Bentley Mine

Minova was approached to assist with a solution that could maximise the ore recovery of stopes at their Bentley Underground Mine. The scope of the project was to optimise extraction of a zone of unconsolidated rockfill. To optimise extraction of this level, a 150m long section of consolidated rockfill was required in the 3920 AON to provide a stable exposure to mine underneath so as to reduce the risk of dilution during extraction.

We supplied technical advice, product, specialised equipment and operations capability to support Round Oak during the consolidation program. FB200 grout was selected for its unique rapid gel times, quick strength, low viscosity and high water content, allowing for controlled placement through carefully designed borehole patterns to gain maximum penetration of the unconsolidated rockfill. Tekseal, another high yield grout, was used to create grout curtains to control the placement of the FB200 within the rockfill.

With the help of Minova’s 18 years of product ingenuity and experience in maximising ore recovery, Round Oak were able to adapt their mining method to a primary/secondary sequence, utilising the stabilised rockfill sill in conjunction with CAF backfilled primary stopes, which enabled the extraction of the previously planned rib and sill pillars.

Minova provided 360 tonnes of FB200 to Round Oak and were able to consolidate the rockfill in the 3920 AON ore drive during a three (3) week campaign. To date, all the primary stopes have been extracted with minimal dilution observed, with extraction of the secondary stopes still to occur. Minova are currently undertaking further work at Jaguar to unlock and extract value within the mine.