Blast Fragmentation for Maximising the Sag Mill Throughput at

Porgera Gold Mine

Cam Grundstrom1, Sarma S Kanchibotla2, Alex Jankovich3 and Darren Thornton3

1
Porgera joint venture
2
DynoConsult – Dyno Noble Asia Pacific
3
Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre

ABSTRACT

The Porgera joint venture and Dyno Noble have commissioned a joint project to optimise
the drill and blast operations to increase the overall profitability of the mine. One of the
aims of this project is to increase the throughput of semi autogenous (sag) mill by
optimising the blast fragmentation. The work done so far clearly indicates that
significant improvements in sag mill throughput can be achieved by optimizing the blast
fragmentation. This paper discusses the planning, implementation and results achieved
so far in this project.

INTRODUCTION

In a world of depressed gold prices and rising costs the Porgera joint venture (PJV)
recognised that the optimisation of drill and blast results to maximise the overall
productivity of mine and mill operations would contribute to the future profitability of the
mine. The PJV has renegotiated the explosives supply and blasting contract with Dyno
Nobel Asia Pacific (DNAP) with a view to optimise the blasting results for the entire
mining and milling operations. Subsequently a joint project to optimise the drill and blast
operations for downstream operations was setup by PJV and DNAP. DNAP has
commissioned the Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC) to investigate
the impact of blasting on the performance of the grinding circuit.

The main aim of this project was to achieve an overall improvement in the productivity
of mine and mill processes through the optimisation of drill and blast practices for
downstream process. In order to maintain focus it was divided into a number of focussed
sub goals as:

1. Maximising the semi autogenous mills (sag) throughput by providing the optimum
feed size distribution to the mills. It was intended to achieve this by manipulating the
Run of Mine (ROM) size distribution through modified drill and blast practices and
crusher gap settings.
2. Optimise the blast fragmentation and muckpile profile to maximise the productivity
with load and haul operations. Even minor cost savings in load and haul operations
will have significant impact on the overall profitability of the mine, because of the
high stripping ratio (10:1).
3. Minimise ore body dilution and high wall damage due to blasting.
The mine to mill blast optimisation project has been under way since February 2000, with
the initial focus on optimising the sag mill performance by changing the blast patterns.
Rock characterisation along with blast and mill audits for a test blast have been
completed and the data was used to build a site specific blast fragmentation model,
primary crusher model and sag mill model. These models were linked and simulations
were performed to investigate the influence of ROM fragmentation on sag mill
throughput. Based on the simulations the blast patterns and crusher settings were
changed to increase the sag mill throughput. This paper discusses the planning,
implementation and results achieved to date.

BACKGROUND ON PORGERA GOLD MINE

The Porgera Gold Mine is located in the Central Highlands region of Papua New Guinea
(PNG). The mine is situated in the Porgera District of Enga Province, approximately 680
kilometers by road from the coastal port of Lae, and about 690 air kilometers northwest
of Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea (Figure 1).

The mine is located in seismically active, rugged mountainous terrain at an altitude of

2,200 to 2,700 meters. Temperatures range from 10 to 25 degrees Celsius and rainfall
averages 3,600 mm per year.

The Porgera Gold Mine moves in excess of 210,000 tonnes per day of which
approximately 18,000 tonnes is ore. Equipment consists of 36 Cat 789 haul trucks, 8 Cat
777 haul trucks, 6 OK RH200’s, 2 Cat 992 loaders, 1 OK RH40, 3 Cat 16G graders, 3
Cat 824 wheel dozers and auxiliary contractor equipment. The mine runs 24 hours per
day utilizing 3 shifts per day. The operation is fly in- flyout and runs continuously with
about 1,800 employees and 200 contractors. Personnel are transported to site by bus,
fixed wing aircraft and helicopter.

TEAM APPROACH

The mine to mill project is multi disciplinary in nature and requires input from different
disciplines such as geology, mine planning, drill and blast, mine production and planning,
crushing and grinding. Because of the multi-disciplinary nature of the project and the
logistics associated with the location of Porgera Gold Mine, it was recognised that
excellent cooperation and communication with all stake holders (mine and mill
departments) and between the PJV, Dyno and JKMRC was essential to the success of this
project. Subsequently a committee has been set up to involve all stakeholders in the
project. Representatives from mine operations, mine engineering, mill operations, Dyno
Nobel and JKMRC were involved. To date the project has been successful only because
of the open working relationships developed between all parties. A project champion is
in place to drive the project. A cooperative team approach has been undertaken with full
transparency.
WHAT IS MINE TO MILL BLAST OPTIMISATION APPROACH?

Investigations by several researchers have shown that blast results (such as

fragmentation, muckpile shape and movement, damage) have a significant impact on the
efficiency of down stream processes and therefore the overall profitability of the mining
operation (Eloranta 1995, Kojovic et al., 1998, Kanchibotla et al 1998, Simkus and Dance
1998, Scott et al 1999, Kanchibotla et al 1999, Kanchibotla 2000). The “Mine to Mill
Blasting” approach involves identifying the leverage that blast results have on different
downstream processes and then optimising the blast design to achieve the results that
maximise the overall profitability rather than individual operations.

Identification of each opportunity to increase process efficiency is very important to the

success of the approach. Potential areas of impact include, but are not limited to:

• Improvements in loader/excavator productivity through muckpile digability and

increased bucket and truck fill factors
• Increase in crusher throughput due to changes in ROM pad material size
distributions
• Reduction in energy consumption for downstream processing including crushing
and grinding
• Improvements in mill throughput, reduction in energy consumption per tonne of
processed ore
• Reduction in blast induced damage and ore dilution resulting in increased final
product (or metal)
• Potential for increased liberation of valuables leading to enhanced mill recoveries

IMPLEMENTATION OF MINE TO MILL BLASTING PROJECT

A typical mine to mill blast optimization project involves several phases such as:

1. Scoping
2. Auditing
3. Modelling and Simulations
4. Validation
5. Implementation

Scoping

The mine to mill blast optimization project is interdisciplinary in nature and it impacts on
several aspects of the mining and the milling operations. It is therefore essential to define
the scope of the project and plan it properly at an early stage. At Porgera the scope of the
mine to mill project was limited to maximise the sag mill throughput by providing
optimum feed size distribution by altering blast design and crusher settings.
Even though it has been realised that blasting has an impact on ore body dilution and
damage to the pit walls it was decided to study this aspect separately. The impact of
blasting results on the efficiency of load and haul operations is being investigated
simultaneously, but the details of that study are not covered in this paper. Initially the
trials were limited to hornblende diorite because it is the hardest and is one of the
predominant ore at Porgera gold mine.

Auditing

During this phase an audit of all the processes from drilling and blasting to sag milling
was conducted. A trial blast (340319) was conducted in hornblende diorite in May 2000
with the standard design and the ore from this blast was processed through the mill
without any blending. During this trial all critical input and output parameters in
different processes right from drilling and blasting to sag milling were monitored,
especially the size distribution of ore right from in situ to the final product of sag mills.

Rock / Ore characterisation

Generally ore domains are classified based on grade, geology and other chemical
characteristics (like sulphur percentage) and do not take into account the breakage
characteristics. The breakage characteristics of rock /ore are very important for the design
and optimisation of any mine to mill process. Breakage characteristics of ore for blasting
will be different from that for crushing and grinding operations. For example, the rock
mass structure, in addition to its strength is very important for blasting, whereas the micro
fracture network, grain size and grain characteristics may be important in comminution
processes such as crushing and grinding. Therefore, it is essential to understand these
differences and characterise the rock mass in terms of its blastability as well as
comminution properties.

Blastability

Blasting will loosen the existing rock mass structure to liberate rock blocks as well as
creating new fractures within the intact material. Any meaningful description of rock
mass blastability should be a function of mechanical properties of intact rock (eg.
stiffness and strength) and the rock mass structure (size of ‘insitu blocks’). Zones within
a mine that are of similar strength and structure should blast in a similar way and hence
form a blasting domain. It has to be recognised that some times the blasting domains
may be different from the current geological domains.

The structural characteristics of ore in the trial blast (340319) were estimated from the
scan line mapping and face photographs. A photograph of the trial blast face and the
stereo net describing the joint sets is shown in Figure 2. Based on the scanline mapping
and face photographs the mean insitu block size was estimated to be between 0.5m to
0.6m.
Cores from the ore samples collected from the trial blast were subjected to various rock
mechanic tests to estimate the strength and stiffness properties (Table 2). Rock samples
were also subjected to point load testing to estimate the strength (Figure 3). The mean
Uniaxial Compressive Strength (UCS) estimated from the point load test is very similar
to the test from standard UCS tests, but the point load test results show a bimodal
distribution (one mode is around 100 – 125MPa and other is around 200 –225 MPa)
suggesting the presence of rocks with different strengths in the same blast.

Comminution characteristics

Comminution is the reduction in size of a particle through the application of mechanical

energy and is usually applied to the crushing and grinding processes. It is necessary to
understand the comminution properties of different ore types to optimise the integrated
mine-mill operation. The JKMRC has developed a ‘drop weight test’ to determine the
breakage characteristics of rocks. A detailed description of the tests for determining the
comminution properties is given by Napier-Munn et al (1996).

The ore samples from the trial blast were subjected to drop weight tests to estimate its
comminution properties. In this test the ore was broken in a range of sizes under a range
of energies. The relationship between t10 and the specific breakage energy as shown in
the Figure 4 and defined by Equation 1.

t10 = A (1- e-bEcs) (1)

where A and b = ore specific parameters (A = 61.3 and b=0.66 for hornblende
diorite)
Ecs = specific breakage energy (kWh/t)
t10 = percent passing 1/10th original particle size.

By convention, t10 is the percent passing 1/10th of the original particle size, whilst the t50
is the percent passing 1/50th etc.

Drill and Blast Audit

A detailed blast auditing exercise was undertaken during the trial blast to understand the
implementation of blast design, the explosive performance and quantify the blast results
such as fragmentation, throw and back break. The blast design used for the trial blast
(340319) is given in Table 3.

The actual blast design parameters such as hole depth, burden, spacing and stemming
height for each hole was measured and compared with the design parameters as shown in
the Figure 5. The measurements from the audit clearly show that there is a variation in
the actual blast parameters compared to the design.

Figure 5 indicates that the burden and spacing are within one hole diameter ( ± 200mm)
for more than 80% of the holes, and the holes with smaller burdens and spacing are from
the front holes which are designed as per the crest line. These results indicate good
control in drilling during collar positioning. However in case of maintaining the drill
depth, 20% of the holes were either drilled 0.5m deeper or shorter than the design depth.
This variation in the drilled depth causes either severe damage to the floor (excessive
drilling) or leaves toe (short drilling) therefore producing an uneven floor. The stemming
height results show that only 18% of the holes are within ± 0.2m of the design
specification indicating inadequate control. The possible reasons for the large variation
stemming heights are:

• inadequate control in explosives loading

• inadequate control in explosive column rise
• Seepage of explosives through cracks and voids

This lack of control in maintaining the stemming heights can result in oversize from the
collar (excessive stemming) or in stemming ejection (less stemming) both resulting in
undesirable blasting results.

Fragmentation Assessment

During this trial, photographs were taken of the muckpiles, at the rear of trucks while the
ore is dumped at the primary crusher, at the crusher discharge conveyor and at the sag
mill feed conveyors. These photographs were analysed with Split image analysis system
to estimate the size distribution of ROM, crusher product and sag mill feeds.
Approximately twenty images from the muckpiles and thirty five images from the rear of
trucks were analysed to estimate the ROM size distribution from the blast.

Mill Survey

A schematic of the crushing and sag mill grinding circuit of Porgera Gold Mine is shown
in Figure 6. The sag mill circuit consists of two sag mills, sag mill product screens and
two pebble crusher circuits.

The blasted ore from the trial blast was campaigned through the mill without any
blending and a full mill survey was conducted. When the mill reached steady state,
samples were collected from various locations in the circuit at 15 minute intervals for one
hour. The major circuit variables were also monitored and collected from the control
system.

Cameras were installed to monitor the sag 1 and sag 2 feed conveyor belts for subsequent
feed size distribution determination using the SPLIT imaging system. After the survey,
the circuit was crash stopped to collect samples from the conveyor belts (belt cut), to
allow inspection of the sag mill interior and to carry out load measurements. The sag
mills were then ground out to determine the ball load. Photographs were also taken to
estimate the rock and ball size distribution using the SPLIT system.
The samples from the belt cuts were sized to determine the feed size distribution for each
mill (Figure 7). The size distributions obtained from the belt cuts suggest that the feed
for sag mill 1 is finer than the feed of sag mill 2. This happens because the feed belt
conveyor of sag 1 is located at the center of the stockpile where as for sag 2 it is offset
from the center. Because of the segregation in the stockpile, sag 2 tends to receive
coarser feed compared to sag 1.

Modelling and Simulations

Understanding the mechanisms and interaction between different processes in the mine-
mill chain, modelling key processes and integrating them is a key feature of the
integrated mine to mill optimisation. During this study, the blasting, crushing and sag
mill processes have been modeled and integrated to investigate the impact of blast
fragmentation on sag mill performance.

Blast Fragmentation Modelling

The research at the JKMRC and else where showed that the conventional blast models
such as Kuz-Ram predict the coarse size fragments with reasonable accuracy, but
underestimate the percentage of fines (Comeau 1996 and JKMRC 1998). In recent years,
the blasting research group at the JKMRC has used several approaches to predict the
fragmentation resulting from blasting, particularly the prediction of the fines end of the
distribution. A detailed description of the model is given in Kanchibotla et. al. 1999.

The ore properties and the blast design parameters measured during the audit for the trial
blast 340319, were used in the JKMRC blast fragmentation model to predict the ROM
fragmentation. Photographs were taken of the post blast muckpiles, at the rear of trucks,
at the crusher product conveyor. These images were then processed using the Split
system to obtain the size distributions of ROM. A comparison of ROM size distributions
predicted by the models and by the Split system indicates that the model predictions are
very close to the Rom size distributions estimated by the Split (Figure 7).

Mill Modelling

Most mineral processing operations use crushing, grinding and sieving as a part of
comminution process. The JKMRC has been conducting considerable research in this
area for the past three decades and developed a number of models to simulate different
stages of comminution. All these models are encapsulated in a simulator called
JKSimMet and are used widely by the mineral processors. A detailed description of
these models is given by Napier-Munn et al 1996.

The data collected from the mill survey was used to calibrate the crushing and sag mill
grinding circuit model at Porgera.
Mine to Mill Simulations

Once the models are calibrated with the blast and mill audit data, the next step was to
simulate changes in blast design and determine whether they would affect sag mill
performance.

The blast 340319 was chosen as the current benchmark design and three alternative
designs were simulated. The three blast designs were intended to increase the percentage
of fines (-20mm) and reduce the top size. The fines act as free grind material for the mill
where as the reduction in top size will help in closing the crusher gap, so that the resultant
mill feed will be finer.

The ROM size estimates from the three designs were passed through the primary crusher
model to obtain an estimation of the crusher product. The crusher product was then
subjected to segregation as it occurred in the stockpile during the test work. The
segregated sag mill feed size distributions which were then submitted to the sag mill
model to estimate the sag mill throughput. The details of the blast designs and the
resultant mill throughput from the simulations are shown in Table 3. Simulation results
indicate that Blast Design 1 should result in a 14% increase in throughput. Simulated
blasts 2 and 3 would result in 19% and 18% increase, respectively.

Validation Phase

Based on the simulation results it was decided to implement Blast Design 1 suggested by
the simulations (Table 3) to validate the models and simulations. A trial blast (#320314)
was conducted on 15th October 2000 in Hornblende diorite ore and the blasted ore was
processed through the mill to investigate the impact of change in blast fragmentation on
mill throughput. The details of the standard design, simulation or suggested design and
the actual trial blast design are displayed in Table 4. There is a discrepancy between the
suggested pattern and the actual design especially the stemming columns. The higher
than the designed stemming resulted in some blocky fragmentation in the collar region,
but the fragmentation inside the muckpile was generally fine.

The hornblende diorite ore from this blast was sent to the mill for further processing.
However, during these trials the pebble crusher at the mill was not operational. In sag
mill grinding circuits the pebble crusher reduces the critical size material or scats
(+25mm to –75mm) from the mill. Usually, if the pebble crusher is down, the mill
throughput reduces by 15 – 20%. Since the sag mill 2 was scheduled for maintenance
and the pebble crushers could not be rectified quickly, it was decided to conduct the mill
trials without pebble crusher in two modes:

1. by re-circulating the scats and

2. by rejecting the scats.
When the mill was processing the trial blast material, a detailed mill survey was
conducted. The mill throughput obtained during the trials is given in Table 5. It can be
observed that the sag mill throughput with the modified design (320314) even with the
recycling of scats (ie. without the pebble crusher) is close (within 4%) to the throughput
achieved with the standard design (Blast 340319). However, when the scats were
rejected the throughput increased by 44% indicating the impact of scats on mill
throughput. Since it is very well known that the pebble crushers increase the mill
throughput by 15 – 20% the above results clearly show that the fragmentation from Blast
320314 clearly increased the sag mill throughput.

Mine to mill simulations

Since a mill survey could not be performed with the pebble crusher, it was decided to
conduct simulations mimicking the following scenarios:

1. The two scenarios surveyed during the trials (ie scats recycled and rejected) and
compare them with the actual (validating the models)
2. The standard design (Blast 340319) without pebble crusher and recycling the scats
3. The modified design (Blast 320314) with pebble crusher working.

The results from the simulations are indicated in Table 6. The predictions from the
simulations are within 5% of the actual results. The simulations clearly show that
without the pebble crusher the fragmentation from the standard design (Blast 340319)
would have given a throughput of only 536 tph compared to 673 tph (ie 20% reduction)
obtained during the first trials. The results also show that with the modified design (blast
320314) would have given a throughput of 840 tph compared to 673 tph of standard
design with the pebble crusher running. This is an increase of 25% in throughput.

Implementation phase

The comparison of simulation results with the actual show that the predictions are
accurate (within 5%). Based on the visual observations, mill trials and simulation results
it is clearly evident that the blast fragmentation affects the mill throughput and finer
ROM from the modified blast increased the mill throughput substantially (25%).

Although the results show that the potential exists for increasing sag mill throughput by
changing blast design, the impact of dilution and damage, should be studied to avoid any
penalties. Similarly, it is necessary to understand whether, the ball mill and flotation
circuits have sufficient capacity to handle the increased sag mill throughput without
affecting the recovery.

The next steps in this mine-mill optimisation study would be to:

• implement some more trials in Hornblende diorite with new designs to optimize the
fragmentation for maximizing the mill throughput
• extend the trials to other ore domains such as altered sediments, feldspar porphyry
and black sediments
• simulate the effect of these changes on the ball mill circuit and on the flotation and
leach circuits to assess the impact on gold revenues and optimise the entire circuit.
• understand the impact of blasting on ore body dilution and blast damage to pit walls
and develop methods to minimize them
• optimise blast fragmentation for loading and hauling operations.

Some of the above steps are being pursued simultaneously and plans are being made to
pursue investigations in all the areas.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors thank Porgera Joint Venture, Dyno Nobel and JKMRC for allowing us to
publish this paper. The work done in this project is a team effort of many people and the
authors thank the field staff of PJV and Dyno Noble and the other team members of
JKMRC for their cooperation and help in doing this work.

REFERENCES

Comeau, W., (1996). Explosive energy partitioning and fragment size measurement –
Importance of correct evaluation of fines in blasted rock, Proc. of the Fragblast-5
workshop on Measurement of Blast Fragmentation, Montreal 237-240.

Eloranta, J. (1995), Selection of powder factor in large diameter blastholes, EXPLO 95

Conference, AusIMM, Brisbane, September, PP 25-28.
JKMRC (1998), Optimisation of fragmentation for downstream processing, AMIRA
P483 Final Report.

Kanchibotla S.S., Morrell, S., Valery W., and O’Loughlin P., (1998), Exploring the
effect of blast design on sag mill throughput at KCGM, Proc. Mine to Mill Conf.,
Brisbane.

Kanchibotla S.S., Valery W. and Morrell, S. (1999), Modelling fines in blast

fragmentation and its impact on crushing and grinding, Proc. Explo-99 Conf. Kalgoorlie,
Nov.

Kanchibotla S.S. (2000), Mine to Mill Blasting to Maximise the Profitability of Mineral
Industry Operations, Proc. 27th ISEE Conf., Anahiem.

Kojovic T., Kanchibotla S.S., Poetschka N., and Chapman J., (1998). The effect of blast
design on the lump-to-fine ratio at Marandoo iron ore operations, Proc. Mine to Mill
Conf., Brisbane.

Napier-Munn et al (1996), Mineral comminution circuits, JKMRC Monograph Series in

Mining and Mineral Processing 2, Ed. Napier-Munn, T.J.
Scott A., Kanchibotla S.S. and Morrell S. (1999). Blasting for Mine to Mill
Optimisation, Proc. Explo-99 Conf. Kalgoorlie, Nov.

Simkus R., and Dance A., (1998). Tracking hardness and size : Measuring and
monitoring ROM ore properties at Highland valley copper, Proc. Mine to Mill Conf.,
Brisbane.

Table 1. Rock mechanics properties Hornblende diorite from the trial blast

Density g/cc 2.73

P-Wave velocity m/s 5404
Uniaxial compressive strength MPa 138
Young’s modulus GPa 58

Table 2. Blast design parameters of trial blast 340319 (as per design)

Hole diameter mm 200

Bench height m 10
Burden m 5.3
Spacing m 6.3
Hole depth m 10.6
Column height m 5.3
Stemming height m 5.2
Sub-drilling m 0.6
Explosive Titan 4070
Density g/cc 1.25
VOD m/s 5100
RWS 80
Powder factor kg/t 0.24
 Table 3. Simulation results

Blast Simulation 1 Simulation 2 Simulation 3

340319
Hole diameter mm 200 229 229 229
Bench height m 10 10 10 12.5
Burden m 5.3 4.5 4 4.5
Spacing m 6.3 5.5 5.5 5.4
Hole depth m 10.6 10.5 10.5 13
Column height m 5.3 5.3 5.3 9
Stemming height m 5.3 5.2 5.2 4
Subdrilling m 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.5
Explosive Titan 4070 Titan 4070 Titan 4080 Titan 4080
Density g/cc 1.25 1.25 1.25 1.25
VOD m/s 5100 5100 5500 5500
RWS 80 80 80 80
Powder factor kg/t 0.242 0.4 0.48 0.45
SAG 1 throughput tph 400 495 525 520
SAG 1 throughput tph 273 273 278 273
Total throughput tph 673 768 803 793
% Increase - 14 19 18

Table 4. Blast design used during the validation trial

Blast 340319 Simulation 1 Blast 320314

Hole diameter mm 200 229 229
Bench height m 10 10 8.6
Burden m 5.3 4.5 4.5
Spacing m 6.3 5.5 5.5
Hole depth m 10.6 10.5 9.1
Column height m 5.3 5.3 3.6
Stemming height m 5.3 5.2 5.7
Subdrilling m 0.6 0.5 0.5
Explosive Titan 4070 Titan 4070 Titan 4070
Density 1.25 1.25 1.25
VOD 5100 5100 4900
RWS 80 80 80
Powder factor kg/t 0.242 0.4 0.31
 Table 5. Mill results from the validation trials

Blast Blast Blast

340319 320314 320314
(standard)
Exp / simulation Exp Exp Exp
Ball load SAG 1 11 13.8 13.8
SAG 2 12.1 12.7 12.7
Ball size SAG 1 150 125 125
SAG 2 150 125 125
Screen size (mm) 12 12 12
Scats treatment crushed recycled rejected
scats tph 372 501 /
SAG 1 tph 400 293 500
SAG 2 tph 273 353 460
Total (tph) 673 646 960

Table 6. Mine to mill simulation results

Blast Blast Blast Blast

320314 320314 340319 320314
(standard)
Ball load SAG 1 11 11 11 11
SAG 2 12.1 12.1 12.1 12.1
Ball size SAG 1 125 125 125 125
SAG 2 125 125 125 125
Screen size (mm) 12 12 12 12
Scats treatment recycled rejected recycled crushed
scats tph 722 404 503 580
SAG 1 tph 300 470 300 420
SAG 2 tph 356 440 230 420
Total (tph) simulated 656 910 530 840
Total (tph) actual 646 960
 Figure 1. Geographical location of Porgera Gold mine

S S

S
Treated as
random joints

10 m
S

Figure 2. Structural characteristics of Hornblende diorite ore in the trial blast

340319
 18%

16%

14%

Probability of occurance
12%

10%

8%

6%

4%

2%

0%
0-25 25-50 50-75 75-100 100- 125- 150- 175- 200- 225- 250- 275- 300- 325-
125 150 175 200 225 250 275 300 325 350
UCS MPa

Figure 3. Point load strength results of Hornblende diorite from the test blast

70

50
t10
30

10

1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 0 0.5 1.0

Energy
Figure 4. Drop weight test results of Hornblende diorite from the test blast
 60% 50%
Designed Burden = 5.3m Designed Spacing = 6.3m
50%
40%

40%

Frequency %
30%
Frequency

30%
20%
20%

10%
10%

0% 0%
4.4 - 4.5 4.5 - 4.6 4.6 - 4.7 4.7 - 4.8 4.8 - 4.9 4.9 - 5 5 - 5.1 5.1 - 5.2 5.2 - 5.3 5.3 - 5.4 5.4 - 5.5 5.25 - 5.5 5.5 - 5.75 5.75 - 6 6 - 6.25 6.25 - 6.5 6.5 - 7
Burden (m) Spacing m

50% 50%
Designed Stemming Height - 5.2m
Designed Drilled Depth = 10.5m
40% 40%
Frequency (%)

30% 30%

Frequency
20% 20%

10% 10%

0% 0%
2.5 to 3 3 to 3.5 3.5 to 4 4 to 4.5 4.5 to 5 5 to 5.5 5.5 to 6 6 to 6.5 6.5 to 7 7 to 7.5 7.5 to 8 8 to 8.5 8 to 8.5 8.5 to 9 9 to 9.5 9.5 to 10 10 to 10.5 10.5 to 11 11 to 11.5 11.5 to 12
Stemming Height (m) Drilled Depth (m)

Figure 5. Blast audit results of test blast

7 SAG mill scates

Crusher SAG #1&2 disch (+12mm)

40,000 tonnes
ore stockpile 8
crusher product

CV12
1 SAG
MILL

5
screen

SAG#1&2 disch (-12mm)

3
sampling points
weightometers 4

CV108

SAG
MILL

6
screen

Figure 6. PJV primary crusher and SAG mill circuit

 100

80

Cum. percent passing

60

40

20
Sag#1

Sag#2
0
1 10 100 1000
Size mm

Figure 7. Sag mill Feed size distributions from survey

100

80
Percent Passing

60

40

20
Muckpile
Truckbacks
Model
0
1 10 100 1000 10000
Size (mm)

Figure 8. Comparison of model prediction with Split estimates