About QuickShot Network

The QuickShot Network - a single open standard platform, enabling interface with all current and future communication and initiation systems, is geared for mines looking for centralised blasting in underground applications.

It is a self-diagnostic system supported by an alarm should errors be detected.  It is equipped with relays that enable the control of auxiliary services, such as compressed air, water and electricity services after shift clearing and blasting, which can lead to significant cost benefits to the mine. These relays can be controlled locally or from the surface.  A reduction of in-shift seismic events is achievable by initiating all the panels at once, creating a far more constrained seismic footprint so that the entire mine experiences stress release at once, ensuring that seismicity is reduced during the cleaning shift.  

The Network provides continuous data communication and can deliver real-time information from the underground blast point to the surface, with the ability to abort the blast 32 seconds before blasting time. Importantly, the QuickShot Network has a proven record of an average of 1% lost blast rate.

Features

It is an accurate, robust and safe network with the capability to fire four different types of initiators, namely:

• QuickShot Plus detonator, which is an electronic underground detonator used for tunneling and stoping blasts;
• NetStart detonator, which is an electronic underground detonator designed to initiate fuse igniter cord;
• NetShock detonator, which is an electronic underground detonator used to initiate shock tube rounds; and
• Electric Shock Tube starter, which is a type 1 instantaneous electric detonator, fitted in a Handimaster block to reliably initiate shock tube rounds.

Safety Elements

QuickShot Network allows safe, selective blasting from one central point which could be over copper, fibre, leaky feeder, Wi-Fi or PED communication mediums. It provides controlled blasting, re-entry and cleaning times resulting in safety risk reduction to the customer.  With QuickShot Network, initiation takes place from the surface with time-blasting as a backup.

It also has the ability to blast all types of initiating systems, such as fuse igniter cord, as well as shock tube and electronic systems. Its pre and post blast reporting capabilities allow for an automatic report of the blast is immediately after it has occurred.

The QuickShot Network is made up of components that are engineered to create a system, which is safe, robust, accurate and convenient to use, e.g.:

• The Surface Blast Controller is the surface-based computer, which allows centralized blasting to take place from above the ground and is password protected.
• The Converter and Repeater are essentially one component that can perform two functions: as a Repeater it boosts the signal in copper installations to ensure proper communication at all times and is only required in deep level mines with a substandard cable network and long lengths of cable; as a Converter it converts Ethernet fibre to copper and is self-diagnostic, addressing the surface Blast Control Unit to determine the status. It also has a backup battery to blast in power-failure situations.
• The Splitter literally splits sections of the mine to prevent cable shorts pulling all communications down. It’s a passive, non-communicative, disposable unit.
• The Blast Control Unit is used to relay communication and is positioned in the cross-cut. It sends information regarding the connection of blast holes by the stope panel through the terminators to a surface-based computer. The Blast Control Unit controls the initiation of the final blast command to the terminators.
• The Blast Control Unit houses the Red and Yellow Smart Keys; the Yellow Key is inserted into the Blast Control Unit to enable centralized blasting from the surface and the Red Key enables local blasting from the Blast Control Unit.
• The Blastweb Software Package is loaded onto the clients PC, providing full viewing rights to the blasting information.

• The electronic detonators have electrostatic and stray current immunity; electromagnetic pulse immunity; resistance to radio frequency interference as it is encrypted to protect against this; resistance to the mains voltage so it will not detonate when connected to an alternative power source; over-voltage protection against lightening; resistance to dynamic shock so there’s no sympathetic detonation between the detonators in the holes; resistance to mechanical shock because the copper casing that encloses the detonators provide mechanical protection; and the detonator connectors are waterproof.
• The inherently safe tagger does not have enough blast voltage to initiate an electronic detonator and doesn’t contain the required encoded firing signal.
• The smart keys come in non-interchangeable pairs, are password protected and provide the physical link that allows the blast voltage to be raised.
• The Network is self-diagnostic and supported by an alarm system if errors are detected. It also has the ability to isolate sections and panels from the blast process if required.
• There is a pre-warning on deterioration of the communication network.

• An accurate electronic detonator, preprogrammed with 125ms connected via a daisy chain.
• delay markers change the factory default timing to an indicated timing delay on the marker; pause markers, when placed in series with the electronic detonators, delay the signal from the previous detonator to the next in line by the indicated timing on the marker; and splitters feature state-of-the-art silicon chip timing technology so that when placed in series with the electronic detonator they allow the signal to be split from one to two. The markers and the splitters are inserted wherever they are required on the daisy chain connection.
• An inherently safe, hand-held tagger used to test the electronic detonator and to find faults on the panels. It can also be used to change the delays on the pause markers and the Delay Markers.
• An end plug, which is placed on the last detonator to terminate the connection.
• An electronic terminator connected to the first detonator on the one end and to the Blast Control Unit on the other; the Electronic Terminator converts the 4-wire to a 2-wire and has 2 LEDs to indicate the initiator status. No batteries are required and the terminator is reusable.
• Red and Yellow Smart Keys paired and non-interchangeable will be inserted into the Blast Control Unit, depending on where the blast initiation will take place.

To initiate the fuse igniter cord or shock tube rounds NetStart or NetShock underground electronic blast initiators will be required; the electronic detonators will connect to the cord or shocktube rounds, then to the Electronic Terminator, which is finally connected to the Blast Control Unit. A Red or Yellow Smart Key will be inserted into the Blast Control Unit, depending on where the blast initiation takes place.

When it comes to using the Electric Shock Tube Starter - a reliable electric detonator used to initiate shock tube rounds, the electric detonators will be connected to the shocktube round, then to the Electric Terminator, which is finally connected to the Blast Control Unit. A Red or Yellow Smart Key will be inserted into the Blast Control Unit, depending on where the blast initiation takes place.

Product Specification Page