Jimmy Madrid, Senior Engineer Drilling and Blasting
A major problem in MLP is the instability of the pit walls, which results in spills and rock falls, which can cause damage to people and/or equipment. Even changes in pit design are sometimes necessary. In addition, the blasting process is key to business success, as proper particle size of the blasted material will affect the efficiency of the loading/transport process and energy consumption in the crushing/grinding stage.
Solution:
Develop a tool that allows to simulate the result of a blasting (granulometry and arrangement of the blasted pile) on the basis of numerical modeling and to predict the damage caused to geomechanical structures in the pit walls.
1. Improvement in SAG mill performance associated with optimization in granulometric curve (P80).
2. Optimize mineral fragmentation (1% savings in explosives).
