The document summarizes mining operations at the Jelšava magnesite mine in Slovakia. It discusses the geology of the magnesite deposit, the room and pillar underground mining method employed, and the processing plant that produces various clinker products from the raw ore. The mine, operated by SMZ, is fully mechanized using equipment from Atlas Copco and produces over 350,000 metric tons of clinker annually for domestic and export markets.
The document summarizes mining operations at the Jelšava magnesite mine in Slovakia. It discusses the geology of the magnesite deposit, the room and pillar underground mining method employed, and the processing plant that produces various clinker products from the raw ore. The mine, operated by SMZ, is fully mechanized using equipment from Atlas Copco and produces over 350,000 metric tons of clinker annually for domestic and export markets.
Original Description:
2007 MINING METHODS IN UNDERGROUND MINING - ATLAS COPCO
The document summarizes mining operations at the Jelšava magnesite mine in Slovakia. It discusses the geology of the magnesite deposit, the room and pillar underground mining method employed, and the processing plant that produces various clinker products from the raw ore. The mine, operated by SMZ, is fully mechanized using equipment from Atlas Copco and produces over 350,000 metric tons of clinker annually for domestic and export markets.
The document summarizes mining operations at the Jelšava magnesite mine in Slovakia. It discusses the geology of the magnesite deposit, the room and pillar underground mining method employed, and the processing plant that produces various clinker products from the raw ore. The mine, operated by SMZ, is fully mechanized using equipment from Atlas Copco and produces over 350,000 metric tons of clinker annually for domestic and export markets.
Mechanization of overhand stoping in thick deposits As Slovakia moved from central- ized control in the early 1990s, the management of Jelsava magne- site mine faced the accumulated problems of over-exploitation and under-mechanization. In the inter- vening years, the mining method has been revised, the equipment inventory renewed, and the out- put quality improved. Despite the sometimes difficult economic situ- Map of Slovakia showing Jelšava location (Industrial Minerals). ation, accompanied by political upheavals, the employee-owned company SMZ that controls the Geology range. The magnesite deposit extends mining operation is doing well. over 325 hectares within a spur of the Atlas Copco and its local distribu- tor ISOP have been there to lend a The Dúbrava-Miková orebody that SMZ Magura hill mass, and the maximum helping hand, as a result of which exploits is the largest of 12 significant altitude of this spur is 675 m asl. The Rocket Boomer drill rigs and Simba magnesite deposits in Slovakia. These underground mine is accessed laterally longhole drill rigs have become extend from Podrecany in the west to from portals in the sides of the spur, Jelšava’s main production tools. Bankov, near Košice, in the east and were and mineral moves through the proc- all mined for varying periods during the ess plant downhill from the primary Producing clinker 20th Century. The mineralization is part crusher, which is outside the mine on of a magnesite belt extending from cen- the same level as the main haulage. The fully mechanized underground mine tral Austria to the Slovakia-Ukraine bor- The magnesite is part of a sedimen- at Jelsava, operated by SMZ, feeds high der. Within Slovakia, the deposits occur tary sequence that has been subjected grade magnesite to on-site conversion mainly in the Slovenské Rudohorie to tectonic forces and metamorphism, facilities with a capacity of 370,000 t/y mountains, and Jelšava is in the deeply especially during the Variscan and Al- raw clinker. The process includes pri- dissected Revűcka highland area of this pine events. This sequence, underlain by mary and secondary crushing, followed by dense medium separation to produce Rocket Boomer M2 C moving towards the faces. a concentrate for thermal treatment in shaft and rotary kilns. Electromagnetic separators differentiate magnetic brick- making clinker from non-magnetic steelmaking clinker. SMZ’s raw Jelšava clinker is con- verted to materials for metallurgical, ceramic and agricultural use. Annual production is around 352,000 t, com- prising 167,000 t steelmaking clinker, 160,000 t of brickmaking clinker, and 25,000 t of basic monolithic refractory mixes. Overall, 85% of SMZ output is exported to 28 different countries. To contain production costs SMZ has been investing in more cost effective mining, and plans to replace the rotary kilns with more efficient twin-shaft kilns that emit very little dust.
Idealised section of the mining operations and process plant at SMZ (Industrial Minerals). 1. Ventilation (in) raises or airway raises 2. Ventilation (out) raises or exhaust airway 3. Ore passes (raises 4. Re-fill raises 5. Inner pillar 6. Re-fill diabase, comprises graphitic slate, 1,000 m-wide and 400 m-thick, but is source of ferric magnesium, this being bench-like dolomite, and the dolomite irregular in shape and contains cavities one reason why it is imported by con- which hosts the magnesite. Graphitic often filled with ochre. However, it is sumers so far away. SMZ estimates a slate also overlies the dolomite. structurally sound, to the extent that it reserve sufficient for 150 years’ mining Magnesite formation has been dated could be mined with pillar support and at the present production rate of 1.2 mil- at 320 million years and the mechanism no rock reinforcement. The raw mag- lion t/y. is thought to have been hydrothermal nesite analyses 36-44% MgO, 48-50% alteration of a fine-grained Carboni- CO2, 0.1-12% CaO, 0-2.3% SiO2 and Room and pillar ferous limestone bioherm. The orebody 3.2-6% Fe2O3. The specific mineral- is estimated to be 4,000 m-long, ogy makes Jelšava magnesite a unique Around 35% of the ore is mined by the room and pillar method in blocks which Sequence of room and pillar mining. are up to 100 m-long, 50 m-high and 30 m-wide, with 10 m-wide pillars along the short and long walls of the chamber, 2 and a crown pillar at the top. Within these blocks, it is impossible to avoid mining some lower grade material, and 4 this is stored in surface dumps. Parallel uphole and inclined hole 3 drilling up to 30 m was initially used for blasting the chambers, but the mine later switched to fan drilling in order to achieve better mining efficiency and safety. 6 This method again allows the mining 5 of long, high blocks of magnesite up to 200 m x 300 m x 60 m, mined in up to 1 five ascending slices. The technique provides much greater 1. Fresh air ventilation raises 2. Exhaust airways 3. Ore passes stability in the rock mass because, not 4. Re-fill raises 5. Pillars 6. Re-fill only are the rooms lower at 4.8 m to
70 underground mining methods
Jelšava, Slovakia
tram to the ore passes that supply the
rail haulage system, while the wheel loaders dump into trucks that may go either to the ore passes or directly to the primary crusher.
Pillar Front New level development pillar between stopes In 2000-2001 SMZ started to develop a boundary new mining level at 220 m asl. Whereas pe pillar extraction had thus far all been above n sto the local erosion base level, providing Ope natural drainage at 287 m asl, this new t scu c ros loa g din t drif r ts level is below the water table. The am- ar w ith nspo tra ount of water to be pumped out is equal Pill and to the amount of ore to be extracted. For initially driving the access ramp, and later development, plus some pro- duction drilling, Atlas Copco offered SMZ a new Rocket Boomer M2 C twin- Overhand stoping room and pillar system at SMZ. boom rig, and helped train six Simba operators to use it. 5.0 m-high, but also the voids are filled, rock drill. This rig achieved the expect- Work on the ramp and some lateral providing a bench for drilling the next ed performance improvement, and was development started in 2001 and was slice as mining proceeds up each block. bought by SMZ, together with a Rocket scheduled to take 3-4 years. The Rocket Pillars are 5 m x 5 m at 12 m spacing. Boomer 281 and a Simba H357, for pre- Boomer M2 C normally works either The smaller rooms allow more selective cise and rapid pillar recovery. The latter one or two of the mine’s three eight- mining, producing a higher proportion unit was equipped with a COP 1838 rock hour shifts on the ramp, but also works of processable magnesite, while the 4.4 drill. Switching from pneumatic to hy- on production. The new level will be million t of waste material dumped on draulic drilling using the two Rocket worked in 10 m-high slices, improving surface during chamber mining can Boomers increased overhand stoping geotechnical conditions and saving on now be used as fill. The fill rate is up magnesite output by a factor of four. primary development costs. However, to 300,000 t/y. In the overhand stoped sections muck although many blocks of high quality In 1971, a new rail haulage was in- is loaded by a fleet of three LHDs and magnesite are directly accessible using stalled, equipped with locomotives and two wheel loaders. The LHDs typically overhand stoping from the new level, 20 t-capacity bottom-dump wagons. The rail system still handles ore from Rocket Boomer 281 drilling a crosscut entry. the core area of the mine, but it is more cost effective to use truck haulage from more peripheral parts.
Overhand stoping Chamber and pillar mining has created a huge void within the mine, now total- ling 13 million cu m, and undercut sec- tions of the hanging wall have collapsed in places. Studies resulted in an overhand stop- ing method being introduced in some of the mining blocks above the 323 m level from 1990 onwards, and this now accounts for 65% of production. By 1998, SMZ was looking to increase production and productivity in the over- hand stoping blocks. In consultation with Atlas Copco, the mine trialled a Rocket Boomer 282 equipped with a COP 1432
underground mining methods 71
Jelšava, Slovakia
Graphitic slate
Magnesite
Dolomite
Bench-like dolomite
Diabase
Ochre
Geological section of Dúbrava Massif (Industrial Minerals).
some ore is located between access levels, approximately 700,000 t. Back in 2001, Including the units at SMZ, ISOP some is distant from the core facili- chamber and pillar mining supplied presently supports nine Atlas Copco ties, and some occurs as layers too thin 430,000 t, overhand stoping 705,000 underground drill rigs in mines. Other for overhand stoping. Extraction tech- t and development 28,000 t. By 2002, customers include Siderit, which has nology for all these various sources 70% of drill/blast production came two Boomer H104 drill rigs and several will require new drilling, loading and from overhand stoping with the Rocket Atlas Copco hydraulic breakers work- hauling equipment. Boomers, 20% from pneumatic drilling ing at its iron-manganese ore mine at Although the new mining level is be- in chamber and pillar sections, and 10% Nižná Slaná, not far from Jelšava. ISOP low the rail haulage, and ore will prob- from pillar recovery with the Simba modified these Boomer H104 rigs at ably be delivered directly to the primary H357. The improvement in average the workshop in Zvolen so they could crusher, SMZ expects the rail system to grade achieved by the more selective over- work as longhole drilling rigs. Siderit remain in use for another 10 years. hand stoping with hydraulic drills has delivers ore to the US Steel plant in increased the output of clinker, despite Košice, and to the Novy Huta works at Grade improvement lower gross output. Ostrava in the Czech Republic. There are also six Atlas Copco sur- Secoroc equipment supplied through Atlas Copco face drilling rigs in the country, five of ISOP is used for the Atlas Copco rigs representation which are DTH machines and the sixth at Jelšava. Despite the very abrasive a Coprod-fitted hydraulic rig. This latter nature of the magnesite, bit life ranges Atlas Copco has a Customer Center in machine yields 500,000 t/y limestone from 600 m to 1,500 m. The three Prague, serving the Czech Republic and for supply to US Steel Košice. Rocket Boomers use 51 mm bits, and adjacent countries. In 1992 ISOP, based the Simba H357 drills with 64-65 mm at Zvolen in the centre of the country, Acknowledgements bits. The mine does 80% of its blasting was appointed as its sole distributor in with ANFO, and uses plastic explosive Slovakia. The Rocket Boomer 282 Atlas Copco is grateful to the manage- for wet holes. provided for trials in 1998 was the first ment of SMZ for its assistance with the Of the annual mine production of two boom hydraulic rig supplied to production of this article. 1.2 million t, around 1.16 million t is a Slovakian mine, and the Rocket magnesite, and concentrate output is Boomer M2 C was also a first.
