- SHOTPlus™ Variant:
- Surface
- KBA Summary:
- This Knowledge Base Article details how the Blast Optimiser within SHOTPlus™ can be used to refine blast hole placement to further enhance blast performance.
Introduction
The Blast Optimizer tool is an iterative tool that adjusts the position of individual holes in a row. Its purpose is to optimize burden distribution in front of and behind each hole.
Accessing Blast Optimizer Tool
Users can access the Blast Optimizer from the "Blast Tools" toolbar, as depicted in Figure 1 below.
Figure 1. Blast Tools toolbar and the Blast Optimizer icon.
Defining Front and Back Rows
To use the blast optimiser tool:
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User defines the division between 'Back Hole Rows' and 'Front Hole Rows'. This split is determined by numerical values, where each number denotes a distinct row, as demonstrated in Figure 2.
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For each section, the user has the option to:
- 'Do nothing' - leave the holes where they are, or
- 'Allow holes to mid position' - allow tool to reposition holes.
Figure 2. Defining front and back rows
Iterative Cycles
The Blast Optimizer is designed to operate in cycles; to obtain optimal results, it is recommended to run a minimum of three cycles. Users determine the number of cycles by entering the required amount into the 'No of Cycles' input (Figure 3).
Figure 3. User selects the required number of cycles to run optimisation
Figure 4. Steps for the Blast Optimizer workflow explained below.
- Select which row to start from (See Figure 2).
- Indicate how many cycles to run the optimisation.
- Decide if the front row holes (in front of the row selected in Step 1), should remain in place or be moved.
- Decide if the back row holes (behind the row selected in Step 1), should remain in place or be moved.
- Select the 'Optimize' button to begin the optimisation cycles (Refer to video demonstration to view process).
- To cancel the optimization process, select the 'Stop Calculation' button.
In the video below, the blast optimiser tool is demonstrated:
First Run: In the first run of the tool, 'Front Row holes' are set to 'Do nothing,' leaving rows A-D unchanged, while rows E-O are adjusted.
Second Run: In the second optimization run, the 'Front Row holes' are set to 'All holes to mid position.' This results in adjustments to both sets of rows A-D and E-O to compensate for the movement of the front rows.