Quantifying and Prediction Of fragmentation size.

Setting Up Parameters that will ensure

a reduced fragment size in sublevel stoping at Sabi Gold Mine.

ABSTRACT

This project provides an analysis on rock fragmentation and finding ways to improve rock
fragmentation in sublevel stopping at Sabi Gold Mine. Its main aim is to identify the several
reasons and causes for poor rock fragmentations and how this has affected the mining production
cycle, including how also this has affected the mine production target negatively. Poor rock
fragmentation was investigated to be as a result of effects of burden and spacing, poor stemming,
changing rock properties due to geological formations and other several factors. The project was
based on experimental evaluation. Several experiments were done which included varying
burden and spacing as well as using different stemming materials. During these experimental
trials, drill hole depth, size of drill hole, type of explosives used were kept constant in both
control and experiments to ensure that there was limited number of variables. At the end of these
trials, a new drilling and blast design was found which could be used at the mine and produce an
improved rock fragmentation size.
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1. Introduction

This chapter is the introduction to the project. It gives a brief background of Sabi Gold Mine and
historical overview, its location, geology, and the mining method employed. It also outlines the
background of the research, undertaken, problem statement, justification of the research, aims
and objectives of the research.

1.1. Background of project

Rock fragmentation is the most important but very costly part in the extraction of minerals.
Fragmentation is also the first step in the liberalization of minerals from their ores. In
underground excavations at Sabi Gold Mine, the ore is extracted from the ore body by
drilling and blasting and it has to be hauled to the surface for further processing and
liberalization of gold. It is hence important to have the rock fragment sizes of the ore which
can be transported efficiently and at the very minimum cost at the same time not affecting the
production targets.
A good fragmentation will also ensure less comminution to liberalize the mineral. The
required fragmentation size is such that the largest boulders should not exceed 75% of the
length of the shortest of the opening of primary crusher. It is however important to note that
size of rock fragments has an inverse relationship with the cost of drilling and blasting.
Although small sized fragments have an advantage in the hauling and processing of ore such
as crushing and grinding as it reduces costs, it is however the associated high drilling and
blasting costs that cannot be avoided. It is therefore important to optimize the fragment size
such that drilling and blasting costs are minimized at the same time reducing the need for
secondary blasting.

1.2. Problem statement

Sabi Gold Mine has a problem of producing very large boulders of rocks after primary
blasting. This creates problems where grizzlies are chocked and also the hanging of ore in
draw points which prevents free flowing of ore. After primary blasting, large boulders are
produced which fail to achieve the targeted 80% pass on 300mm-by-300mm grizzly. This has
caused an increase in secondary blasting activities, loss in production time, increasing costs
in explosives needed for secondary blasting, wearing of grizzlies and damage to draw points
as a result of secondary blast. Sometimes there can be fatalities. In 2017, a mine worker was
killed at the draw points when a hanging boulder accidentally moved resulting in flowing ore
killing the worker when he was preparing for a secondary blast.

Hence there is need to improve in rock fragmentation at the mine to counter these problems.

1.3. Project justification

The number of boulders which are causing the blocking or hanging in the ore passes is a
cause for concern as it is preventing the free flow of ore. This has resulted in loss of
production hours due to secondary blasting activities including manual rock breaking. The
planned 300 hours production time per month is not fully utilized as there is frequent
secondary blasts which are not planned. The planned number of secondary blasts per
shift/day is two blast, but this has increased to some days 5 blasts per shift/day due to
increased number of boulders. A lot of production time is lost due to re-entry times after
secondary blasts which is 25 minutes at Sabi Gold Mine. At least 2 hours of production time
is lost on re-entries per day.

The figure below shows the average production time lost in secondary blasting for the month
of September 2019 to April 2020

average producti on ti me lost

100
90
80
production time lost in hours

70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr
months
A planned 300 hour monthly shift should produce a planned target of 99 00 tones of ore.

Due to secondary blasts, the mine is losing an average of 71.25 hours per month, hence the
monthly production targets are in a shortfall of about 23 51.25 tones per month.

Secondary blasting has also had a negative impact on costs to the mine. Powder factor has
increased from the planned 0.20kg/tone for secondary blasting for the 6 of the 8 months from
September 2019 to April 2020 as shown in the diagram.

Powder Factor for Secondary Blasting - Planned vs Actual

0.4

0.35

0.3
powder factor in kg/tone

0.25
Planned
Actual
0.2

0.15

0.1

0.05

0
Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr
 planned explosives for secondary blasti ng vs the actual
4500

4000

3500

3000

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

0
Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr

Planned Actual

Table showing projected revenue and actual revenue generated

Tones/month grade Recovery% Selling Total amount

price/oz in
us$
Projected 9900 2.7 87 1180 $871 143.43
revenue
Actual 7515.75 2.7 87 1180 $661 343.05
revenue

Revenue= recovery X grade X metal selling price X tonnage

Projected revenue= 0.87 x 2.7 x 1180/31.5 x 9900

=$871 143.43

Actual revenue=0.87 x 2.7 x 1180/31.5 x 7515.75

=$661 343.05

Revenue lost =Projected revenue – Actual revenue

=$871143.43- $661343.05

=$209 800.38

From above it can be seen that the mine is losing $209 800.38 from secondary blasting.

It can be noted also that additional costs of explosives for secondary blasting can be calculated
from the planned number of explosives to be used for secondary blasting against the actual
explosives used. An extra 9950 kg explosives were needed where 25kg of Emex explosives cost
$50.00 hence 9950 kg of additional explosives will cost an additional $19 900 in the 8 months
period from September 2019 to April 2020

1.4. Aim

Improving blasting effects in sublevel stopping

1.5. Objectives

The research is focused on :

 Identifying factors influencing rock fragmentation at Sabi Gold Mine

 Using references to these factors to quantify rock fragmentation and predict
fragmentation size in accordance with the currently used parameters at Sabi Gold
Mine
 Optimising and setting up new parameters that will ensure reduced fragmentation
sizes at a very minimum cost.
 Evaluation of fragmentation