Tag Archives: Shaft sinking

Murray & Roberts Cementation looking to add value beyond mine execution

Explosives and blasting, Mine shafts and equipment, Mining services, , ,

While contractors are employed primarily to execute projects on behalf of mining companies and project houses, experienced underground mining specialists like Murray & Roberts Cementation also offer invaluable insights from earlier stages of development.

“Over the decades, we have found that our early engagement with clients provides many vital opportunities to optimise their ideas and plans,” Graham Chamberlain, New Business Director at Murray & Roberts Cementation, says. “Especially in the shaft sinking phase – which is highly capital intensive – the devil is in the detail, and there are many aspects to consider when working to achieve a streamlined and cost effective process.”

Chamberlain highlights how the company is often engaged in the very early days of a project, to work with the client right from the concept and design phases. Often, third-party consultants even use Murray & Roberts Cementation to conduct project designs, he says, as this creates a more seamless flow into the execution stage.

“Our approach is to work with the client on developing a range of options for each aspect of the project,” Chamberlain explains. “This provides a broader scope of what is possible, with each option being discussed in the light of the client’s goals; these alternatives can be steadily whittled down to the two or three best, so that an intensive comparison can be conducted to make a final selection.”

A shaft design, for example, is a central factor in the successful performance of a mining operation – not just at its start but over its entire lifecycle. Whereas it may be considered feasible to reduce the diameter of shaft in the planning stage to reduce capital costs, a more far-sighted view will expose the limitations that such a decision will create for the mine’s future.

“Technology in crushing, milling and processing is always evolving, and many mines can upgrade this infrastructure to generate more revenue,” Chamberlain says. “However, such changes will be limited to 10-15% improvements if shaft capacity is at its limit. The shaft design therefore needs to accommodate the longer term goals of the mine – where market demand could allow throughput to grow in orders of magnitude.”

He emphasises the importance of understanding local conditions – both regulatory and physical – in managing risk on shaft sinking, development and contract mining projects. Where there are requirements for local procurement and hiring, for instance, the company has aligned its policies and developed extensive experience putting these into practice. These social and labour regulations, which are well established in South Africa, are also being applied across Africa and even in some South American countries.

Every project should be regarded as a ‘monument’ to the efforts of the developer, he explains, and therefore needs to leave a strong and positive legacy. This extends beyond the structural elements to the livelihoods, skills and prosperity of local communities. Murray & Roberts Cementation actively contributes to these developmental aspects, not least through its well-resourced training academy.

“Cost and productivity are key elements of success in our line of work, so risk needs to be carefully managed to produce the best outcome,” he says. “Many contractors operating globally in our field are not familiar with the unique requirements of the African market, and consequently, they often struggle to optimise cost and productivity factors in this region.”

Innovation also underpins the input that Murray & Roberts Cementation makes in planning for projects, Chamberlain continues. This is as much about developing new methodologies as it is about leaving others behind. Bold steps have been taken to find safer alternatives in equipment use; the cactus grab – historically a staple item on any shaft sinking site – is no longer employed, for instance.

“We adapted Canadian practices into a Murray & Roberts method of shaft sinking – using an understage-mounted excavator arm – to clean after blasts,” he says. “This is all part of a no-compromise approach to safety on our sites, which we share with clients as part of our initial discussions on scheduling, costs and productivity.”

A critical value-add from the company’s early engagement with clients is its extensive library or database of lessons learnt and technologies applied. This institutional knowledge, which dates back decades, can then be suitably ‘packaged’ by experienced practitioners who are experts in their field. He notes that one idea on its own is not going solve the various challenges that each project faces.

“Our work in the mining environment is complex, and must address matters from hoisting and logistics to safety factors and ground conditions,” he says. “The value of experience cannot be overstated, and requires careful consideration of all the options.”

Another fatality-free landmark for Murray & Roberts Cementation

Environmental, Mine shafts and equipment, Mining safety, , , ,

A hard-won culture of safety has earned Murray & Roberts Cementation the accolade of seven million fatality free shifts from the Association of Mine Managers of South Africa (AMMSA).

The award was made to Kethu Mokgatlha, Project Executive at Murray & Roberts Cementation (left), by AMMSA President, Mosala Letebele (right), at a ceremony in Johannesburg in June to recognise the company’s achievement. The seven million shifts were undertaken over a period of almost nine years, and spanned five different shaft sinking projects in South Africa. The work undertaken also covers specialist interventions such as ore pass rehabilitation, grout sealing and underground support systems.

According to Trevor Schultz, Risk Executive at Murray & Roberts Cementation, the award is particularly heartening in a working environment that carries a range of technical risk factors. Schultz points to the culture of safety, developed over decades of intense focus and commitment, as the foundation for this safety landmark.

“It also requires that everyone in the business – from those at the rockface right through to the executive management – is focused on the same goal,” he says. “It starts with carefully structured training at entry level, and a continuous emphasis on our corporate values which prioritise safe working practices and a constructive mindset that must be developed over time.”

He highlights that the company’s safety systems and protocols have always been in place to support and complement this culture. Its successful Major Accident Prevention Programme, for instance, has evolved into a Critical Controls Management process to continue raising the safety bar. These frameworks align with the requirements of customers in the mining sector, serving to enhance and reinforce both parties’ safety efforts.

“Working safely is also a highly collaborative effort that extends beyond our company and our customers,” Schultz says. “It includes the constructive involvement of local communities and suppliers – for example, we employ most of our general workers from the areas around our project sites which makes it vital that even our novice training is highly impactful and safety focused.”

All training is carried out to the highest standards at the Murray & Roberts Training Academy near Carletonville, in South Africa. Schultz paid tribute to the late Tony Pretorius, the company’s Education and Training Executive, for formulating innovative training modules to foster its safety culture.

GCR Mongolia JV hits shaft sinking milestone at Oyu Tolgoi

Base metals, Mine shafts and equipment, Mining services, Precious metals, , , ,

GCR Mongolia, a joint venture between Gobi Infrastructure Partners and RUC Mining, says it has reached a depth of 1,000 m on Shaft #4 at the Oyu Tolgoi mine in Mongolia.

On the achievement, RUC Mining said: ­“This achievement is a testament to the unwavering dedication and efforts of our exceptional shaft sinking project team.”

Back in 2018, GCR Mongolia was awarded a contract to design, construct and commission the sinking and lining of Shaft #3 and #4 and build the stage one material handling system at the copper-gold underground project.

The shaft sinking aspect for these ventilation shafts involves blind sinking and concrete lining of the two shafts, while the material handling system will require the installation of 9 km of conveyors able to transport ore to surface at 6,500 t/h. Shaft #4 was planned to be sunk to a depth of 1,200 m with a finished diameter of 11 m.

Oyu Tolgoi, in the southern Gobi Desert of Mongolia, is expected to produce the equivalent of 500,000 t/y of copper at its peak.

Murray & Roberts Cementation and Palabora Mining celebrate last blast at new vent shaft

Explosives and blasting, Mine shafts and equipment, Mineral project development, Mining services, , ,

Leading underground mining contractor Murray & Roberts Cementation and its client Palabora Mining Company (PMC) have celebrated the last blast at the new ventilation shaft, which took its depth to a final 1,200 m below surface on January 9, 2024.

The 8.5-m diameter upcast vent shaft – which holed through to an already-developed return air way at depth – is vital to PMC’s Lift II project. Lift II will develop access to ore resources sufficient to extend the life of this copper mine beyond 2040. Murray & Roberts Cementation Senior Project Manager, Fred Durand, says a key achievement was the project’s fatality-free record, earned over more than a million hours worked.

“The achievement of a million fatality free hours – reached in November 2023 – is more than just a number,” Durand says. “It reflects the deep-rooted safety culture that has permeated every aspect of the project.”

The innovative sinking methods, used for the first time in South Africa, were also carefully focused on achieving zero harm. Murray & Roberts Cementation employed its Canadian shaft sinking methodology, adapted to what became called ‘the PMC way’. This method included a solution to poor ground conditions, where the sidewall of the shaft was closed up within 48 hours by means of the shaft concrete lining after every three metres of advance.

“Among the improvements that this facilitated was the removal of the hazardous work by rock drill operators at the shaft bottom, who would traditionally have to install temporary support,” Durand explains. “We also decided not to conduct concurrent work in the shaft, so there was no risk of danger to anyone below when work was carried out from the stage.”

Durand emphasised the close collaboration between Murray & Roberts Cementation and PMC to ensure the success and safety of the shaft sinking. The project was significant insofar as there were many lessons learnt to be taken forward into future projects, he says, further improving the safety record of shaft sinking practice.

“We are already looking ahead to two more important shaft sinking projects within the South African mining sector, where there is potential for certain of these learnings to be applied,” Durand says.

A veteran of over 15 shaft sinking projects around Africa during his career, Durand admits finding aspects of the PMC way initially quite unusual when he joined the project in 2022.

“Ultimately, though, we all want to deliver safe projects, so there are many brilliant ideas that we have proven on this project,” he says. “These strategies have been combined with the company’s leading mining and engineering expertise, and made us very excited about the future of shaft sinking and contract mining.”

To facilitate streamlined programming on the project, the work ran on continuous operations with two 12-hour shifts. This, he notes, improves on the usual eight-hour shift system, which requires three shift changes – each change taking up valuable project time. The two-shift system requires only a morning and evening change.

The vent shaft will replace the two existing vent shafts from the Lift I project, which are likely to be affected as they are in the Lift I zone of influence. In the final stages of the project, Murray & Roberts Cementation will strip out its services from the shaft, lift out the stage and dismantle the headgear. Final demobilisation of the company’s infrastructure will be carried out during the March quarter of 2024, according to Durand.

Murray & Roberts Cementation continues to boost mining reputation in southern Africa

Mine shafts and equipment, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , , , , ,

Murray & Roberts Cementation continues to add to its order book of business in southern Africa, with the company saying it is engaged in a number of projects in South Africa and having project prospects in nearby countries.

According to Graham Chamberlain, New Business Director at Murray & Roberts Cementation, the busy pipeline of projects demonstrates the mining sector’s faith in the company’s industry knowledge and depth of skills. In southern Africa, the main projects underway are at De Beers’ Venetia Mine, Ivanhoe Mines’ Platreef project and Palabora Mining Company.

At the Venetia Underground project near Musina, work has been ongoing since 2013 in one of the largest investments in South Africa’s diamond industry in decades. Transitioning from open-pit to underground mining will extend the mine’s life until 2046. Murray & Roberts Cementation has been engaged in sinking, lining and equipping of two shafts – the production and service shafts – to a depth of 1,080 m. The company also developed a decline tunnel and is completing associated surface and underground infrastructure, in a project whose scope included raiseboring work to establish ventilation infrastructure.

“In this maturing project, the mine is now getting into ore and starting to develop the infrastructure levels,” Chamberlain says. “At the shaft bottom, good progress continues to be made with the construction of workshops, pumping stations, silos and loading arrangements.”

Murray & Roberts Cementation is also conducting all the infrastructure development at Ivanhoe Mines’ Platreef project near Mokopane. This includes the sinking of a 5.1 m ventilation shaft to meet horizontal development at 950 m below surface. To achieve the high accuracy levels demanded by the project, the raiseboring equipment was guided by directional drilling technology.

“A unique aspect of this project is that the shaft will be hoisting ore at that same time as allowing upcast air to reach surface,” Chamberlain says.

Another vent shaft by Murray & Roberts Cementation – measuring 8.5 m in diameter and reaching a depth of 1,200 m – is nearing completion at Palabora Mining Company near Phalaborwa. Part of the mine’s Lift II expansion, the project has earned an impressive safety record – being fatality free and achieving 574 days without a Lost Time Injury since 2022. Ground conditions were among the reasons why a blind sink was chosen as the optimal method instead of raiseboring, as the side walls needed immediate support to prevent scaling.

“We also have a number of services projects underway related to raiseboring, grout plants and rehabilitation,” Chamberlain explains. “Much of our work in this field is focused on old infrastructure that requires maintenance, repairs or upgrades; we also conduct extensive vertical work in ore passes and silos.”

The company carries out vital rehabilitation in ore passes where ground conditions have deteriorated to prevent ore from moving smoothly – thereby risking production targets. Innovating safer techniques for this work, Murray & Roberts Cementation has developed the tube-and-fill method, first applied about seven years ago at an underground platinum mine in South Africa. These installations are also expected to outlast the lifespan of an ore pass rehabilitated with traditional shotcrete.

“On the engineering front, we continue conducting rebuilds of underground mining equipment at our Bentley Park facility near Carletonville,” Chamberlain says.

He highlights the work of the company’s design department, which remains extremely busy with feasibility studies associated with vertical work. With the renewed interest in commodity segments like copper, there is also previous work that customers are asking Murray & Roberts Cementation to review and update.

Training in underground mining and related skills at the company’s Training Academy on Carletonville continues to empower many thousands of learners each year, Chamberlain points out. This skills development is done on behalf of clients, as well as for the company’s own requirements.

“At any one time, we can host about 420 learners, and we are generally at full capacity,” he says. “We have just recently upgraded these facilities to further enhance training technologies that allows learning to take place safely but in a realistic environment.”

In compliance with many African countries’ localisation regulations, Murray & Roberts Cementation has registered companies in eight countries in the Southern African Development Community – most of which have seen the company active with raiseboring. Chamberlain notes that there are specific opportunities in Zambia that the company hopes to capitalise upon in the near future, and is encouraged by the mining sector’s progress in countries like Namibia and Botswana.

Platreef-Ivanhoe-Murray&Roberts

Murray & Roberts Cementation to accelerate ore hoisting at Ivanhoe Mines’ Platreef project

Automation, Mine shafts and equipment, Mineral project development, Mining services, Precious metals, , , , , ,

In a project innovation that will allow early hoisting of ore at Ivanhoe Mines’ Platreef project, in South Africa, Murray & Roberts Cementation will be repurposing its 3 Shaft – a ventilation shaft – to serve a dual function.

“This is a unique project in many respects, as the shaft will be hoisting ore at that same time as allowing upcast air to reach surface,” Graham Chamberlain, New Business Director at Murray & Roberts Cementation, says. “We were able to bring our well experienced experts into the planning process to develop a safe and effective solution.”

The project has followed the sinking of the vent shaft by Murray & Roberts Cementation, which had required very accurate drilling, using raiseboring equipment guided by directional drilling technology. The 5.1-m diameter shaft meets horizontal development at a depth of 950 m below surface.

“During this process, Ivanhoe looked at bringing forward some of their ore generation activities, and this required adding hoisting capacity,” Chamberlain explains. “The timeline for their main shaft meant that it would not be able to contribute to this capacity, so a team was established to consider how to retrofit the vent shaft into an early hoisting shaft.”

As an integral part of that multidisciplinary team, Murray & Roberts Cementation conducted a feasibility study on the options, allowing for the selection of the most suitable methodology. The company also carried out the necessary designs, including winders and headgear as well as hoisting and tipping arrangements. In September 2023, the project was awarded to Murray & Roberts Cementation to implement, and is scheduled to take about two years.

“This project stands out in terms of innovation, adaptability, teamwork and design,” Chamberlain says. “With our many decades in the sector, we were able to draw on hundreds of years of experience in mining – and leverage this in our design team.”

Among the range of technical challenges is the need to work within the vent shaft while it is performing its function of channelling an upcast current of air to surface. Any blockage of the air current in the shaft would affect the development operation of the mine, so this is critical to avoid.

“There needs to be periods during which we can reduce the ventilation, but we will have to ensure that air flow is always adequate,” Chamberlain says. Another vent shaft is planned to add ventilation capacity for the future.

Chamberlain points out that it will be necessary to deal with the slight deviations in the shaft; while accurately drilled, vent shafts are not designed to the same tolerances as hoist shafts. An important aspect of the design was the steelwork required to accommodate those deviations.

“The work will be conducted by a relatively small team of our highly skilled people,” he says. “This will include the installation of a compact headgear using refurbished winders from our strategic stockholding.”

The infrastructure will employ technology that will allow man-less operation to enhance safety, using automated processes in loading and measuring functions, for instance. The project will require specialised subcontractors on much of the equipment employed, but the more day-to-day consumables are procured locally to support local businesses.

“In the absence of a supplier, we would then develop their capability through our procurement system and enterprise development commitment,” Chamberlain says. “In this way, we foster small businesses and help to nurture them until they are self-sustaining.”

Redpath Deilmann, Thyssen Schachtbau to backfill Gorleben mine as part of closure plans

Environmental, Mine shafts and equipment, Mining services, , , , , , , , ,

BGE, Germany’s federal agency for waste disposal, has taken what it says is the first important step towards the closure of the Gorleben mine in Lower Saxony with the award of contracts to backfill the mine using the salt originally excavated as part of plans for a nuclear storage project.

A consortium consisting of Redpath Deilmann GmbH and Thyssen Schachtbau GmbH Germany have been awarded with the work, with the pair expected to commence operations once mining permits have been obtained – currently estimated for mid-2024. The backfilling work is expected to take three years.

Redpath Deilmann sunk two exploration shafts at Gorleben to investigate its potential as a final disposal for nuclear waste using the ground freezing technique. These two shafts, sunk from 1986-1999, were 7.5 m in diameter and went down to depths of 933 m (Shaft 1) and 843 m (Shaft 2).

In September 2020, the Gorleben salt dome was withdrawn from the list of potential sites for a nuclear repository due to geological reasons based on an interim report by BGE. Following this, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection commissioned BGE to close the mine.

The original shaft sinking saw salt transported to the surface, which has since been stored in the immediate vicinity of the mine. Around 400,000 t of rock salt is currently stored there on a salt heap, which is now to be used to backfill the mine.

Dr Thomas Lautsch, Technical Managing Director of BGE, said: “By signing the contract, we are taking the first big step towards closing the mine in Gorleben. The striking salt heap will now gradually disappear and the exploration mine will be filled step by step.”

The Gorleben mine will be closed in phases. After the mine has been backfilled, the two shafts will be backfilled via another construction contract (phase 2) yet to be tendered. In a final order, the site will be made usable again (phase 3).

Murray & Roberts Cementation hits 1,000 m shaft sinking milestone at Palabora’s Lift II expansion project

Base metals, Explosives and blasting, Mine shafts and equipment, Mineral project development, Mining services, , , , ,

Leading underground mining contracting company, Murray & Roberts Cementation has achieved what it says is a remarkable milestone at the end of July 2023, successfully reaching the 1,000 metre mark on its contract to sink the 1,200 metre ventilation shaft at Palabora Mining Company’s Lift II expansion, in South Africa.

This significant feat stands as a testament to the company’s exceptional capabilities and dedication to safety, it says.

The Palabora Mining Company Lift II expansion project is a crucial endeavour for PMC, aimed at enhancing the efficiency and capacity of its operations. The 8.5-m-diameter ventilation shaft will serve the Lift II block cave and plays a pivotal role in the overall mining infrastructure.

Reaching a depth of 1,000 metres in the ventilation shaft is a major accomplishment, highlighting the expertise and commitment of Murray & Roberts Cementation in tackling complex mining projects, it says.

Fred Durand, Murray & Roberts Cementation’s Senior Project Manager, says one of the most remarkable aspects of this project is the unwavering focus on safety.

“Despite the immense challenges involved in underground mining and especially blind sinking, we have maintained an impeccable safety record throughout the Lift II expansion project,” he says. “The team’s relentless dedication to safety protocols and best practices resulted in an impressive milestone earlier this year of 574 consecutive days without a Lost Time Injury (LTI).”

He says that the achievement of this safety milestone showcases the company’s commitment to ensuring the wellbeing and safety of its workforce.

Durand concluded: “As the ventilation shaft project enters its final stages, the excitement and anticipation among all stakeholders, including PMC and Murray & Roberts Cementation, are palpable. The successful completion of this project will not only mark a significant engineering feat but will also have a profound impact on PMC’s mining capabilities.”

Murray & Roberts Cementation has aligned with the owner’s team to display technical excellence, professional management and passionate safety leadership from the day site establishment commenced in October 2019, according to Aidan Schoonbee, Senior Manager for PMC’s Lift II Construction, Concentrator and Vent Shaft.

Rajant teams up with Crossover Distribution to widen North America Kinetic Mesh footprint

Automation, Communications in mining, IoT, Mining services, , , , , , , , ,

Rajant Corporation, the pioneer of Kinetic Mesh® wireless networks, has entered a strategic distribution agreement with Crossover Distribution.

Crossover is, according to Rajant, a leading wireless solutions provider skilled in design and engineering expertise to support North America. It has provided solutions to both Vale and Nutrien in Canada.

The agreement represents Rajant’s further global investment to introduce its Kinetic Mesh solution to Crossover’s customers within industries such as mining, indoor automation, smart cities, public safety and rural broadband, the company said.

Crossover Executive Vice President, Darin Gibbons, says: “Rajant is a complement to other technologies in the Crossover portfolio. For example, the use of Sonim phones for industrial-hardened communications in underground mines with all the functionality of a cell phone on the surface is made possible by Rajant’s wireless networking. A Rajant BreadCrumb radio on mobile equipment is a practical way to have voice coverage at the mine’s working face.”

With Rajant, a NORCAT deployment allowed Crossover to test its UHF/VHF to VoIP phone crossbanding solution that seamlessly allows the worker to use either a phone or a radio and communicate on a legacy and Kinetic Mesh system, according to Gibbons.

“Further, we’ve achieved successful testing of add-on technologies, like fan controls, gas monitoring, geotechnical sensors, seismic sensors, post-blast reentry, hazard alerts, tracking, traffic control, underground fleet management, and more – all made possible by Rajant.”

Darrell Gillis, Rajant Sales Director – Canada, said: “Crossover’s primary Rajant Kinetic Mesh customer base of mines and ports, along with its business strategy to expand into other industrial and municipal markets, is specifically focused on wireless communication solutions. With Rajant Kinetic Mesh networking, Crossover now offers its clients a solution with total mobility, autonomous adaptability and mission-critical reliability.

“As a fifth-generation mining sales and service specialist, I’ve witnessed first hand the transformational nature of Rajant’s technology when it comes to mines. Of note is the exceptional work we are already doing in underground, which includes shaft sinking, shaft inspection and maintenance. Rajant Kinetic Mesh does not break the connection. Instead, the data is always transmitting and receiving even with the high speeds of the conveyances and the numerous shaft signal obstructions in a shaft. And, unlike leaky feeder systems, the shaft with Rajant has complete coverage with no dead spots that lose connection.”