Abstract
Over the years, rock breakage using Soundless Chemical Demolition Agents (SCDA) has been recognized as one of the safest, most sustainable, and environmentally friendly mining methods, with the potential to transform the future of mining by reducing the need for explosive blasting. However, its application in the mining industry, particularly in cold climate open pit operations, has not been widely explored. Therefore, this paper aims to introduce a new method for accelerating rock breakage using SCDA, under sub-zero conditions, based on a series of experimental tests conducted. The experiments were conducted using 203.2 mm cubic granite rock samples as the host material, under various cold ambient temperatures and mixing water temperatures, along with the high-temperature wire method (HTWM). The study revealed that increased ambient temperature amidst relatively high mixing water temperature and HTWM significantly accelerated the SCDA’s mechanical performance in terms of rock breakage times. For instance, increasing the ambient temperature from -60ºC to -40ºC reduced the time to first crack (TFC) and minimum demolition time (MDT) by 42% and 59%, respectively, when the mixing water temperature is 40ºC and applied voltage is 22 V. Additionally, higher mixing water temperatures, along with the HTWM, significantly accelerate rock breakage under sub-zero ambient conditions. Finally, the study revealed that increased applied voltage in the HTWM improves rock breakage times remarkably. It is concluded that high mixing water temperature and high applied voltage in the HTWM would be strongly recommended for more effective applications in cold climate open pit mining operations.