CASE STUDY

Improving Shovel Productivity through Combined

Trim and Production Blasting
KCGM's Fimiston Mine, Australia

Site Profile  The effect of blast burden and explosive charge

KCGM operate the Fimiston Mine, known as "The
Superpit", approximately 600 km east of Perth in
Western Australia. It is a world class open cut gold
operation utilising state-of-the-art measurement
systems and equipment to produce up to 850,000
ounces of gold per annum. Old underground workings
are regularly encountered, providing particular
geotechnical and wall control challenges. KCGM and
Orica have worked together for many years to improve
efficiency through a Continuous Improvement Process.
mass on damage was quantified.
 Radical changes to wall control blasting practices
were implemented.
 Massive savings in production costs were achieved
while maintaining wall stability. It was estimated
that shovel production rates were increased by
10%.
 Further benefits were achieved through a reduction
in gold ore dilution.

Mining Issues
Traditional wall control blasting practice has been
employed; using small diameter presplits and
dedicated free face trim blasts adjacent to the final
walls. Furthermore, production blasts were fired with
cleared free faces. The aim of these methods was to
minimise blast damage by providing burden relief and
avoiding "choking", which is commonly believed to
increase blast damage. The cost of these methods is
high, and their effectiveness has not always been
satisfactory. Apart from the costs of presplitting,
additional costs were incurred in lost time and
equipment scheduling due to the need to clear material
in front of blasts. The additional trim blasts added to
these costs. Gold ore dilution was also increased as
the rock movement was higher from free face blasts,
particularly the trim blasts.

Technical Solutions
An intensive investigation by Orica's technical team
focussed on wall control methods. State-of-the-art
vibration monitoring and analysis techniques were
employed to quantify the presplit effectiveness in
controlling wall damage in various areas of the pit. The
damage mechanisms were identified and quantified
behind different blast designs using unique damage
assessment tools, including borehole pressure
measurement. In particular, the role of burden and
"choking" on blast damage was fully determined in a
series of well-controlled experiments.

The Result
 Blast damage mechanisms and causes were
identified.

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CASE STUDY

Improving Shovel Productivity through Combined

Trim and Production Blasting
KCGM's Fimiston Mine, Australia

Customer Testimonial
"Since this last round of improvements dedicated trim
blasts have been discontinued at KCGM. This has led
to a more efficient operation with savings in time and
costs"

Alex McCulloch
KCGM Fimiston
(Senior Production Engineer)

Acknowledgments
Orica wishes to acknowledge the continuing support of
KCGM at the Fimiston Gold Mine.

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