31 FEBRUARY 2023 WorldWide Drilling Resource® World’s Deepest Mine is a Marvel of Engineering Adapted from Information by Gracon Popular culture has given people a specific preconception of what a mine looks like. Mines are often thought of as crude, makeshift structures held up by rickety wooden beams and lit by gas lanterns. In reality, modern mine shafts are complex feats of engineering which are often underrated. One example is the Mponeng gold mine in South Africa. As the deepest gold mine in the world, it represents the pinnacle of mine engineering. Adeep mine shaft’s ability to support the weight of overhead rock deserves consideration. The tunnel walls of Mponeng are standard concrete (more specifically, shotcrete) walls, supported with steel rebar. Additionally, a mesh netting made from artificial diamonds is used to support tunnel integrity. The Mponeng gold mine has a vertical depth of more than 2.5 miles, which is approximately half the distance to the top of Mount Everest. Transfers between multiple high-speed elevators are required to descend, with the lowest reaches of the mine requiring on-foot hiking. A trip to the bottom takes over an hour. Speed, load yield, and safety are all factors which must be taken into consideration when designing and maintaining an elevator, especially one of this magnitude. To sufficiently transport more than 4000 miners to work in the depths of Mponeng, the elevator cage was designed large enough to accommodate the weight of a group. Go deep enough into the deepest gold mine in the world, and eventually one will experience drastic changes in temperature due to increased proximity to the earth’s mantle. The rock at the lowest levels of Mponeng can reach temperatures up to 150°F (65°C). To sustain prolonged work, the mine requires serious cooling, so a system was created to pump ice down the length of the shaft. This, coupled with internal insulation, cools tunnel air down to a temperature of around 80°F (26°C). Even so, working at the bottom of Mponeng is an intense experience, as miners excavate more than 5400 tons of rock per day. To be profitable, the mine only needs to retrieve 0.35 ounces of gold, the equivalent of a handful of paperclips, per ton of rock excavated. The extreme engineering required to collect this gold shows humans are able to create just about anything given a good enough reason. Drilling in the Mponeng mine. Photo courtesy of Harmony Gold Mining Company. MIN Environmental Monitoring by Thomas Kwader, Ph.D., P.G. Owner, Qwater Well Developer and WorldWide Drilling Resource® Hydrogeologist The Importance of Providing New Hires On-Site Education So, business is going well and you decide to add another drill rig and crew to your business. This decision will also require hiring another two or three employees to operate the new rig. In addition to learning the “mechanics and operation” of the new rig, the new hires will also need to learn how to work safely with your team. There is a lot for everyone to learn. There may be a tendency for the “old hands” to be reluctant to teach the new crew everything they have learned out of fear the new hires could replace the “teacher” if there is a slow down in future work, resulting in layoffs. Hopefully, the new hires will be “eager beavers” and get along with everyone, and the senior personnel will want to help the new crew. Make sure you recognize your senior personnel for their help in this process. It is critical everyone learns to work together while teaching the trade, especially when it comes to safety. Drilling inherently is a difficult and potentially dangerous job. If new employees are taught the tasks and safety correctly from day one, it will save time having to relearn what we have taken years ourselves to learn. One example I recall involved an eager young crew member who decided to show off by jumping off the back of a truck, about three feet off the ground, only to shatter his knee and never to work physically again. Employee training is important, and senior employees should take the necessary time to teach the correct way to drill well(s) at a steady and safe pace without cutting corners. New hires should be rotated among tasks to learn and understand the duties of each phase of the work conducted to safely complete a successful well. If all employees are well-trained in a variety of tasks, drilling can take place even if someone unexpectantly cannot make it to the worksite. Drilling a well successfully and SAFELY takes a team effort and should be a rewarding experience for all involved. Tom Tom Kwader may be contacted via e-mail to michele@worldwidedrillingresource.com ENV
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