The Sense System goes to Java
Drill hole deviation is a problem most mining operations have had to deal with – until recently. Robit’s groundbreaking Sense System product line was created to address this issue. It has been extensively tried and tested in quarries and mines around the world, now including Indonesia.
In gold mines, blast hole sampling – analysing rock cuttings extracted from the drilled holes – is a common method of exploring ore grades. Accurate sampling allows for identifying ore zones and waste rock zones, which is essential for efficient mine planning.
Usually you have to settle for two dimensions when plotting the blast zones from sampled data. Also, the deeper you drill, the more the hole tends to veer off from its desired direction. Because of this drill hole deviation, you may end up with inaccurate sample data.
These are familiar problems at the gold mine owned by Bumi Suksesindo in Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia. That’s why the mining contractor and the blasting contractor at the site welcomed the opportunity to test Robit’s M-Sense system with PT. Marton, Robit’s distributor in Indonesia.
“We found that the M-Sense helped improve ore grade sampling. Normally you plot blast zones using two-dimensional data, but thanks to M-Sense, you get an instant 3D view of the drilled hole in the drilling pattern on a tablet screen. Any deviation from ore zone to waste rock zone is easy to spot”, explains Sales Manager Frandy Widjaja from PT. Marton.
“Also, when you can measure drill hole deviation, you can avoid overcharging the blast holes, which improves safety in a free-face area”, Frandy adds.
The M-Sense system has also been tested at a cement mine in Citereup in West Java, with equally promising results. “At both sites we have received great feedback from the test teams: M-Sense is simple to use, light-weight, and easily operated by one person. That saves a lot of time and hassle in the measuring process”, Frandy concludes.
Picture: The test team at Citereup, from left: Benny Sofyan, Wijaya Surio, Frandy Widjaja (PT. Marton); Ronaldo Indra Putra,Andry Kurniawan (PT. Indocement); Sunyong Choi, Binn Lim (Robit Korea)
