In currently used mining methods, blasting techniques often causes dilution of valuable ore and results in costly processing requirements. In the context of narrow vein mining of thin and highly concentrated orebodies there is a need of a mining method that can reduce dilution in order to remain economically viable. This research project explored the viability of a new mining technology, thermal fragmentation, in narrow vein mining. Thermal fragmentation technology uses a flame jet to produce extreme heat that spalls the surrounding rock to a strategically located drill hole, as an alternative to traditional blasting. This paper creates a net present value (NPV) model of a mining method using thermal fragmentation, as well as for an existing method used for narrow vein mining; comparisons and evaluations were made regarding the feasibility of the new technology. It was found that while overall costs for thermal fragmentation were relatively high, reductions in wages, haulage and processing costs, as well as increased productivity and ore recovery, meant that the new method would improve the financial performance of any operation. These results identify that there is an opportunity to introduce the thermal fragmentation technology to narrow vein mines within Australia, in order to lower costs and increase profit.

中文翻译：

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热破碎作为窄矿脉开采中一种可能的、可行的替代开采方法？

在目前使用的采矿方法中，爆破技术通常会稀释有价值的矿石并导致高昂的加工要求。在薄且高度集中的矿体的窄脉开采的背景下，需要一种可以减少稀释以保持经济可行性的开采方法。该研究项目探索了一种新的采矿技术热破碎在窄脉采矿中的可行性。热破碎技术使用火焰喷射产生极高的热量，将周围的岩石散开到一个战略位置的钻孔中，作为传统爆破的替代方案。本文为使用热破碎的采矿方法以及用于窄脉采矿的现有方法创建了净现值 (NPV) 模型；对新技术的可行性进行了比较和评估。结果表明，虽然热破碎的总体成本相对较高，但工资、运输和加工成本的降低以及生产率和矿石回收率的提高，意味着新方法将改善任何运营的财务绩效。这些结果表明，有机会将热破碎技术引入澳大利亚境内的窄脉矿，以降低成本并增加利润。