Drill technology could change SA mining
2011-07-04 14:06
Ngwenya - New hydraulic technology has the potential to change the way mining is done if widely adopted in the industry.
The drill technology uses water as a hydraulic fluid instead of oil but also no external air compression or water as with conventional mining.
The drill presents a "plug-and-play" system for mining as it promises to reduce costs and work more effectively.
"We can take our system and run it at a mine. You don't need to develop water columns - which is a huge cost," Jiri Safarik, operations manager for Peterstow Aquapower, told News24.
He said that the drill required no additional infrastructure in order to begin operations.
Benefit
The drill works with a closed loop system where water is fed to the drill and back out to an external reservoir. This means that the drill uses a fraction of the water and energy of conventional mining machinery.
"Our machines cut the water use by 80% and you can save about 28% of electricity costs for a mining operation. That's about two power stations in South Africa," said company CEO Douglas Barrows.
Mine employees should benefit from the drill because it operated with water and there is no "oil mist" that often affects workers.
"I don't perceive any additional operator skill [needed] to operate our drill. There is rudimentary type of maintenance where you just replace hoses [which] can be done underground, but then the drill and the power pack - if anything goes wrong it, it will have to be taken out [of the mine]," said Safarik.
The drill's modular construction means that parts can be replaced without a high level of technical skill.
If there is a failed part in the drill itself, the cartridge can be removed and replaced by a new cartridge. You don't need very high skills to do that.
Historically, mines do not generally radically alter their methods, and new technology is often met with resistance because of fears that it may impact production.
Perceptions
Safarik said that the new drill system was slowly changing perceptions, but firms insisted that trials be conducted to demonstrate the drill working effectively in a real world environment.
"To change [mining], there's obviously a resistance, and wherever we go, everybody's excited. But they say 'first run trials underground before you actually get the order'.
"We are running a production trial in a platinum mine that started about two weeks ago," he said.
Trials take about three months and the industry is often obliged to report any changes that may impact production to shareholders first.
However, the proposed electricity saving would be a benefit not only to the mines on their bottom line, but also to ordinary consumers who may suffer rolling blackouts and rising electricity costs.
"If you look at the power costs, in a closed loop water system, Eskom will basically save 1.35MW of power," said Safarik.
This proposal is recognised by the utility for the rebate programme and mines stand to receive a cash incentive if they implement the technology, he said.
Faster
"A 1.35MW saving will give Harmony R7m funding from Eskom. On 500 drills, we could save 280MW hours versus 50 360MW for pneumatic drills. That's huge for a mine."
At the factory, workers demonstrated the drills by drilling holes at about three times faster than conventional drills.
The drill weighs slightly more than a conventional pneumatic drill and the power pack which is between 40m and 100m away, has a mass of 250kg and is pulled on sled to where it is required in the small confines of a mine.
Support for the new technology has come from Ian Cockerill, former chief executive at Gold Fields and current Petmin chair.
"This is a drill which is far simpler in design and construction, uses fewer parts so is inherently less liable to break down, and is easier to manufacture. The net result is that you have a real Rolls Royce of a machine."
The cost for the new drilling system will be about $27 000 each, which Barrows said was significantly cheaper than current systems, where compressors run continuously.
"We can cut the capital cost of a new mine by more than half and it will reduce the environmental impact of mining. It's an environmentally friendly way to operate in the future."
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