B3 cave management during construction and ramp up at New Afton mine

Authors: Parsons, J; Kamp, C; Hinton, M; Czyczurko, A Download Paper

Cite As:
Parsons, J, Kamp, C, Hinton, M & Czyczurko, A 2024, 'B3 cave management during construction and ramp up at New Afton mine', in Daniel Johansson & Håkan Schunnesson (eds), MassMin 2024: Proceedings of the International Conference & Exhibition on Mass Mining, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå, pp. 395-408.



Abstract:
New Afton Mine finished construction of its third block cave, B3, in Oct 2022 following 19 months of continuous construction and undercutting activities. While the B3 block cave design was based heavily on New Afton’s first Lift 1 caves, B1-West and B2-East, it provided an opportunity to implement operational improvements in the execution of the cave. Through the implementation of a robust cave management plan to guide the construction and ramp-up of the cave, the B3 cave was brought smoothly into full production ahead of schedule. This paper will summarize the key directives and plans set out in B3’s Cave Management Plan governing undercutting, development, construction and ramp-up, and discuss the operational execution of those activities. In addition, discussion on improvements made to draw planning, and operational planning are included.