Innovative DTH drill monitoring a pre study

Purpose and goal
The purpose of this project is to evaluate the potential of MWD technology for pneumatic Down-The-Hole (DTH) drilling which is common in many open pits. The specific objectives are to evaluate the potential for ore and ore quality boundaries, the potential for determining the variation in rock quality and to evaluate how MWD technology can provide relevant information about the blasting properties of the rock.

Structure and implementation
The project is organised into 6 work packages that contain: 1. Project initiation. 2. MWD data acquisition. 3. Correlation analysis between MWD and ore quality, rock quality and blasting results. 4. Verification, validation and financial analysis. 5. Full-scale project proposals. 6. Project coordination. The project will be implemented through field work in close collaboration with industry partners as well as a detailed analysis of collected data.

Expected results
The project will investigate the correlation between the MWD response and different ore grades to determine if the definition of ore boundaries can be improved and if different quality differences can be distinguished. In addition, the project will evaluate whether MWD technology can be used to map out fracture zones that affect stability. Finally, evaluation of how MWD technology can be used in charging planning to provide better fragmentation and better operational efficiency.