Reel Specialist Chosen for Inflating Explosive Management Devices
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A specialist manufacturer of hose reels for the mining, quarrying, construction and marine sectors recently configured a solution to a tricky challenge posed by an underground blasting job.
ReCoila was approached by MTI Group to supply a hose reel suited to plugging a 'breakthrough' hole, ensuring drilling could be maintained at depths that cannot be reached by direct personnel input.
To form the solution, ReCoila supplied a medium duty steel hand crank reel suited to long hose lengths, to which MTI added additional controls to remotely manipulate inflatable devices at the end of the hose, which are critical to the whole process.
MTI Group is a mining consumables company specialising in products used blasting, specifically to suspend, confine and locate explosive charges using inflatables.
In order to be able to load the hole with explosives for further blasting, the 'breakthrough' needs to be plugged, and for this MTI used an air inflated plugging device that needed to be dropped down holes up to 90 metres deep.
A 'breakthrough' is when a down hole is drilled between levels and breaks through to an open tunnel which has limited access.
To get the device accurately positioned in the down hole, MTI required a hose reel that was lightweight, durable and easily transportable.
Making the entire process even more challenging is the extremely harsh working environment to which the solution is being exposed.
Therefore, the hose reel needed to be rugged enough to withstand the conditions - other brands had failed in the past.
MTI reported that the hose reel supplied by ReCoila was ideal due to its robust construction and design.
The orientation of the inlet worked well with the control box that was necessary for MTI's specific application. The control box housed a pneumatic circuit, giving the ability to inflate and evacuate plugs from above ground.
ReCoila's added advantage is that it is a local Australian company which manufactures similar technology of this nature in-house to end-user specifications.
MTI Group operates throughout Australia and abroad with approximately 30 hose reels in operation in underground mines in Australia and the States.
MTI has reported excellent results overall and has indicated that with sufficient scope, ReCoila would be a more than capable of designing and supplying additional custom made hose reels for other projects on the horizon.
Mr Michael Pawson, Managing Director,
ReCoila
Unit 1/10 Melissa Place, Kings Park, NSW 2148
Email: mpawson@recoila.com
www.recoila.com
Omentum Media Australia.
Val Pavlovic: 0413 869 589, mob: 0413 869 589. email: admin@omentum.com.au
