Mammoth Water Extractor Present Operational Stemming Challenges
Mammoth Water Extrector
Waterlogged Holes
Bottom priming is done which forces the water to the top of the charge and fills the stemming area.
Some challenges are;
- Stemming with drill chippings and aggregate.
- Water and explosives sludge in the stemming area prevents the stemming material to go down to the top of the explosives to consolidate and contain the energy.
- A charging stick is then used to tamp the chippings excessively to create stemming that should consolidate from the explosives charge. It;
- may damage the accessories.
- will create a sludge plug within the stem area with little or no consolidation. - Fly rock, blow out, out of hole detonation, excessive air blast, harmful gasses and underperforming explosives are eminent.
The Solution - Water Extractor
The benefits of dewatering the stemming length in a charged hole.
- Ensuring that the stemming length is clear and dry.
- The intended stemming can confidently be applied.
- Chippings (dry drill chippings in ROT lengths) can be used effectively.
- Time-saver: stemming a dry hole is quicker than feeding chippings into the water and/or sludge mixture.
- Eradicate bad practices -tamping only the top of the hole which results in insufficient stemming creating blowouts and fly-rock.
- Any water depth can be removed. It'll remove water in internal deck charged holes by lengthening rope.
- Removing excess emulsion from the hole ensures intended results.
- Better explosives efficiency,
- Using the correct stemming material as intended in a dry hole will guarantee fly-rock & air blast control
Using the Water Extractor to Remove Water Within the Stemming Area.
This operation serves as a check to ensure that the correct stemming can be applied, and holes are not overcharged.
- Extracting water and excess explosives from the holes is a one-person operation
- The designated person to dewater the holes must follow the pump truck at a safe distance determined via risk assessment. i.e. Sm.
- He drops the extractor into the hole and removes water and emulsion sludge to a pre-determined depth as marked on the extractor's rope.
- He pours the water outside the hole where it cannot return or flow into any other hole.
- If a hole is overcharged, remove the access explosives by pushing the pipe down into the explosive’s column to the required stemming depth with a stick of sufficient length.
- The excess explosives must be poured into the nearest primed hole.
- He repeats the process until he reaches the intended stemming depth in the explosive’s column.
- When the hole is cleared down to the twined depth, it must be left to gas and then stemmed normally.
