PRESS RELEASE: Developed throughout a three-year programme, including months of intensive testing, Shockwave Power Plasma will be marketed globally to the mining, quarrying and civil engineering industries. 

The new product is an ultra-high viscosity plasma gel that is loaded into a blasthole as decking, which, when detonated, creates a hydraulic shockwave effect that attenuates, redirects and extends explosive energy during the blast pressure event.

This shockwave effect achieves a higher energy to reduce cap rock issues and deliver extended, significantly increased and more even rock fracturing while using considerably fewer explosives, resulting in substantial cost savings for operators, the company explained.

The improved rock fragmentation produced by Shockwave Power Plasma also results in lower excavation and haul costs, lower crushing costs and increased mining advance and processing volumes.

Other operational advantages facilitated by Shockwave Power Plasma, BlastBoss stated, include lower drilling costs through reduced sub-drill requirements, more widespread hole spacing and improved blast floor condition. 

Shockwave Power Plasma can be used with all types of explosive, and is designed to produce less dust, noise, vibration and fume than traditional blast decking, is non-toxic and environmentally safe, and is fast and easy to load. 

Blastboss CEO David Handel commented: “Throughout my 30-plus years as a director of a leading global fine particle management company, I saw that the mining, quarrying and civil engineering industries continually faced blasting challenges.

“Old-fashioned blasting methods can cause increased costs and adverse environmental effects including exposure to dangerous fumes and excessive dust, noise and vibration.

“I recognised there was a need to transform the established blasting processes, formulated the concept behind Shockwave Power Plasma and worked alongside leading chemists, physicists and engineers to invent the technology.

“The Shockwave Power Plasma decking system harnesses pure hydraulic energy produced by our performance-enhancing chemistry to increase the amount of energy transmitted through the surrounding medium in both open-cut and underground operations.

“Shockwave Power Plasma can be used above ground by being poured or pumped into the blasthole, or underground by pumping or injecting the Shockwave Power Plasma plastic pack into the up, down or horizontal holes.”