Tag Archives: Jason Smith

Veracio-IDS

IDS and Veracio partner up to redefine drill hole data use in the mining industry

IoT, Mineral exploration, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , , , , , ,

International Directional Services (IDS), a Granite Company, and Veracio, a leading mining technology company, have announced a partnership to offer Veracio’s complete suite of driller-operated tooling to IDS clients.

Veracio says it is making significant steps toward leveraging advanced geological technologies to enhance the mining lifecycle. While IDS and Veracio have an existing relationship, the announcement of this partnership acknowledges the vision both companies share for transforming how the drilling workflow can be enhanced with better data, they say. By combining IDS’s expertise in directional drilling and Veracio’s geological data collection, the partnership will empower IDS and Granite clients to reduce unnecessary drilling costs, mitigate operational errors, minimise waste and foster sustainable mining practices.

“Our collaboration further strengthens Veracio’s position in the US market and reinforces our commitment to advancing the mining industry by offering cutting-edge solutions,” Veracio’s Chief Executive Officer, JT Clark, said. “Together with IDS, we are committed to redefining industry standards, empowering precision and integrity with every survey, and delivering unparalleled solutions for the mining industry.”

Jason Smith, IDS General Manager, said: “We are excited to embark on this strategic partnership with Veracio. By combining our data collection expertise with Veracio’s cutting-edge instrument technology, we aim to redefine how drill hole data is utilised in our industry. This collaboration represents a significant step forward for IDS and our commitment to delivering excellence to our clients.”

Key objectives of the partnership include:

  • Enhanced drill hole data analysis: deploy cutting-edge technology to enhance the accuracy and quality of drill hole data analysis, providing valuable insights for mining projects
  • Increased productivity: leveraging Veracio’s growing fleet of technologies, including TruGyro and TruSub technology, ensures that drilling is precise and efficient leading to better resource definition, safety and lower risks of operational errors, at lower cost; and
  • Client support and satisfaction: the partnership aims to elevate the level of support and satisfaction for IDS’s clients by delivering data-driven insights and innovative solutions.

The announcement is headlined by the most compact and integrated continuous north-seeking gyro tool in drilling, Veracio’s TruGyro, a north-seeking gyro tool built to deliver precision data at depth in some of the toughest of environments, Veracio says. IDS also currently serves as the distributor for Veracio’s TruShot, a  magnetic survey tool specially designed for driller deployment. Known for its durability, precision and user-friendly features, TruShot enables drillers to confidently capture high-quality 3D hole path data, Veracio says. In addition to TruShot, IDS also distributes core orientation tooling on behalf of Veracio.

As Veracio introduces new products to the market, IDS aims to expand its customer offerings to provide a comprehensive range of cutting-edge solutions.

Epiroc to supply Vale with BaaS agreement, battery-electric equipment

Base metals, Environmental, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Epiroc says the world’s first Batteries as a Service (BaaS) agreement has been finalised in Canada, with Vale and the mining OEM partnering on this new approach for utilising battery technology in mining operations.

Along with the BaaS agreement, Epiroc will be providing Vale with 10 battery-electric vehicles for two Canadian mine sites. These machines will include four Scooptram ST14 loaders, two Boomer M2C drill rigs, two Boltec MC bolting rigs and two Minetruck MT42 trucks. The miner will also acquire three of Epiroc’s charging cabinets and seven charging posts for equipment support, the company said.

Vale has previously said it hopes to have upward of 20 battery-powered vehicles operating within its North Atlantic operations (Creighton, Coleman, Copper Cliff, Garson and Thompson mines) by the end of 2020.

As mining companies continue to strive for sustainable productivity and zero emissions, the fast evolution and development of different options within the field of battery technology can be extremely challenging, Epiroc says.

With BaaS, Epiroc works directly with the customer to define a battery plan that suits the needs of their operation. The lifespan is guaranteed and the battery status is carefully monitored to ensure predictive maintenance with reduced downtime, according to the company. If a customer wants to increase or decrease their capacity, they can adjust their plan and the service will be tailored to meet their requirements.

As part of an ongoing sustainability commitment, Epiroc will remove old batteries from site and replace them with new batteries. These older batteries are then used for secondary applications and will be recycled at the end of the process, the company says.

The delivery of the battery equipment to both sites will occur over the course of 2020 and into the March quarter of 2021, according to Epiroc.

“A key component to the success of this offering is the flexibility it allows our customers,” Shawn Samuels, Product Manager Rocvolt, Epiroc Canada, said. “We take ownership of the battery itself and automatically replace and update the units as needed, which means the mine site can breathe easier and continue to focus on heightened production.”

Jason Smith, General Manager Epiroc Canada, said: “We value and look forward to continuing our successful partnership with Vale as we move towards a zero emissions future in mining together. We both recognise the positive impact a successful battery service implementation can have on operations, so our mutual confidence in one another is well placed.”

Dyno Nobel helps BMA Caval Ridge become electronic blasting leader

Coal technology, Explosives and blasting, IoT, Mine operation news, Mining consumables, Mining services, , , , , , ,

The Caval Ridge coal mine, in the Bowen Basin of Queensland, Australia, now holds the title of the world’s largest electronic blast completed using Dyno Nobel DigiShot technology.

The BHP Mitsubishi Alliance-owned (BMA) mine completed a blast in December that saw 4.7 Mcu.m of overburden shifted in a blast fired with 2,194 t of bulk explosives across 3,899 holes.

Back in October, BHP Mitsui Coal’s Poitrel mine, in Queensland, became the holder of the title of world’s largest blast using wireless technology after successfully completing the third blast in a trial series to test Orica’s WebGen technology. The blast saw 1.3 million cu.m of overburden shifted in a strata blast fired with 1920 WebGen 100 units across 534 holes, BHP Mitsui said.

Caval Ridge Drill and Blast Superintendent, Dallas Gostelow, said the electronic blast was loaded over 14 days, involving engineers, schedulers and the E and F Blast crews. It involved a combination of four related blast patterns, using 8,144 detonators – a significant number that Gostelow said the company had never set before at the one time.

He said there were significant safety, efficiency and cost improvements to be made using the electronic technology.

“Timings for the detonators are fully programmable and each blast hole is physically connected to the surface by a wire, but the systems is less complicated and fully digitised, which means higher fidelity of tie in to reduce misfire potential,” he said.

Dyno Nobel launched its DigiShot Plus 4G electronic initiation system back in 2018. The system, developed by Dyno Nobel’s joint venture partner DetNet®, was designed to help reduce overall costs and increase productivity by reducing blasting delays and introducing programming speeds seven times faster than existing systems.

The ability to fire larger blasts, or multiple blast patterns in one event, means downtime for equipment is kept to a minimum, according to BMA.

Jason Smith, Principal Category Management TCO, Drill Blast & Geology, said the successful outcome of the blast was down to the collaboration across asset, function and supplier.

He said the commercial team and Caval Ridge worked with Dyno Nobel to deliver improved technology that would provide bigger and more accurate shots with significant improvements to safety, productivity and cost.

“The significance of it is the precision timing you can get from using electronics rather than pyrotechnical blasting, which requires thousands of metres of on bench tie-in work, and can lead to poor blast fragmentation,” Smith said.

“With the collaboration between Dyno and BMA, it is allowing Dyno to improve their product and giving BMA the advantage of better blasting and fragmentation and larger shots.

“This is a perfect example of the commercial teams working in the background to strengthen a supplier relationship and the site and supplier working together to deliver superior results.”