Overview of Opencast Mining

Refresher Classes for Aspirants of First
Class/ Second Class Managers’

Competency Examinations
16th February 2021
by
Bellary Hosepet Chapter
MEAI
Winning & Working - OPENCAST
by
Deepak Vidyarthi
Consultant (Mining)
Member of the National Council of MEAI
E-mail: vidyarthikud@hotmail.com
Opencast Mining
Opencast Mine Design : Guidelines
➢ Determine and Establish the Ore Reserves
➢ Prepare a Schedule for Life of Mine Planning
➢ Operational Efficiency
➢ Cost Minimisation / Value Maximisation
(Less waste; More Ore)
➢ Schedule flexibility (Maintain Productivity)
➢ Safety considerations
Deepak Vidyarthi, Consultant Mining - vidyarthikud@hotmail.com 3

Opencast Mining - Design Parameters
➢ Berm width ➢Ramp gradient
➢ Safety Berm width ➢Minimum Radius for Curves
➢ Batter Angle ➢ Truck Stopping Distances
(bench face angle) ➢Inter-ramp angle (IRA
➢ Bench Height ➢Safety Features required
➢ Bench Width (e.g. safety ramp run-offs;
etc.)
➢ Overall slope angle
➢Geotechnical zones to avoid
➢ Ramp width for ramp placement.

Opencast Mining

Opencast Mining
BOX - CUT
Opencast Mining
Box Cut
Objectives
1. To reach the Ore body
2. To provide a smooth entry to the pit
3. To provide space for development of working/production
Benches
Types of Box Cut
1. External
2. Internal
Opencast Mining
External Box Cut
When the Box Cut is placed outside the Mineralized Zone, it is called an
External Box Cut. It is applicable only for shallow and gently dipping bedded
deposits. This type of cut is generally located I the middle of the Rise-most
side.
Internal Box Cut
When the Box Cut is located fully or partially on the mineralized zone, it is
known as Internal Box Cut. It is applicable to all types of Deposits. It follows a
direction that is oblique to both Strike and Dip directions. Generally the
direction is so chosen that the haul road ramp formed by this cut and
subsequent cuts will not have unnecessary steep turnings at any position.

Bench Design

Opencast Mining -1
Formation of Benches
Methods of Surface mining are variously classified depending
upon the daily production, man power, level of
mechanisation, total investment etc.
Most surface mines today are mechanised where major
operations like excavation, drilling, blasting, loading,
transportation, dumping etc are carried out mechanically.
Excavation of mineral as well as OB from an opencast mine is
done through a system of benching
After excavation of the initial Box Cut, the first working bench
is developed.
Opencast Mining -2
Formation of Benches
Dimensions of Box Cut:
1. The shape of the Box cut is Trapezoidal, with Height and width
depending on the excavation equipment used.
However the cut width of the bench should be equal to 1.5 times
the Cutting radius of the shovel.
2. For dumper movement a width equal to 3.5 times the width of the
dumper should be provided.
3. In addition there should be sufficient space for power lines,
movement of auxiliary equipment e.g Dozer, Drill etc.
Quantum of blasting would depend upon the type of strata and
hardness of the rock.
Opencast Mining
Stripping Ratio
Stripping ratio is defined as the Ratio between the tonnage of
Waste rock to be mined, divided by the tonnage of Ore to be
mined from the pit.
The stripping ratio in a mine is chosen based on economics. A
high grade orebody can support a high stripping ratio. A low
grade ore body cannot support a high stripping ratio. Thus you
may have a range of stripping ratios from 1:1 to 1:15 or even
more.

Opencast Mining

Opencast Mining

Opencast Mining
Stripping Ratio
Examples:
➢ New Liberty Gold mine in Liberia (WA) has a strip ratio of 15.5:1 (Depth/Prodn)
➢ Located in the Yukon Territory, Casino Copper-Gold Project has a life-of-
mine strip ratio of 0.59:1
➢ Nevsun Resources’ high-grade Bisha Copper mine in Eritrea (EA) has a
Strip Ratio of 5.4:1
➢ Detour Lake Gold mine in Ontario has a strip ratio of 3.3:1
➢ Candelaria Copper Gold Silver Mine in Chile has a Stripping Ratio of 2.8:1
➢ Copper Mountain Mining’s Copper Mine in BC has a SR of 2:1
➢ Neyveli Lignite Corp: 1:5.5 – 1:7.0
➢ Malanjkhand Copper Mine – 1:4.51

Opencast Mining
Shovel – Dumper Combination

Opencast Mining
Annual Output for Shovels (Mcum)
SN Shovel / Dumper Combination M Cum
1 4.6 Cum Shovel with 35 T Dumpers 0.87
2 5.0 Cum Shovel with 50 T Dumpers 0.98
3 10 Cum Shovel with 85 T Dumpers 1.98
6 3.8 Cum Hyd Shovel with 35 T Dumpers 0.95
Opencast Mining
Shovel / Dumper Combination
No of Trucks Required for an Opencast Mine
Distance m Km
Mine to Waste Dump 1000 1.0
Waste Dump benches 800 0.80
Mine to Process Plant 900 0.90
Mine to Top Soil Stack 1200 1.20
Mine to Marginal Ore Dump 600 0.600
Ramp (Haul) Distance through the pit 2000 2.00
Total haul distance (Waste) - R/off 4000 4.0
Total haul distance (Ore) - R/off 2900 2.90
Opencast Mining
Trucks Capacity (M3 )
Truck Cap (T) M3
100 60
85 46
75 40
65 36
50 33.7
40 23
35 21
25 14
15 8.33
10 6
Opencast Mining
Truck Speed (Loaded) 16 KMPH
Truck Speed (Empty) 20 KMPH
WASTE Hrs Mins

Loading Time for a Truck (25 T) 2.40
Journey Time (Loaded) – Distance/Speed (16) 0.246 14.78
Spotting, Dumping Time 1.50
Journey Time (Empty) – Distance/Speed (20) 0.197 11.82
Total Cycle Time (One Cycle) 30.50

Opencast Mining
ORE Hrs Mins

Loading Time for a Truck 2.40
Journey Time (Loaded) – Distance/Speed 0.180 10.82
Spotting, Dumping Time - 1.50
Journey Time (Empty) – Distance/Speed 0.144 8.66
Total Cycle Time (One Cycle) - 23.37

Opencast Mining
No of Trucks Required 6 M3
10 T Trips Trips/ T/Truck/ M3/Truck/ No of
Time/Trip
/Hr Day Day Day Trucks Spare TOTAL
Waste 29.30 1.71 20.48 204.78 122.87 24.42 1 25
Ore 22.17 2.26 27.06 270.64 162.38 3.08 1 4
TOTAL 27.50 2.0 30

Haul Road Design
(a) Radius of Curvature at the Turn of Dump Truck
(b) Super Elevation

Haul Road Design
Super Elevation
Super elevation
Superelevation is a technique employed at an Open pit mine to
assist vehicles in maneuvering safely around corners.
Superelevation is the banking of the road surface at curves. It
allows the vehicle taking the corner to counteract centrifugal
forces towards the outside of the curve, by directing the vehicle
weight towards the center of radius of the curve. The amount of
superelevation on a corner is directly related to the radius of the
corner and the desired vehicle speed through the corner.

Haul Road Design
Radius of Curvature vs Super Elevation
Radius of Speed (km/h)
Curvature (m) 24 32 40 48 >56
15 4% (≈2◦)
30 4% (≈2◦) 4% (≈2◦)
45 4% (≈2◦) 4% (≈2◦) 5% (≈2◦)
75 4% (≈2◦) 4% (≈2◦) 4% (≈2◦) 6% (≈3◦)
90 4% (≈2◦) 4% (≈2◦) 4% (≈2◦) 5% (≈3◦) 6%
(≈3◦)
180 4% (≈2◦) 4% (≈2◦) 4% (≈2◦) 4% (≈2◦) 5%
(≈3◦)
300 4% (≈2◦) 4% (≈2◦) 4% (≈2◦) 4% (≈2◦) 4%
(≈2◦)
Typical X-Section of a Haul Road with Safety Berm
and Water Drain
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….....
Deepak Vidyarthi Consultant (Mining) ; E-mail: vidyarthikud@hotmail.com
Deepak Vidyarthi Consultant Mining -
26
vidyarthikud@hotmail.com
Opencast Mining
Draglines
• A dragline excavator is a piece of heavy equipment used
in civil engineering and surface mining.
• Draglines fall into two broad categories: those that are based on
standard, lifting cranes, and the heavy units which have to be
built on-site. Most crawler cranes, with an added winch drum on
the front, can act as a dragline. These units (like other cranes)
are designed to be dismantled and transported over the road on
flatbed trailers. Draglines used in civil engineering are almost
always of this smaller, crane type.

Opencast Mining
Draglines
Salient Features
Cost: 50 – 100 Million $

Bucket Volume: 40-80 Cu yds (30-60
Cum)
Wt. of the machine: 8000 T – 13,000 T
Boom Length: 45 – 100 m (148-328 ft)
In a single Cycle it can handle up to
450 tonnes of material

Opencast Mining
Draglines
Limitations of Drag lines
1. The primary limitations of draglines are their
boom height and boom length, which limits
where the dragline can dump the waste
material.
2. Another primary limitation is their digging
depth, which is limited by the length of rope
the dragline can utilize.
Despite their limitations, and their extremely high
capital cost, draglines remain popular with many
mines, due to their reliability, and extremely low
waste removal cost

Opencast Mining
Annual Output Norms for Draglines (M Cum)
SN Drag line M Cum

1 20/90 Dragline 2.83
2 24/96 Dragline 3.45
3 30/73 Dragline 4.38

Opencast Mining
OITD (Operator Independent Truck Operation)
Operator Independent Truck dispatch system also referred to as OITDS is
extensively used in mining operations to assign the dumpers to shovels on
a real-time basis.
It uses GPS data to calculate congestion at each of the shovels and based
on the information it calculates the most optimal shovel at which the dumper
should go to spend minimum time in loading.
Performance of 42 cum Shovels and 240 Te O.I.Dumpers at Gevra Coal
Mine of SCCL:
Av. Reliability
42 Cum Shovel: 94.73%
240 Te OITD Trucks: 56.63%

Opencast Mining
Surface Miner
Blast Free Mining in Indian Surface Coal Mines – Current Trend
Surface Miners can mine raw materials such as coal, gypsum, salt,
phosphate, bauxite or lime in open-cast mines.
They mine commodities selectively, ensuring a high quality and
optimum exploitation of the deposit. Surface Miners are also used to
cut routes or lower tunnel floors. Centrally positioned underneath the
machine, the cutting drum has a customized design to match all
customer requirements. The extracted material can be deposited
behind the machine in windrows, sidecast via an integrated discharge
conveyor or loaded directly onto transport vehicles.
Opencast Mining
Surface Miner
Brand Wirtgen
Cutting width 3,800 mm
Cutting depth 0 to 350 mm
Drum 1,300 mm
diameter with
tools
Manufacturer Cummins

Opencast Mining
Surface Miner
Wirtgen 220 SMI 3.8
3,800 mm Surface Miner

Opencast Mining
The present surface miners in use
in Indian limestone and Coal
mining are capable of handling
rocks having Compressive strength
up to 50 MPa. There are
other surface miners manufactured
by L&T, Wirtgen, Krupp, Vermeer
etc, to handle rock strength beyond
50MPa.
Opencast Mining
Blast Hole Drills
Blast hole Drilling is a technique used in mining whereby a hole is drilled
into the surface of the rock, packed with explosive material, and detonated.
Down-the-Hole refers to where the hammer action occurs when
compared to drifter hammers, which hammer on top of the drill string.
The DTH hammer piston always makes direct contact with the drill bit
and there is generally no loss of transmitted energy as the hammer
drills deeper, as is the case with drifter (top hammer) rigs.
Rotary drills work best in holes sized from 6 to 22 inches in diameter.
Optimal hole depths range from 15 to 150 feet (typical) and average from
30 to 60 feet. Roller-cone or tricone bits are the most common bit used for
rotary blasthole drilling.
Opencast Mining
Manufacturers of Blast Hole Drills
• Sandvik
• Komatsu
• Caterpillar-
• Bucyrus Erie
• P&H –
270 – 444 mm dia ;
150,000 lbs PD Pressure

Opencast Mining
Safety Precautions With the use of Blast Hole Drills
1. Power cable should be guarded being run over by any vehicles or the Drill itself.
2. While winding the cable on the cable reel, avoid overlap.
3. Drill path should be kept clear of oil, tools etc.
4. No welding should be carried out inside the machine house/cabin.
5. Cotton waste should be stored in a container and not scattered anywhere in the machine
6. Keep the working platform clean.
7. Should not attempt to clean/wipe the motors when they are running.
8. No unauthorised person should be allowed on the drill or working area.
9. Drill movements should be planned in advance and it should move from Hole to Hole.
10. Never march the drill with the Mast up

Opencast Mining
Bucket Wheel Excavators
Continuous digging machine in large-scale Open pit Mining
operations, removing thousands of tons of Overburden a day. What
sets BWEs apart from other large-scale mining equipment, such as
Bucket chain excavators, is their use of a large wheel consisting of a
continuous pattern of buckets used to scoop material as the wheel
turns.
Measuring 310 feet tall and 15,500 tons in weight, the Bagger 288 is
currently being used at the Hambach mine in Germany to extract coal.
It took ThyssenKrupp 4 years to build the excavator and cost the
buyer around $100 million to buy.

Opencast Mining
They rank among the largest vehicles (land or sea) ever

produced, and the largest of the bucket-wheel excavators
(the Bagger 293) still holds the
Guinness World Record
for the heaviest land-based vehicle ever constructed.

Opencast Mining
Dimensions of the largest BWE
Trade Name: Bagger 293
Wheel Diameter: 21 m (70 ft)
Wt of the m/c: 14200 Tons
(31,300,000 lb)
Length: 225 m (738 ft)
Height: 96 m (315 ft)
Swath Cut: 225 m (738 ft)
No of Buckets: 20
Bucket Capacity: 15 Cum (20 Cu Yd)
Location: Lignite Mine
Cologne Germany

Opencast Mining
Bucket
Wheel
Excavator

Opencast Mining
➢ CAPACITY: 12,500 m3 (440,000 cu ft) per hour
➢ OB: 240,000 m3 (8,500,000 cu ft)

of Overburden per day
➢Excavations: 380,000 m3 (13,000,000 cu ft) per day

have been recorded.

Opencast Mining
Bucket Wheel Excavators Selection Criteria
➢ High Stripping Ratios

➢ Medium Hard Material
➢ High Out put
➢ Operating Slope up to 20 deg

Opencast Mining
Neyveli Lignite Corporation Ltd (NLC)
Bucket Wheel Excavators: Operating capacity of up to 6800 cubic
metres per hour for their Mines-II Project.
The 1400L Excavators were erected and supplied by TAKRAF INDIA
LTD., Chennai in collaboration with TAKRAF GmbH, Germany.
Weight: 2600 Tons
Cutting Height: 30 m
Annual Production: 30 MTPA
SR: 1:5.5 to 1:7.0

Opencast Mining
Q&A: Conveyors
Q1: What are the DONTS with the use of Conveyors? (A) Don’t wear loose
clothing (B) Do not climb, step, sit or ride on the conveyors.
(C ) Do not alter or remove guards or safety devices (D) Do not try to
remove stuck items or debris until the conveyor is locked out (E ) All of
them (F) None of them
Q2: As per 106 of MMR 1961, No tree, loose stone or debris shall remain within a
distance of ------ --- from the edge or side of excavation. ….(a) 5 m (b) 4 m (c) 3 m
(d) 2 m

Opencast Mining
OITD (Operator Independent Truck Operation)
Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL) is consultation with the Ministry of

Information Technology, Government of India has developed and
implemented the GPS-based operator independent truck dispatch system
(OITDS) at Jayant, one of India's largest opencast mines to cope with the
extensive deployment of heavy earthmoving machine (HEEM). The article
describes the basic components of OITDS - the computer hardware,
wireless communication system, LAN related structure and, in some detail,
the 'Dyamine' application software modules. The modules are for display of
haul roads and other mine features, recording of breakdown and repairs,
recording attendance allocation of equipment to operators and optimising its
use, interfacing to survey/planning software packages, and analysing the
performance of HEMM and human resources. The OITDS is increasing
productivity of HEMM.
Opencast Mining
Pipe Conveyors
Belt conveyors have been used for about 150 – 200 years. The
concept of conveying bulk solid materials by belt, however, has
not really changed. Today one can differentiate between open
and closed conveyor systems. In conventional open belt
conveyor systems the belt is troughed and the bulk solid
material is in direct contact with the air, (although the total
conveyor may be enclosed).
In closed conveyor systems, the belt contains the bulk material,
thus eliminating the risk of dust contamination.

Opencast Mining
Pipe Conveyors
Pipe conveyors are a special type of belt conveyor. The belt is folded
into a tubular shape with overlap by six idler rolls forming a hexagon.
The main benefits of pipe conveyors are their ability to accommodate
sharp curves and seal the transported material. The pipe belt encloses
and separates the material from the environment.
A 15-kilometer-long pipe conveyor near Hebi, China, was

successfully commissioned in 2017. The conveyor carries 1,000 metric
tons per hour (T/hr) of coal from the Yubei coal base to two 660-MW
coal-fired boilers at the Hebi Heqi Power Plant. The system is the
world’s longest single-flight pipe conveyor.
Opencast Mining
Pipe Conveyors
Macmet is building the world's longest Pipe

Conveyor system (almost 21 km) for JSW Steel Ltd.,
Bellary, for transporting 3500/2200 tph of iron ore.
Macmet has supplied the world's highest capacity Pipe
Conveyor, 4000 tph and 7.5 km long, for Sembcorp
Gayatri Power Ltd.

Opencast Mining
Pipe Conveyors
Conveyor Idlers

Opencast Mining
Pipe Conveyors : Construction Features
1. The belt has to have sufficient stiffness to form and maintain the pipe
shape as it passes through the circle forming idler rolls.
2. The belt edge stiffness is reduced to make sure that a seal is
maintained at the overlap so that material does not escape.
3. Hot materials can be handled on the pipe conveyor through the use of
belts that are specially made for the purpose.
4. A significant advantage of the pipe conveyor is the ability to negotiate
curves of a tight radius as compared to the radius requirements of the
conventional conveyor.

Opencast Mining
Pipe Conveyors : Construction Features
5. This feature enables the pipe conveyor to be installed where
conventional belt conveyors require the use of several transfer
points.
6. Since the pipe belt is totally contained by the surrounding idlers,

side drift does not occur as with conventional conveyors.
7. The pipe conveyor can be curved in both the vertical and
horizontal plane as well as in combination of the two, eliminating
transfers or passing around, over or under existing plant equipment.

Opencast Mining
Advantages of Pipe Conveyors
1. Environmentally Acceptable
2. The most important advantage of the pipe conveyor is that the material is
conveyed contained within the rolled tubular, or pipe shape belt, thus
providing an environmentally acceptable alternative to the conventional
troughed belt where spilling or dusting can and does occur.
3. Environmental protection against fugitive dust
4. Unaffected by wind and rain thus requires no covers
5. Ability to Negotiate tight vertical & horizontal curves

Opencast Mining
Advantages of Pipe Conveyors (contd…)
7. Ability to Negotiate Steep Angles of Inclination
8. Reduction of green house gases emitted from transport trucks
9. Prevention of spillage of minerals/ores en-route

10. Prevention of theft/pilferage of coal/ore
11. Flexibility in the conveyor path against conventional conveyor

system
12. Reduction in noise pollution.

Opencast Mining
Advantages of Pipe Conveyors (contd…)
13. Reduction in traffic congestion
14. Spillage Free Transportation
15. Reduced structural costs by eliminating walkways
16. On the return-side the belt encloses the dirty side and eliminates spillage
along the conveyor. This is advantageous environmentally and reduces on-
going clean-up costs.

Opencast Mining
Ropecon Conveyor
Doppelmayr has combined aerial ropeway technology and proven conveyor
belt technology to create the RopeCon system. The first system was
installed in 2000, and the largest RopeCon system to date installed in 2007
has a capacity of 1200 tonnes per hour and a horizontal length of 3.4
kilometers.
• Continuous conveyor system for bulk materials and unit loads of
all kinds
• Proven conveyor technology combined with decades of
ropeway experience
• Conveying capacities of up to 25,000 t/h
• Rope span length of approx 1 km possible

Opencast Mining
Ropecon Conveyor
This system has shown itself to be unbeatable – even in

impassable terrain. It can cross obstacles such as rivers,
buildings, deep valleys or roads without any problem.
RopeCon® transports material on a flat belt with corrugated

side walls.

Opencast Mining
Ropecon Conveyor

Opencast Mining
Conveyors
Q1: Can a pipe conveyor convey material vertically?
A: No, the pipe conveyor can be inclined at up to 20% greater grades than a trough belt
conveyor, however, vertically conveying is not possible.
Q2: Can a pipe conveyor negotiate a 90° bend?
A: Yes. Currently technology enables us to engineer pipe conveyors to deflect through a
horizontal angle of 90°. An example of this is the Indo Gulf pipe conveyor designed by
Conveyor Kit. The layout of each specific installation must be checked to ensure that a
sharp bend can be accommodated.
Q3: What is the maximum lump size, which can be handled in a pipe conveyor?
A: The rule-of-thumb is that the pipe diameter should be four times the maximum lump
size.
Q4: What is the belt speed of a pipe conveyor?
A: The belt speed, pipe diameter, capacity, site conditions, material characteristics and
lump size are selected for each specific installation. The greatest belt speed on a
Conveyor Lit pipe is 4,2 m/s on a 900 m long, 2500 tph i

Opencast Mining
Conveyors
Q5: Is the pipe conveyor belt similar to the troughed conveyor belt?
A: The required flexibility in a pipe conveyor belt to form and maintain the tubular shape is
partially dependent on the belt design. The pipe conveyor belt is thus different to the
troughed conveyor belting.
Q6 : How far should idlers be spaced?
A: The pitch or the carrying and return idlers can vary along a conveyor and may be
different for each conveyor. Typical idler pitch can vary from 0,5 m to 2 m.
Q7: Can multiple loading points be used on a pipe conveyor?
A: Yes, provided these loading points are not located on a curve and there is adequate
room to open and re-close the belt.
Q8: What criteria are important for idlers?
A: The total rolling resistance is greater for pipe conveyors than for troughed conveyors
due to the greater number of idlers employed.

Opencast Mining
Conveyors
Q9: How is the overlap of the carry-side belt prevented from rotating in
the structure?
A: The overlap is maintained at the top segment of the structure by:
a. Ensuring straight belt splices.
b. Ensuring the structure and idlers are correctly aligned.
c. Correctly manufactured belt i.e. equal tension across full belt
width and the carcass is straight.
i. Correct spacing of idlers.
ii. Employing training idlers.
iii. Sufficient belt tension.
Note: It is usually acceptable for the overlap to rotate approximately 20°
to either side of the top-dead-center.
Opencast Mining
Conveyors
Q10: What criteria are important for idlers?
A: The total rolling resistance is greater for pipe conveyors than for troughed conveyors
due to the greater number of idlers employed. Thus it is important that roller do not
have too high resistance and breakaway force. Roll diameter varies from typical 80 mm
to 150 mm depending on the duty, belt speed and locally available standard roll
diameters. Conveyor Kit generally uses 14 mm diameter rollers or greater.

Opencast Mining
OB Dump Design (Conceptual)

Opencast Mining
Gabbion Walls (5m High) at the Toe of OB Dump for Arresting Silt
Opencast Mining
Overburden Dump Stability - NCL

Opencast Mining
Overburden Dump Stability - NCL
Q1: Height of waste dump shall not ordinarily exceed ----- a) 60m b) 70m c) 80m d)
90m e) 100m
Q2: What should be the dump slope angle?
(a) 40-45 deg (b) 60-70 deg (c ) 10-15 deg (d) 26-30 deg (e) None of the above

Opencast Mining
Permission under Regulations 155(1) & 162(5) of the Metalliferous
Mines Regulations, 1961 to use Site Mixed Slurry/EmuIsion Explosive:
1. All conditions stipulated by the Chief Controller of Explosives, granting approval
for "Site Mixed Slurry Explosives", regarding manufacturing, storage & transport
shall be complied with.
2. All detonators, priming cartridges, detonating cords / fuses and other accessories
kept in secure receptacles at a safe distance from the explosive until actually
required for use.
General precautions and rules regarding handling and transportation
shall be observed by the blasting crew:
(a) The Bulk Mix Delivery (BMD) Vehicle, carrying the premix/constituents, shall be
licensed/approved by the Chief Controller of Explosives. The "BMD" Vehicle shall be
maintained in safe operating condition & shall be driven by competent and licensed
driver.

Opencast Mining
General precautions and rules regarding handling and transportation shall
be observed by the blasting crew:
1. The Bulk Mix Delivery (BMD) Vehicle, carrying the premix/constituents, shall be
licensed/approved by the Chief Controller of Explosives. The "BMD" Vehicle shall
be maintained in safe operating condition & shall be driven by competent and
licensed driver.
2. The loaded truck shall be kept in isolated location.
3. All steps shall be taken to prevent occurrence of fire or explosion during
storage, transport & use of "Site Mixed Slurry/Emulsion Explosive".
4. Only minimum number of persons shall be allowed during charging and firing
of shots.
5. Due care shall be taken to ensure that the explosive is pumped into properly
drilled hole and that there is no spillage of explosive.
Opencast Mining
General precautions and rules regarding handling and transportation
shall be observed by the blasting crew:
6. Charging of the explosive shall be done in such a manner so as to ensure
continuity of the explosive column in each shot hole. Where deck charging is done
7. The hose used for loading of "Site Mixed Slurry/Emulsion Explosive" shall have
antistatic properties and shall have a diameter less than the critical diameter for that
particular explosive so that the mixture remains non-explosive while loading.
8. The "BMD" vehicle shall be provided with positive grounding device to prevent
accumulation of static electricity.
9. Charging and firing of the holes shall be carried out in daylight hours only.
10. The area of the loaded holes shall be conspicuously marked by visible bright red
flags during day light and by fluorescent signs during night hours and the entry
into the area shall be effectively cordoned off to prevent inadvertent and
unauthorized entry.
Opencast Mining
General precautions and rules regarding handling and transportation shall be
observed by the blasting crew:
11. Proper record shall be maintained of the quantity / ratio of each ingredient in
the mixture, density of the mixture, quantity of explosive in shot hole and the
quantity of charge in each round of blast giving therein the place of firing, type of
strata, fragmentation obtained, distance of the fly rock, ground vibration and the
quantity of broken material.
12. The explosive charge shall not be allowed to sleep over in the shot holes unless
express permission to that effect has been obtained in writing from this
Directorate.
13. Adequate amount of cast boosters shall be used with the non cap-sensitive
explosive charge to ensure complete detonation of the explosive charge.
14. Primer explosive shall not be slit or deformed.

Opencast Mining
15. It shall be ensured that water in the hole does not mix up with the main charge.
16. Before entering the area after the blast, the shot-firer / blaster and other
personnel shall ensure that the place is free from any fume and dust and safe in all
respects.
17. In case of misfires, precautions laid down in Regulation 167 of the Metalliferous
Mines Regulations, 1961 shall be followed.
18. No blasting shall be done in fire area/hot holes unless prior permission has
been obtained in writing from the Directorate.
19. In case of any dangerous situation arises out of the use of the above
explosive at any time, further use of the same shall be stopped forthwith and
this Directorate shall be informed immediately. Further use shall not be started
till a written approval is obtained.

Opencast Mining
20. The entire operation of transportation of the explosive to the site of its use,
charging and blasting shall be placed under the charge of a person possessing
manager's certificate of competency and duly appointed and authorised for the
purpose in writing by the manager.
21. The mine management and the manufacturer shall prepare a scheme of
training covering all aspects of operations involved in use of "Site Mixed
Slurry/Emulsion Explosive". Persons engaged in the transport, charging &
blasting operations shall be trained as per the scheme at regular intervals.
22. The permission shall be deemed to have been revoked with immediate
effect if at any time any one of the conditions, subject to which this permission
is granted, is not complied with or violated.

Opencast Mining
23. This permission may be amended or withdrawn at any time, if
considered necessary in the interest of safety.
24. This permission is valid for a period up to 03(three) years from

the date of issue of the letter.
25. All precautions and directives given in DGMS circulars, issued

from time to time, on the subject shall be complied with.

Opencast Mining
Question /Answers
• Q1: Where can you park a BMD vehicle? (A). Near a petrol bunk (B) Near Mine
Canteen (C ) Near the vegetable market (D) None of the above
• Q2 : When should Charging / Blasting of holes be done? (A) In the mid night (B)
Early morning (C ) Day light hours (D) None of the above
• Q3: What is the sleep time of explosives in the shot holes? (A) 14 days (B) One
month (C ) Six months (D) As specified in DGMS’ special permission (E ) None of
the above (F) A & D
• Q4: Who can be made in-charge for transportation of Bulk Explosives to the site?
(A) Vehicle Driver (B) Personal Manager (C ) Person possessing the Managers
Certificate of Competency and authorised by the Manager in writing (D) None
of the above

Opencast Mining
Question /Answers
• Q5: How would deal with a misfire in deep hole blasting? (A) Excavate it with a shovel (B)
Follow the provisions of Reg 167 of MMR (C ) Flush the hole with a Hose (D) None of the
above
• Q6 : What precautions will you take while re-fuelling a Vehicle loaded with Explosives?
(A) No Smoking (B) No lighting of Fire (C ) No Drinking (D) None of the above
• Q7: What precautions shall be taken by the Blaster before firing a round of charged shot
holes?(A) Evacuate all the persons from the blasting area (B) Make sure that all the
machinery & vehicles area shifted to a safe location (C ) Take shelter in Blasters Shelter
(D ) All of above (E) None of the above
• Q8: What precautions should be observed in case of a thunder storm at the time of
Blasting? (A) Disconnect the shot firing cable and withdraw all persons to a safe
location outside the danger zone (B) Blast the holes and move to a safe location(C )
Withdraw all vehicles to a safe location (D) None of the above

Opencast Mining
Question /Answers
• Q 9: Emulsion explosive is a mixture of ----- (a) AN,
H2O, Water balloons (b) AN, Gelatin (c) Nitro glycerin,
ANFO (d) Diesel, ANFO, AN (D) None of the above
• Q 10: Fly rocks can be controlled by --- [b] (a) Cast
blasting (b) Muffled blasting (c) Secondary blasting (d)
Pop shooting (d) None of the above
Thank You
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….....
Deepak Vidyarthi Consultant (Mining) ; E-mail: vidyarthikud@hotmail.com
Deepak Vidyarthi Consultant Mining -
78
vidyarthikud@hotmail.com

Overview of Opencast Mining

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Refresher Classes for Aspirants of First

Class/ Second Class Managers’

Deepak Vidyarthi, Consultant Mining - vidyarthikud@hotmail.com 3

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Deepak Vidyarthi, Consultant Mining - vidyarthikud@hotmail.com 15

Deepak Vidyarthi, Consultant Mining - vidyarthikud@hotmail.com 16

WASTE Hrs Mins

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ORE Hrs Mins

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Deepak Vidyarthi, Consultant Mining - vidyarthikud@hotmail.com 24

Deepak Vidyarthi, Consultant Mining - vidyarthikud@hotmail.com 27

Cost: 50 – 100 Million $

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Deepak Vidyarthi, Consultant Mining - vidyarthikud@hotmail.com 29

SN Drag line M Cum

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They rank among the largest vehicles (land or sea) ever

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➢ CAPACITY: 12,500 m3 (440,000 cu ft) per hour

➢ OB: 240,000 m3 (8,500,000 cu ft)

➢Excavations: 380,000 m3 (13,000,000 cu ft) per day

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➢ High Stripping Ratios

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Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL) is consultation with the Ministry of

Deepak Vidyarthi, Consultant Mining - vidyarthikud@hotmail.com 48

A 15-kilometer-long pipe conveyor near Hebi, China, was

Macmet is building the world's longest Pipe

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6. Since the pipe belt is totally contained by the surrounding idlers,

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4. Unaffected by wind and rain thus requires no covers

5. Ability to Negotiate tight vertical & horizontal curves

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8. Reduction of green house gases emitted from transport trucks

9. Prevention of spillage of minerals/ores en-route

11. Flexibility in the conveyor path against conventional conveyor

12. Reduction in noise pollution.

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14. Spillage Free Transportation

15. Reduced structural costs by eliminating walkways

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