In a recent conversation featured in Global Mining Review, Orica's Washington Vilas Boas, Technical Services in Blasting Engineering, and Lucas Steffen from Kinross Gold's Morro do Ouro mine in Brazil, shared insights on how Orica's WebGen™ wireless initiating system helped Kinross deliver innovative solutions for operational flexibility, productivity, safety, and social responsibility.
The Kinross Morro do Ouro operation, Brazil's largest surface gold mine situated in Paracatu, northwest Minas Gerais, accounts for around 22% of the country's gold production. The mine faces unique challenges that demand excellence in operational execution due to its proximity to local communities, with houses located just 500 meters away from the mining pit. To operate successfully while upholding strict environmental standards set by Kinross, the mine sought new technologies and optimized operations.
Recognizing these complexities, Orica and Kinross collaborated to optimize drilling and blasting operations, implementing WebGen™ for its operational flexibility, productivity, safety, and environmental control capabilities.
Lucas Steffen, Kinross explained:
"We had some challenges because we are blasting close to communities (200m) ...challenges that include vibration, flyrock, dust, wall control. Because of this we decided to work with Orica due to their background in technical services. One important thing for Kinross is respect for our community."
Washington Vilas Boas, Orica added:
"Kinross was open to a new technology to optimize the process. In the case of [technologies applied to] drilling and blasting, we creatively used BlastIQ™ which is essential to quantify the control of the operation. FRAGTrack™ is another example, it's capable of real-time fragmentation of the rock being excavated. Another one is Flexigel™. We use that to reduce the vibration. Also WebGen™, we use for very controlled blasting and also for safety factors."
The implementation of WebGen™ at Morro do Ouro showcased its transformative potential, optimizing blast schedules and improving dust suppression for operational efficiencies and environmental benefits. This innovation reinforces Orica's commitment to providing mining operations with advanced solutions that prioritize safety, productivity, and sustainability.
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Read the full article in Global Mining Review