From drill to detonation: Blasting smarter in surface mining

Advances in technology — artificial intelligence (AI), automation, digitalization, and electrification — are revolutionizing Canada’s mining industry. Blasting, an integral part of hard rock mining, has recently seen innovations that allow for explosives to be detonated remotely. Explosive companies that provide surface blasting for open-pit operations help mining companies to conduct more efficient and safe blasts which can result in reduced explosive costs, more ore, and increased revenue. Several global explosives companies work in partnership with mining companies to provide their signature blasting services.

BME Canada’s AXXIS Silver

With over 40 years of global experience in blasting and explosives, BME established BME Canada in 2019 — now operating from an office in Val Caron and a manufacturing plant at Nairn Centre in Ontario.

BME’s electronic detonator technology dates to 2010 with its initial introduction of the AXXIS GI, followed by the AXXIS GII in 2015. In 2021, BME launched AXXIS Silver — its new detonator technology which was specifically designed for quarries and small mining operations. Key features include advanced electronic initiation for accurate timing and sequencing, programmable delay intervals for optimal fragmentation, and remote monitoring and initiation capabilities.

AXXIS Silver is designed for up to 1,600 detonators per blast. The AXXIS Silver Logger communicates with each detonator to program it with the desired initiation time. The detonators are programmable at one-millisecond intervals up to 15 seconds, which allows for more complex blast designs. The ASIC technology delivers high accuracy of less than one millisecond at the maximum firing time for consistent quality blasting, resulting in better overall blast performance.

BME Canada’s value-added initiatives and blast optimization solutions include blast audit and assessments, predictive modelling for blast performance, blast simulation tools, blast impact and performance measurements, and integrated compliance tracking and reporting.

The benefits of the AXXIS Silver include ease of use for the operator; reduced downtime at firing stage; decreased ground vibrations and fly rock, thereby minimizing the impact on surrounding structures; improved blast fragmentation that enhances downstream processing efficiency; and increased safety through remote detonation and real-time monitoring.

BME Canada can help mining companies reduce their environmental impact by optimizing the entire blasting process from charge placement to detonation timing, ensuring regulatory compliance and improving operating costs and efficiency by minimizing explosive usage to gain maximum yield.

Tom Dermody, international technology & field services manager at BME, says, ”We are excited to share how our AXXIS Silver electronic initiation system can truly make a difference for Canadian mines looking to enhance their operational efficiency and boost revenue. By leveraging advanced detonator technology, mines can achieve superior blast fragmentation, yielding high precision in each blast. Already, this system has proven its success in various regions worldwide. This innovative approach not only simplifies the blasting process, but it also greatly enhances overall productivity and profitability in the mining sector.”

Dyno Nobel’s Nobel Fire

Dyno Nobel is a global leader in the commercial explosives industry with origins dating back to the 1860s. The company operates several magazine sites across Canada for the storage and distribution of explosives and blasting products.

Nobel Fire is Dyno Nobel’s centralized data and blasting software platform. It connects with existing operations systems to store and analyze blasting data in one place. It enables blast design and analysis using some of the industry’s most powerful modeling tools:

• Advanced Vibration Prediction (AVP) is a blasting vibration prediction tool that accounts for variability in blasting for industry-leading accuracy.

• Vibration Timing Optimization (VTO) is a signature waveform convolution engine that helps identify blast timing pairs that help control vibration.

• Fracture Density Model (FDM) is a physics-based fragmentation modeling tool that works through an automated calibration process for extreme accuracy.

• Geological Element Movement (GEM) is a physics-based ore/waste dilution prediction model and heave modeling tool that predicts cast-blasting results.

The Nobel Fire mobile app integrates with delivery systems including EC200, EC300, and Universal Control System (UCS). Available on iOS and Android tablets, it allows users to add real-time drill and blast data to analyze and monitor the blasting process.

Nobel Fire generates comprehensive blast reports that meet regulatory requirements and provides post-blast analysis and dashboarding to assess trends in explosives usage and performance. Mining companies can compare designed blast parameters with actual blast results for analysis and optimization.

Nobel Fire supports the integration of existing models from industry-leading 3D tools and CAD programs for advanced blast design and analysis. In the future, users will be able to upload drone flight imagery to create photogrammetry models within the software.

Nobel Fire provides everything an operation needs to improve its blasting activities in one easy-to-use platform. Its tools offer industry-leading accuracy and allow for fine-tuning before blasts. Because the platform is designed for interoperability, Nobel Fire integrates seamlessly with existing digital ecosystems.

In a case study, Dyno Nobel’s DynoConsult team worked with a metal mine to safely and effectively blast near existing structures to free three million tonnes of ore worth $72 million.

Braden Lusk, Dyno Nobel’s chief technology and marketing officer, says, “Nobel Fire is the foundation for how we are rethinking the role of digital tools in blasting. It is built to grow with our customers by supporting smarter designs, seamless data integration, and better decision-making from the drill to the mill.”

Hexagon’s Drill & Blast

Since 1992, Hexagon has been a leader in digital reality solutions. The company’s Canadian presence includes divisions in Vancouver (mining), Calgary (autonomy and positioning), and Oakville (manufacturing intelligence).

Hexagon’s Drill & Blast (D&B) integrates software and hardware to help mines measure and improve the D&B process. Benefits can include reductions to emissions, material waste, energy consumption, and explosives costs.

The platform ensures an effectively executed drillhole and blast design, accurately accounting for geology and geometry, machine-guided, high-precision drills, proven fragmentation analysis, and blast monitoring that minimizes loss and dilution.

Included is MinePlan Blast, a rapid design utility for creating and storing templates, completing bootleg analysis and creating safety exclusion zones for equipment and personnel based on actual terrain in a 3D environment.

To manage blast design and optimize fragmentation, Hexagon Split’s image processing technology measures particle-size distributions from mine to mill.

Hexagon’s autonomous drill control system, Drill Assist, applies AI to analyze downhole drilling conditions, resulting in precise drilling parameter adjustments while protecting the drill rig and associated consumables.

Hexagon’s Blast Movement Monitoring (BMM) provides accurate ore location information via Blast Movement Monitors. BMMs combine sensors and software to ensure that post blast, the mine knows where its orebody moved to. BMMs move with the blasted material, producing data that accurately reflects measured movement, resulting in redefined ore boundaries. Software calculates the post-blast 3D movement location of the ore polygons, outputting new dig lines. Production teams can dig in the precise location of the ore and waste, recovering all the planned resource and achieving the pits’ true value.

Hexagon’s Blast Movement Intelligence (BMI) is an AI-powered 3D solution that provides high visibility into ore dilution for informed ore and waste delineation post-blast. It produces an accurate block model of the muck pile and ultimately maximizes yield.

Hexagon’s partner, IDS GeoRadar, offers IBIS-FB, a remote sensing monitoring system based on microwave interferometry technology. IBIS-FB integrates standard vibration monitoring systems, delivering highly accurate remote broad area measurements of ground vibrations.

Jeff Loeb, senior director of new ventures at Hexagon, says, “As ore grades decline, mines are digging more earth for less ore. Improving ore recovery by just 1% can mean millions of dollars. Hexagon Drill & Blast addresses the small and compounding errors that can lead to costly consequences. It empowers Canadian mining companies with a data-driven feedback loop, calibrated to increase profit from every blast through increased throughput, reduced energy consumption, and minimized ore loss.”

Orica’s WebGen

Orica, one of the world’s leading mining and infrastructure solutions providers, has been simplifying bench operations for mining companies for 150 years.

WebGen is Orica’s signature wireless initiating system. This innovative blasting technology allows new and better ways of mining to improve coal recovery in steeply dipping coal seams or increased vertical advance rates in hard rock. Operations are simplified and eliminate the need for downlines and surface connecting wires.

WebGen is the world’s first truly wireless initiating system, communicating through rock, air, and water to initiate blasts reliably and safely. This technology eliminates the need for downlines and surface connecting wires, significantly enhancing safety by removing people from hazardous areas. WebGen uses low-frequency magnetic waves to communicate with each primer, ensuring precise and controlled blasting operations.

WebGen offers many advantages for open-pit mines. It enhances flexibility in pit planning and mine scheduling, allowing for more efficient and adaptable operations. The system reduces misfire zones and eliminates firing window variability, ensuring precise and controlled blasting. By minimizing the impact of lightning production delays and eliminating the risk of lightning-induced explosion hazards in loaded blast holes, WebGen significantly reduces operational downtime.

Additionally, WebGen improves safety by reducing the interaction between heavy vehicles and initiating systems, lowering exposure to bench hazards. With WebGen, there is no tie-in process, no misfires from wire damage, and it reduces inventory, making operations more streamlined and
cost-effective. The technology also increases blasted inventory, reduces the need for resources on the bench, and cuts down on stemming costs and backup practices.

In Canada, at the Musselwhite gold mine, the implementation of WebGen led to a 15% increase in ore recovery and a 10% reduction in blasting costs. The mine also reported improved safety conditions owing to the wireless initiation system. Similarly, at the Sierrita mine in Arizona, WebGen enabled the preloading of multiple benches during storm seasons, effectively mitigating lightning risks and improving operational efficiency. The wireless technology eliminated the need for extensive wiring, saving time and minimizing the risks associated with traditional wired systems.

Nigel Pereira, vice-president of commercialization, says, “WebGen has fundamentally changed the way blasting can be approached, offering new techniques and mining methods that were previously unimaginable. This system enhances safety by preventing accidental detonations from lightning strikes, eliminates possible interactions with surface connectors, and reduces exposure hours to hazardous areas such as under high walls.”

By leveraging these new advances in technology, Canadian mining companies can move toward a future where their mining operations are cleaner and more efficient while also reducing their explosives costs and increasing their ore production and revenue. 

Diane L.M. Cook is a freelance mining writer.