Otimização da fragmentação obtida através do desmonte de rochas por explosivos em mina a céu aberto de calcário

Abstract

The limestone mine of Mineração Belocal located in Matozinhos provides limestone for the production process of lime used in various segments, from the food sector to chemical industries. The initial fragmentation of the limestone is obtained through blasting and can be modeled with the aid of mathematical models. The Kuz-Ram model uses data to characterize the rock, the explosive, and the geometric parameters used in the blasting to obtain the resulting particle size distribution of the process. The modeled fragmentation curve was compared with the curve provided by the granulometric photoanalysis of the blasted material to verify the adherence of the model. After validation, new geometric parameters were determined for field tests in order to minimize material generation such as particle size smaller than 50 mm without compromising the plant performance. The adherence of the model in relation to the experimental data was considered reasonable and the results of the tests were satisfactory increasing the utilization of the material and reducing the cost.