PROJECTS

EXTRACTION TECHNOLOGY

GETT

Thermal Technology

Green Extraction Thermal TechNOLOGY

A patented mining method that uses thermal energy applied inside a drilled pilot hole to introduce micro stress fractures into the surrounding rock which allows a spalling process to remove this rock in small chips. Therefore, enlarging the pilot hole’s diameter.

Safety

Grade

Efficiency

Continuous

Economical

KEY ADVANTAGES

Reducution in mining dilution

Integrated into conventional mining methods

Hole length flexibility up to 25m

Thermal mining method improves safety by moving people away from the exposed span where falls-of-ground are more likely; improves productivity by eliminating re-entry periods mandated when using explosives; reduces dilution by extracting only the ore; and has the potential to increase reserves by making it possible to mine pillars and other isolated blocks-of-ground that may not be economically viable to mine with other methods.

The mining method involves drilling holes within a vein structure, inserting a thermal lance to apply high temperatures inside the hole. The rock then spalls and approximately 30 % of the chips are flushed out of the hole while spalling, with the remaining 70% being cleaned out afterwards.

HOW IT WORKS

1.

Thermal Fragmentation

2.

Precision Mining

3.

Surgical Precision

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

An extensive R&D programme is currently ongoing and will continue for the foreseeable future. Participants involved in the programme:

– COALIA/College center for technology transfer/Thetford Mines College
– LBM Quebec
– Nemesis Intelligence
– SEMM Geoservices
– Goldminds Geoservices
– MaXem (South Africa)

The objectives of the programme include but are not limited to:
– Enhance performance of the thermal units;
– Geology rock identification and fragmentation controlling factors;
– Effective fragmented rock recovery process;
– Spallability index to classify fragmentability vs sample geology:
– Categorisation/quantification of fragmentated ore ‘chips’ (weight, quantity, shape etc) produced by Spallability tests in order to standardize testing in South Africa and Canada;
– In situ rock characterisation and geology identification prediction;
– Development of measuring devices for fragmented hole characterisation;
– Development of a scanning device for small and irregular fragmented holes to provide a 3D
image to calculate production, evaluate fragmentation quality/quantity and geology;
– Developing a 3D web/Cloud based viewing application to visualize fragmented hole, calculate
performance;
– In hole imaging and predictive rock composition and localisation in drilled holes;