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Post by dazbt on Dec 17, 2011 4:41:24 GMT -5
Whitby Gazette;
Published on Friday 16 December 2011 13:45
"Two more drilling sites for potash
TEMPORARY drilling sites looking for potash reserves could be set up in Sleights and on the Fylingdales Moor.
York Potash, the firm behind ambitious plans to set up a new mine on the Yorkshire Coast, have applied for planning permission to put up temporary structures and compounds to do with the drilling of a potash exploration borehole.
The two planning applications submitted to the North York Moors Park planning authority were for Derwent Head Rigg at Langdale Forest and Newton House Plantation at Sleights."
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Post by John on Dec 17, 2011 8:09:20 GMT -5
I'm assuming this company bought the name and rights from the previously company set up in the late 60's early 70's, if so, why all the extra drilling?? The original company would have turned over all core sample records.
The reason I ask is it's predecessor was ready to start shaft sinking around 1976, I think BP was one of the original shareholders.
Around the time I started working for CPL's Boulby Mine, there were articles almost every day in the local paper about a couple of mines to be sunk near Whitby and one solution mining operation in the same area.
Then around 77/78 everything was "mothballed" due to the problems we were having in not being able to meet production levels to get us out of debt.
The major problems this company is going to face are the extra 1000 feet of depth plus!! Although they will know to sink the shafts way into the salt seam below the potash and drive all roads in salt for stable long term main roadways.
Another factor is the extra heat, ambient rock temps at Boulby were 108F with workings in excess of that, add 20 more degrees to the new mine and even hotter workings.
An article I was reading earlier this week stated another major problem for them, skilled manpower. They will have to poach skilled manpower from Boulby, take it from me, this is totally different mining to coal mining. We had to learn as we went on. Many of the supervisory staff were ex NCB as was the majority of the Electrical and mechanical staff.
Sure we adapted, but at a cost, they were just getting on top of problems in 1979 and had their first road in salt, which looked the way to go.
Some of the problems we encountered, gas blowouts, gases ranged from CO2 to flammable mixes of methane, hydrogen, pentane,butane etc, all at very high pressure and volumes held in shale deposits... I saw a road heading on the south west side that had been fired, not bad for around 80lbs of powder, approx 100 yards!!! Mostly shale that had high pressure CO2.
Heavy weight, roads closing after just a couple of years, problem mostly solved by driving roads in salt, potash is "plastic".
Heat, we never overcame that one, just learned to acclimatise.
A change in mining methods finally achieved output, from drill blast and load out to Heliminers and shuttlecars, with further pillar modifications.
I hope they make it as the area always needed new employment, but it's going to be a difficult few years for them. We were lucky, we had two of the richest companies in the world pouring money down the shafts ICI and De Beers...
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Post by dazbt on Dec 17, 2011 8:58:20 GMT -5
I'm assuming this company bought the name and rights from the previously company set up in the late 60's early 70's, if so, why all the extra drilling?? The original company would have turned over all core sample records.
The reason I ask is it's predecessor was ready to start shaft sinking around 1976, I think BP was one of the original shareholders.
Around the time I started working for CPL's Boulby Mine, there were articles almost every day in the local paper about a couple of mines to be sunk near Whitby and one solution mining operation in the same area.
Then around 77/78 everything was "mothballed" due to the problems we were having in not being able to meet production levels to get us out of debt.
The major problems this company is going to face are the extra 1000 feet of depth plus!! Although they will know to sink the shafts way into the salt seam below the potash and drive all roads in salt for stable long term main roadways.
Another factor is the extra heat, ambient rock temps at Boulby were 108F with workings in excess of that, add 20 more degrees to the new mine and even hotter workings.
An article I was reading earlier this week stated another major problem for them, skilled manpower. They will have to poach skilled manpower from Boulby, take it from me, this is totally different mining to coal mining. We had to learn as we went on. Many of the supervisory staff were ex NCB as was the majority of the Electrical and mechanical staff.
Sure we adapted, but at a cost, they were just getting on top of problems in 1979 and had their first road in salt, which looked the way to go.
Some of the problems we encountered, gas blowouts, gases ranged from CO2 to flammable mixes of methane, hydrogen, pentane,butane etc, all at very high pressure and volumes held in shale deposits... I saw a road heading on the south west side that had been fired, not bad for around 80lbs of powder, approx 100 yards!!! Mostly shale that had high pressure CO2.
Heavy weight, roads closing after just a couple of years, problem mostly solved by driving roads in salt, potash is "plastic".
Heat, we never overcame that one, just learned to acclimatise.
A change in mining methods finally achieved output, from drill blast and load out to Heliminers and shuttlecars, with further pillar modifications.
I hope they make it as the area always needed new employment, but it's going to be a difficult few years for them. We were lucky, we had two of the richest companies in the world pouring money down the shafts ICI and De Beers... It looks like this team might just know what they are about J; siriusminerals.com/york-potash-projectwww.investegate.co.uk/Article.aspx?id=201112160700141045U |
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Post by John on Dec 17, 2011 10:42:17 GMT -5
So they did have access to the previous several years of drilling and core samples then.
I read again this week, a senior CPL employee will be taking up employment with Yorkshire Potash after his contract has expired with CPL early in the new year.
Something else that's changed since I left in 79. All senior staff right down to foremen had to sign a contract that they agreed not to work for another potash mining company in the UK for five years after they left CPL's employment.
They are still going into the unknown though Daz, the boreholes only give a glimpse into that unknown.
Not until the first shaft reaches the Polyhydrite and they start driving the access roads will they know what's in store for them. They can fall back on Boulby's experience, but they are still 1000 feet plus deeper, and who knows what's lying in store, it's a major gamble and I'll bet the CEO is going to have a few sleepless nights once the project starts shaft sinking.
Not to mention, Boulby is only just starting to work the Polyhydrite seam, so it's an unknown to them too.
I wonder how large the winders going to be in the rock shaft?? Boulby uses 7000hp, a rough guess, I'd bet they will go for 30 tonne skips, so 10,000 HP??
Now again way back, Boulby had agreements with the NCB as did the Wheal Jane tin mine, that if the rock winder motor went out, they could "borrow" one of the Selby spare Cable Belt Motors, same make same HP etc..
Since Selby and the NCB/BC are not around anymore, I wonder how Boulby goes on now??? Those things cost a few million each!
I'm still pretty skeptical the venture will take off after living in hopes in the 70's.
We saw a bit of labour competition healthy for us at that time, pay increase to keep the best staff from straying.. ;D
I knew of a few fitters and miners who lived in and around Whitby who said if Yorkshire Potash set off, around 1975/6 they'd apply for jobs to be nearer home. They'd all be retired now.
Although as employers went, CPL were a pretty good company to work for.
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