Senior Associate & Senior Tunnel Engineer

Dr. Sauer & Partners

Presentation

Sebastian Kumpfmueller, Dr. Sauer & Partners, Senior Associate & Senior Tunnel Engineer

Woodsmith Mine Project – Optimised ground support design of the Mineral Transport System (MTS) caverns for the mining of a low carbon, high value crop nutrition solution

Dr. Sauer & Partners designed Anglo American’s Woodsmith Project MTS Shaft Inset and roadways bolt and mesh sprayed concrete ground support. The new caverns will be essential for the mining of Polyhalite. Once crushed and granulated it will become POLY4, a multi-nutrient product suitable for organic farming. The MTS Shaft Inset at 350m depth widens to 27m diameter. Two 10m wide station chambers branch off to several roadways which form part of the MTS Level. This presentation outlines how collaboration between the parties led to innovative ground support solutions and the prevention of risks through design.