MINE D'OR BARRICK GOLDSTRIKE

In March 2001, Barrick Goldstrike became the first open pit gold operation in NorthAmerica to evaluate the advantages of electronic detonators. A detailed study was conducted to quantify the benefits of the use of electronic detonators to the downstream excavation, crushing and ore processing operations.

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The following methods were used to quantify blast performance:
- High speed film and video monitoring
- Firing time and rock response analysis of the high-speed films
- Digital fragmentation analysis of the post blast muckpile
- Vibration waveform analysis
- Excavator performance quantification
- Crusher, SAG mill and ball mill performance evaluation
- Ore recovery analysis
- Cost/benefit analysis

The rock fragmentation produced by the use of the electronic detonators was quantified using digital image analysis. Ninety percent of the blast fragmentation produced by the use of the electronic detonators was less than 4 inches (a reduction of over 44 percent over a similar blast with pyrotechnic detonators). One benefit of this decrease was reflected by the improved performance of the excavator. One of the main advantages of the electronic detonators is the wide range of available delay times. With this flexibility, the ore blasts can be designed to limit dilution by separating the various ore types into distinct piles. A test blast was conducted that successfully proved this concept.

The initial findings of this study indicated that the use of electronic delays benefited the excavation, hauling and crushing operations at the Gold operation. Ongoing studies are defining the advantages of the use of electronic delays in terms of increased productivity and efficiency of the ore recovery operations.

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