World record for raiseboring - Atlas Copco

The Atlas Copco Robbins 91RH C raiseborer at Kiruna Mine: A highly advanced machine providing extreme powerand torque, pictured here with operators Ulf Lindström and Johan Garp of BergteamRAISING THESwedish Iron ore giant LKAB is building a new main level at its famous Kiruna Minein Sweden – and setting the scene for a world record in raiseboring technology.For the past 10 years, Sweden’s KirunaMine – the world’s largest undergroundiron ore operation – has been workedfrom a depth of 1 045 m, supplying highgrade pellets to the world’s steel mills.Now a new chapter in the mine’s rich historyhas just begun with a project to build acompletely new haulage level 320 m lowerdown. This will extend the life of the mineby another 20 years beyond 2030.Construction of the new 1 365 m level isa complex task exploiting all of the modernmining techniques you would expect onsuch a major development. But above all, itwill showcase the technology required fordeveloping shafts and ore passes by hostingthe biggest raiseboring project of all time.The new infrastructure requires the constructionof a minimum of 55 000 m ofshafts and ore passes – 40 000 m at KirunaMine and a further 15 000 at the nearbyMalmberget Mine – all by 2014.Bergteamet, which is one of Sweden’sleading providers of mining and undergroundservices, is in charge of this part ofthe development work and is using Robbinsraiseboring machines from Atlas Copco.Uniquely powerfulAs M&C went to press, two Atlas Copcoraiseboring machines were on site, Robbins73RM-DC and the larger 91RH C, whilethree more Robbins 91RH C machines wereon order. All of the units are tasked with bor-6 MINING & CONSTRUCTION – 1 / 2011