Kimberlite Dust Control 1

[KHutch]

Does anyone have any experience or know any references to methods used when dealing with underground dust control in a kimberlite environment? Ive found a bit of data on the physical properties of kimberlite but have come up short when trying to find any examples of what has been done in the industry?

Thanks - Hutch

 

[Backfill]

KHutch,
See the other dust control comments in this forum.

Again,

http://www.smenet.org

and

http://www.bulk-online.com.

The SME will have links to the folks in RSA and Zimbabwe, who have a long history of dealing with kimberlite in underground settings. As regards authors, Google on Howard L. Hartman or William A. Hustrulid, along with ventilation. That will be a good start.

Really, go straight to the folks at the Witwatersrand, i.e., DeBeers. They really are the only ones with the long history of ventilating deep diamond operations. Call their folks at Ekati in Canada, they're probably far enough along to help out with ideas.

If you have a local mining school(ha-ha these days in the US of A, now they all seem to be a section within another department), they will have reasonable info.

As far as the kimberlite mineralogy, I don't think there's anything really outrageous as a departure from any other ultramafic one has to blow air through. Might be some serpentine to consider, I would think a real outside chance on radon, but other than that, ventilating a mine is ventilating a mine. Move the air, condition it if you must, and monitor all your critical constituents, protecting your folks with BATs (best available technology)all the while. That's one reason diamonds cost so much.

If it were coal, I'd say Gluck Auf. Since it's not, I'll say good luck.