Optimizing seismic management at the world's deepest mine

With long-hole face-parallel preconditioning

  • Customer : Harmony Gold |
  • Pain point : Optimize your blasts |
  • Market segment : Underground & Tunnel |
  • Solution : Packaged Explosives |
  • Location : Carletonville | Gauteng | South Africa |
Situation

Seismicity Management

Located in Carletonville, Gauteng, South Africa, the Mponeng Mine is an underground gold extraction facility that stands as the world’s deepest mine. With its notable depth of about 3.8km below collar, the mine encountered increasing challenges, including heightened seismic activity that threatened its safety and economic viability. Despite having a robust support system, it was costly and inflexible, necessitating a more adaptable solution for effective seismicity management.

Challenge

The challenges due to uncontrolled seismicity include:

Injuries
Stoppages
Face length lost
Decreasing extraction ratio

Customer Testimonial

“The project was a huge success and used as a tool to manage seismicity more effectively. Research and Development still continues, with the long-holes now blasted in a fan cut.”

Evert Kleynhans,
Rock Engineering Manager – Harmony Gold

Solution

Innovative Preconditioning

Enaex partnered with Harmony Gold to develop a proof of concept for preconditioning. The solution was to charge a long hole parallel to the advancing face for preconditioning, deviating from the standard drill and charge procedure. This innovative solution aimed to generate fracture planes and reduce the stored strain energy, moving the stress peak deeper into the rock mass and away from the advancing face.

Key features
Results

Setting a New Benchmark in Seismic Control

The proof of concept was a success. It not only addressed the seismic challenges but also set a new standard in seismicity management. Initiating the pre-condition hole ahead of the advancing face to generate fracture planes and lower the stored strain energy by moving the peak stress deeper into the rock mass and away from the advancing face.

Stronger Bonds

The added value that Enaex brough to the project includes the partnership that was formed through strategic meetings, technical services, products used and the on-site assistance with application underground.

About Us

At Enaex, our purpose is to humanise mining by having a positive impact on all aspects of the blasting process.

We know that life is the most precious thing on the planet. That’s why we put people first to ensure the well-being of our teams, our broader communities, and the environment.

With a proven track record of providing the global mining industry with flexible, tailor-made blasting solutions, Enaex is the preferred blasting solutions partner.