Bulk Loading of Emulsion Explosives in Shaft Sinking

Bulk Loading of Emulsion Explosives in Shaft Sinking
R.J. Roach, P.Eng. and D. Roy, P.Eng.

Dyno Nobel Ltd.
Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
ABSTRACT
After months of discussion on ways and means to improve productivity in the shaft sinking
process, it was decided to look at those areas where, historically, methods have been
stagnant for many years. These categories included drilling, hole diameter, drill patterns,
explosive types, explosive loads, initiation techniques, cut design, wall control,
fragmentation and heated magazines.
With those subjects in mind, the time and footage that it took to sink the 150 foot collar
was used to establish the use of four independently electrical hydraulic jumbos for the
drilling of two inch diameter blast holes. This allowed us to eliminate the need of traditional
cartridged explosives.
Relying on the knowledge and experience of explosive experts, the decision was made to
use a pneumatic extrusion method to load bulk emulsion into the two inch blast holes.
These innovative advancements allowed the patterns to be extended, plugged holes to be

eliminated, and the loading cycle time to be reduced by nearly three hours. Most
importantly, the sufficient free face, provided by a suitable cut design, allowed full face
rounds with 16½ foot long bore holes to be pulled.
INTRODUCTION
Inco Ltd., the worlds foremost supplier of nickel, continues today to explore for and
develop new ore bodies to supplement the twelve mines it currently operates within the
famous Sudbury Basin of Northern Ontario.
Upon completion of new geological interpretation, diamond drilling and drill hole
geophysics on the eastern rim of the Sudbury Basin, Inco has outlined two new rich ore
horizons. To fully explore these two ore horizons Inco is sinking a 25½ foot diameter
6,000 foot deep shaft to explore and delineate these exploration targets. The name of this
project is Inco's Victor Shaft Extended Exploration Project.
Once all the possible surface exploration work was finalized, Inco, encouraged by the
results of this exploratory work made the decision to further explore their findings by
sinking an exploratory shaft. This shaft would accommodate a detailed diamond drilling
Copyright © 2000 International Society of Explosives Engineers

1997G - Bulk Loading of Emulsion Explosives in Shaft Sinking - P 461 1 of 13
program.
At this point in time, Inco invited shaft contractors to submit bids on a 6,000 foot, 25½
foot diameter shaft. Redpath and Group won the contract based on their reputation and
ingenuity.
It was Redpath's ingenuity that lead to the world's first use of an extrudable bulk emulsion
explosive in a shaft. To date, Redpath has used this system to sink 4,000 feet of shaft at the
Victor, eliminating the need to use cartridged explosive and their inherent problems.
This shaft project and the explosives technologies used to sink the 6,000 foot shaft is the
basis of this paper.
Other than open pits and ramps, the sinking of vertical shafts continues to be the main
method to access deeply seated ore bodies.
Over the past several decades, very few changes have been made in shaft sinking. Then, the
popularity of circular shafts began to surpass that of rectangular shafts, electric hydraulic
jumbos began to replace pluggers, and electric detonators were phased out in preference to
toroid based electric detonators (immune to normal AC source and stray DC source) and
NONELS.
Also obvious is that few changes have been made in the types of explosives used in shaft
sinking over these same inactive decades; not until the middle 1970's did shaft explosives
progress from the commonly used cartridged nitroglycerin sensitized explosives to
cartridged cap sensitive small diameter water gel slurries, and more recently to cap
sensitive cartridged emulsion explosives.
Now, the greatest change of all in shaft explosives has taken place with the complete
elimination of cartridged explosives in shaft sinking.
Today, in the Cambrian Shield of Northern Ontario, a 6,000 foot, 25½ foot diameter shaft
is being sunk using an extrudable booster sensitive bulk emulsion to pull 16½ foot deep full
face rounds. This, then, is the topic of this paper.
HISTORICAL REVIEW
In the years preceding the 1970's, nitroglycerin sensitized explosives were the most
common, if not the only explosive used for shaft sinking. These perforated waxed
paper-wrapped cartridges were used mostly in 1¼ inch small diameter plugger holes during
benching in rectangular shafts, and were occasionally used during benching a circular shaft.
The first noticeable change to shaft explosives in the 1970's was the replacement of the 8
inch NG sensitized cartridged explosives with 12 inch PMP wrapped EGMN and MAN
sensitized water gel slurries. In the later 1970's, a big step was taken in shaft explosives

with the introduction of 1½ x 48 inch long cartridges of cap sensitive slurry explosives. Of
course, these four foot long cartridges are used primarily in 1¾ inch diameter jumbo holes,
with only the occasional plugger bench being loaded with 1 x 48 inch cartridges. These
longer cartridges reduced appreciably the time required to load a bench as well as a large
amount of the labour associated with the loading and tamping of the shorter length cap
sensitive cartridged explosives.
DRILLING EQUIPMENT
With the increasing usage trend from pluggers to electric hydraulic jumbos, the opportunity
to yet again make a giant improvement in the charging of explosives during shaft sinking
arose; the jumbo drilling of 1 ¾ inch diameter holes permitted shaft sinkers to load their
complete rounds with 1½ x 48 inch cartridges. These 1¾ inch jumbo holes and 1 ½ x 48
inch cap sensitive cartridges served the shaft sinking industry well from the mid 1970's to
the mid 1990's.
Furthermore, the use of electric hydraulic jumbos drilling 1 ¾ inch drill holes paved the
way to drilling and pulling full face, 12 to 14 foot rounds in circular shafts.
In order to allow the successful pulling of full face rounds in shafts, some work had to be
conducted to develop the best cut design to be used. To achieve this goal, the shaft sinking
industry borrowed some reliable techniques already being used in horizontal development
work. By applying these technologies, it was learned that full face shaft rounds could
consistently be pulled if sufficient large diameter reamer holes were drilled to provide the
required void for the cut blast holes to break to. Test blasts in a shaft showed that four 3½
inch, closely spaced reamer holes facilitated the pulling of 12 to 14 foot deep full face
rounds.
In early 1996, another major advancement was made by drilling full face rounds with two
inch diameters bore holes. There were two immediate main benefits to enlarging the bore
hole diameters from 1 ¾ inches to 2 inches. Firstly, the drill cycle time was considerably
reduced; new patterns required fewer inner drill holes to be drilled and thus potentially be
plugged or blocked by chunks. Secondly, however, was the single most remarkable
advancement made in shaft sinking: the loading of the two inch diameter blast holes with a
booster sensitive extrudable emulsion explosive. This innovative technique reduced the
explosive loading cycle time by as much as two hours, conservatively.
Having been successful at using drilling techniques practiced in development drifting to

acquire a suitable cut for full face shaft rounds, the industry began to evaluate the impact of
using large diameter production blast holes to further improve the cut aspect of a full face
circular shaft drill pattern. Instead of drilling a series of intermediately sized diameter
reamer holes, the industry used a single large diameter reamer hole, a typical practice used
while opening up slots in stopes. While adopting this production technique to shaft sinking,
it has been found that a single 77/8 inch diameter reamer hole fulfills all of the cut
requirements needed to pull a 16½ foot deep full face shaft round, when using either 1¾ or

2 inch blast holes.
SINKING METHODS
Today, there are two methods to drill off, load and blast shaft rounds. The first, being the
method that has been practiced the longest, is the bench method. The design has a series of
fanned 1¼ inch holes which are drilled at - 45° to - 90° degrees; this is essentially a slashing
method of shaft sinking, moving to opposite sides of the shaft along its long axis to acquire
vertical advancement. See Figure No. 1 - Typical Bench Using 1 3/8" or 1¼" Drill Holes.
One of the main advantages of this method of shaft sinking is that once mucking is
complete, a good sump is available for the collection of drill and natural waters. Another
feature of benching is that it automatically provides a deep recess for the positioning of the
muck bucket, making it easier for the clams to muck into. Benching methods have and are
successfully being used in the sinking of rectangular shafts as well as circular shafts.
Although this method continues to be practiced today, there is a trend towards a second
method to deepen shafts: full face rounds in circular shafts. This trend may in part be due to
the fact that longer rounds can be pulled successfully while completing each cycle
component within a 24 hour period.
Some other advantages of full face rounds when drilling with electric hydraulic jumbos are
that their drilling advance rate is high, they produce less noise, and they are quite flexible,
allowing them to drill larger holes, which in turn lowers the total number of holes to be
drilled. Full face rounds also typically produce finer muck as opposed to the muck
produced from benching methods. It has been determined that less time was spent on hole
recovery when the industry converted from 1¼ inch plugger holes to 1¾ inch diameter drill
holes, and even less time was spent on hole recovery when using 2 inch drill holes. See
Figure No. 2 - Shaft Layout & Timing 1 ¾" Diameter Holes.
CUT DESIGN
As when driving drifts in development headings, proper design of the cut is important in
order to ensure a successful pull of full face circular shaft rounds. The holes in the cut area
must be perfectly parallel when using only one reamer hole; if the first two cut holes to be
blasted do not destroy the circular geometry of the single reamer hole along its entire
length, the round will begin to crater out. It should be noted, however, that there is slightly
more tolerance in drill hole deviation when using four 3 or 4 inch diameter reamer holes in
the shaft cut designs. Again, experience has taught the shaft sinking industry that when
using multiple small diameter reamer holes, it is more efficient to position the cut's first
blast hole directly in their center, thus increasing the chances of pulling a perfect cut. See
Figure No. 3 - Typical Cut Design, 25'-6" Diameter Shaft.
CUT DIAGRAM

Equally important in pulling full face circular shaft rounds is the need to drill the cut reamer
holes at least one foot deeper than the blast holes. This allows the blast holes the
opportunity to break fully, if not overbreak to a greater depth than that of the blast holes in
the cut area. This approach also provides a concave sump to allow drill and natural waters
to collect into, which then can be pumped into a bucket near the Galaway stage for
removal to surface. When designing the cut in full face rounds, it is important to ensure
that the cut and helper holes do not step out too quickly; otherwise, the reamer holes are
liable to choke up and freeze, resulting in a partially pulled round. Also, correctly spaced
cut and helper holes lessen the chance of fly rock and subsequent damage to the Galaway
stage.
Drill Patterns: For 1 ¾ inch and 2 inch diameter drill holes in a circular shaft round using
RUS extrudable emulsion explosives, see Figure No. 2 - Shaft Layout &
Timing 1¾" Diameter Hole and Figure No. 4 - Shaft Layout & Timing 2"
Diameter Holes.
DIAGRAMS OF 1¾ INCH AND 2 INCH DRILL PATTERN
When discussing drill patterns, a 25½ foot diameter shaft drilled to a depth of 16½ feet is
being referenced. The following information is based on actual experience using bulk
emulsion explosives.
Although reference has been made to 1½ inch and 2 inch diameter drill holes in full face
circular rounds, for the purpose of this paper we will concentrate on the 2 inch diameter
drill holes, as they have proven to be the definitive drill hole diameter for full face circular
shaft rounds.
The 2 inch diameter drill hole pattern consists of four rings with a burden distance between
interior rings of 3½ feet ± 3 inches (see actual distances on Figure No. 4 - Shaft Layout &
Timing 2" Diameter Holes). The burden distance between the buffer ring (Ring #3) and the
perimeter ring (Ring #4) is 2 feet.
The drilled spacing of the interior drill holes is 3 1/z feet whereas the drilled spacing of the
perimeter holes is 3 feet.
The total number of blast holes in a 25 ½ foot diameter shaft using 2 inch diameter drill
holes is 76. See Figure No. 4 - Shaft Layout & Timing 2" Diameter Holes.
THE SHAFT EXTRUDER VESSEL
The shaft extruder vessel should contain sufficient explosives to load a complete round
while still having the ability to physically pass through the bucket openings in the Galaway
stage. The use of four loading hoses on the shaft vessel has worked well considering the
25½ foot diameter shaft and the presence of the number of personnel required to operate
four independent electric hydraulic jumbos.

The shaft extruder is equipped with one, one inch air inlet, one two inch emulsion inlet, one
air regulator, one air gauge, one 150 psi safety valve, one, one inch air vent, and four one
inch loading hoses each having two one inch ball valves, one at the bottom of the tank and
the other 17 feet from the hose discharge end. See Figure No. 5 - Shaft Extruder.
LOADING PROCEDURES FOR 2 INCH DIAMETER DRILL HOLES
Once a drilling cycle in a 25½ foot diameter shaft is completed, the miners disperse the
long delay detonators at the collars of the holes. Others follow behind depositing a 90 gram
booster with each detonator at each collar. Meanwhile, other miners arm the booster and
hang the assembled primer over the drill hole casing.
While these essential tasks are carried out, the emulsion shaft loading extruder vessel is in
transit to the bottom of the shaft. Once there, the one inch inside diameter loading hoses
are immediately attached to the four outlets near the bottom of the vessel.
Once each loading hose is secured, the compressed air hose is then attached to the
emulsion shaft extruder and the vessel is pressurized to 106 - 110 psi. The vessel is then
raised approximately 5 feet from the bench in order to clear the work area.
Four miners will each grab a loading hose; three miners begin loading the previously
cleaned perimeter holes, working inwards, while the fourth loads the cut area of the
pattern. A similar loading technique is used for all holes; first, the loading hose is inserted
into the drill hole, pushing the primer down to the toe of the hole. As the primer assembly
is pushed to the bottom of the hole, the NONEL assembly automatically unwinds from its
packaged configuration, thus requiring no handling. Once the end of the loading hose and
primer reach the toe of the drill hole, the one inch ball valve located on the hose is fully
opened to allow the emulsion to extrude. The miner holds the loading hose down on the
primer for 5 to 10 seconds to completely envelop the primer, then gently assists the hose's
withdrawal to prevent its unnecessary burying. When the collar marker on the loading hose
arrives at the collar, the miner shuts the one inch ball valve and repeats this process at each
unloaded hole. Using the four loading hoses simultaneously, all 76 two inch blast holes will
be loaded within 32 minutes.
Once each miner is done loading, he turns off his hose at the vessel, disconnects the hose
from the loading extruder, and rolls up the hose under the shaft vessel. When the last hole
is loaded, one operator bundles up all four hoses and attaches them to the bottom of the
loading vessel. Once the air is completely vented from the tank, the air hose is disconnected
and the signal to hoist the vessel to surface is given. Then, the NONEL hook-up procedure
is begun.
DETONATOR DELAYING
The detonators used to pull the 25½ foot diameter by 16½ foot deep round consist of 7
meter NONELs, periods zero through eighteen. Period zero is used to clean the reamer

hole, while periods one through ten are used in the cut and helpers. Periods eleven and
twelve detonate Ring #1, while periods thirteen and fourteen detonate Ring #2, and periods
fifteen and sixteen detonate Ring #3, the buffer ring. Finally, periods seventeen and
eighteen initiate Ring #4, the perimeter ring.
In order to maintain a low pound of explosive per delay and thus control fly rock, the cut
holes are delayed separately one period per hole. This system has proven itself every round
for over 3,000 feet of shaft.
By alternating periods from ring to ring, the muck is thrown from side to side. This aerates
the muck pile and thus facilitates digging.
HOOK-UP
As the loading hoses are being rolled up, the miners begin to lay out the surface detonating
cord, CORDTEX 25. One full circle of detonating cord is strung out, joining all of the
holes in Ring #3, the buffer ring. Finally, a cross-over line is strung out along the diameter
of the shaft and joined to the one circle of detonating cord already in place. This tidy layout
allows each NONEL to be hooked up at right angles to the CORDTEX 25 detonating cord.
After ensuring that each hole has been securely tied in, two toroid based electric detonators
are attached to the cross over detonating cord with electric tape. When all but one of the
miners have climbed into the hoisting bucket, the leader hooks up the duplex wire in a
single circuit to the toroid based electric detonators. The leader then climbs into the bucket
and unwinds the duplex wire while ascending to the toroid based electric exploder on the
top deck of the Galaway stage. The Galaway stage is then raised up so that its bottom deck
is located approximately 60 feet from the blasting bench. Once the miners have reached
surface, the round is fired from the main blasting switch.
WALL CONTROL
Various methods of wall control have been tried with different spacing and burdens as well
as with various diameters of cartridged explosives in order to acquire a decoupled column.
While these experiments obtained good results, the handling of cartridged explosives in the
perimeter holes lengthened the loading cycle time considerably.
Therefore, once again using knowledge gained from drifting methods where pneumatically
loaded ANFO perimeter holes are traced with 25 grain/foot detonating cord, an attempt
was made to trace the column of RUS emulsion in the two inch holes with the same "rained
detonating cord. This resulted in excellent wall conditions with up to 80% half barrels. This
technique of wall control was immediately implemented since it reduced the hoisted
buckets by as much as 10 per round. Using this method of wall control also resulted in a
decrease in the volume of cement required.
CONCLUSION

Having proven itself in over 4,000 feet of shaft sinking, extrusion loading of bulk emulsion
had indicated that there are many benefits to its application.
Mainly, it has been confirmed that it is by far more economical than using cartridged
explosives and considerably faster, which is a key factor in such a project. The advantages
of using bulk emulsion have included full bore hole coupling and reduced drilling times due
to the ability to use larger holes in the designed pattern, thus resulting in fewer holes to be
drilled. Also, the adoption of bulk emulsion has eliminated misholes associated with
cartridge ejection, bootlegs produced by poor detonation propagation, and hazardous
situations encountered while using cap sensitive products.
Finally, superior fragmentation, consistently optimal vertical break, and an earlier return to
the bench due to lower amounts of toxic fumes participate in the generation of a safer, yet
shorter total sinking cycle. This, of course, is the main goal of any shaft contractor.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Dyno Nobel is indebted to Inco and Redpath for their co-operation in putting this paper
together. In particular, special thanks to Inco's Victor Project manager, Bill Dawson. Also,
the Redpath Group deserves honorable mention due to their foresight, innovativeness,
tenacity and perseverance. Without the encouragement of Morris Medd, Jim Tucker and
Fern Larose, this new loading system would still be on the drafting table.
Also, the authors wish to express their gratitude to the following people for their
willingness to innovate.
Boris Humenjuk
Remy Lebel
Tom Nesbitt
Garry Rezansoff
Bernie Rudyk
Erich Wagner
Without their valuable ideas, input and help, this paper would not have been possible.

Figure No. 3

Figure No. 6


Bulk Loading of Emulsion Explosives in Shaft Sinking

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Bulk Loading of Emulsion Explosives in Shaft Sinking

R.J. Roach, P.Eng. and D. Roy, P.Eng.

These innovative advancements allowed the patterns to be extended, plugged holes to be

Copyright © 2000 International Society of Explosives Engineers

Copyright © 2000 International Society of Explosives Engineers

Having been successful at using drilling techniques practiced in development drifting to

Copyright © 2000 International Society of Explosives Engineers

Copyright © 2000 International Society of Explosives Engineers

DIAGRAMS OF 1¾ INCH AND 2 INCH DRILL PATTERN

THE SHAFT EXTRUDER VESSEL

Copyright © 2000 International Society of Explosives Engineers

LOADING PROCEDURES FOR 2 INCH DIAMETER DRILL HOLES

Copyright © 2000 International Society of Explosives Engineers

Copyright © 2000 International Society of Explosives Engineers

Copyright © 2000 International Society of Explosives Engineers

Copyright © 2000 International Society of Explosives Engineers

Copyright © 2000 International Society of Explosives Engineers

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