better distribution of the energy released by the detonation, so it yields a greater proportion of rock fragmentation. Its cone shape creates a wedge, guiding more of the blasting energy into the rock rather than upward out of the drill hole. Ultimately, the Paraplug® results in lower explosives consumption, improved fragmentation, safer blasting due to decreased flyrock, and reduced noise and vibration levels. Minnovare Production Optimiser™. EXB Ronnie, I’ve enjoyed reading this magazine over the years, but I am no longer in this field. Thanks again for the insightful magazine. Tom Boyle
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