Mine safety products company Booyco Electronics has entered the centralised blasting systems (CBS) manufacturing arena and has become one of the first South African CBS makers to be granted an inspection authority (IA) number, which will soon be a legal requirment.

The IA number was awarded by a South African National Accreditation System-accre- dited test laboratory for Booyco Electronics’ C3 CBS, making it the only approved alternative to electronic detonator-driven centralised blasting technology.

“The C3 is a ‘workhorse’ system that can be configured to fire any nonproprietary initiator or detonator with precision from a remote location,” says Booyco Electronics MD Anton Lourens.

“It is now the only approved open system on the South African market. The C3 is unique in that it allows for a single power point on surface and draws an extremely low current, while delivering a guaranteed output.

“The system has been developed for the unique requirements of the South African mining industry. Even in the deepest mine, it does not need repeaters. It is safe, cost effective, reliable and low maintenance and we’re able to offer a complete CBS solution from installation to commissioning, including operator training. The C3 can be upgraded, making for a low-cost transition from electric to electronic detonation.”

Booyco Electronics’ C3 CBS was originally designed for the electric blasting of Shurstart instantaneous electronic detonators, but, as the electronic detonator market grew, the system was increasingly used to fire electric detonators such as shock tube starters (Handistarts) and Statsafe Carricks.

“The system was patented because its design philosophy of offering a guaranteed output was unheard of at the time,” Lourens says. “The ability to run extremely long cables, between 10 m and 15 m in a single run, is also a unique feature of the system. We adopted an approach of allowing the user as much freedom as possible, while ensuring safety when following standard blasting practice. This means that the customer can expand the system by adding units without any fear of exceeding the system’s capabilities.”

The blast signal is provided from a single point on surface, which is the control unit. Lourens says this configuration is very safe, since the underground units do not have their own power backup batteries with the inherent potential to initiate a blast.

Each unit is galvanically isolated from the rest of the system, preventing any blasting circuit from affecting the rest of the system. The C3 does not rely on software or codes, but on hard mechanical interlocks.

“Having a simple design that has operated without incident for 20 years has several advan- tages. These include allowing the user ease of use, especially under difficult mining conditions,” concludes Lourens.