Rocmec’s thermal fragmentation technology tested at Goldcorp operation

One of Rocmec Mining’s thermal fragmentation units is to be deployed for test work at Goldcorp’s Porcupine gold mine in Timmins, Ontario. Thermal fragmentation (IM September 2009, p24) will be compared to the long-hole mining method currently employed at the mine. This offers several advantages such as: less long-hole drilling, reduction in mucking, backfilling, transporting and milling of waste rock, reducing the need of drilling and installing anchor support cables, and speeding up the excavation of targeted blocks. (more…)