New Wireless Blasting Technology into the Tasmanian Mining Industry

Bluestone Mines Tasmania Joint venture PTY LTD (BMTJV) are the first to demonstrate Orica’s fully wireless initiating system WebGen? in the Tasmanian Mining industry. Since early 2021 BMTJV have been in consultation with Orica to implement Orica’s patented WebGen? wireless blasting technology.

The first WebGen? blast was successfully loaded in the Central Federal Basset (CFB_1458_5990_F4) on 13th June 2022. ?The first WebGen? wireless blast in Tasmania was successfully fired at BMTJV over the mines Leaky Feeder System 19th of June 2022.?

CFB 1458_5990 stope

107 WebGen? primers were loaded into BP4 and slept for 14 days whilst BP3 was charged and fired. Due to the geometry of the blast, and it being a high seismicity area; for B4 to be mined conventionally, a further 60m of development would have been required to recover this ore.

The Orica WebGen? Wireless Electronic Blasting System includes an i-kon? plugin detonator, a Pentex? W booster and a DRX?, which is a digital receiver comprising a multi-directional antenna and a battery which serves as the in-hole power source.

The Encoder Controller individually programs each Wireless Primer with its own unique encrypted codes. This Encoder contributes to the inherent safety of the system, and programs each Wireless Primer with two codes. The first code is a unique Group Identity Number which is for exclusive use at each mine and assigned to specified groups of primers which will sleep, wake and fire together. The second code is a ‘Delay time’ which is specific to the wireless primer and blast design.

Mark Recklies Chief Operating Officer – BMJTV said “WebGen has now been used to support continual safety improvements and deliver savings across the working mine”.