Blast Monitoring
Whether you are blasting on a construction project, in a mine or a quarry, you are likely feeling the effects of increased public and regulatory pressure. These pressures make it more difficult to maintain schedules and keep production at acceptable levels; the one thing you cannot tolerate is an interruption of the blasting program.
Event monitoring is typically performed to either improve blasting efficiency, Near-Field Monitoring, or to monitor for compliance purposes, Far-Field Monitoring. You need a monitor that is easy to operate and reliable - period. Blasters and Consultants have turned to Instantel for over 25 years, as the world’s most trusted name in blast vibration monitoring equipment. The Instantel®
Blastmate III™ product lines are the workhorses of the industry, with the features you need for the environments that you work in, all accessed through simple menu-driven operation.
Contact your Instantel Dealer for more information and assistance in selecting the monitoring unit and sensors that best meet your monitoring application requirements.
Blast Monitoring – Compliance (Far-Field)
Far-Field Monitoring Description: The Event source is typically greater than 50 meters in Far-Field Monitoring. This includes environmental monitoring and compliance with stated regulations. It is accomplished by providing a compliance graph, in the form of an
Event Report from Instantel® Blastware, and ensuring that human annoyance or damage to structures is minimized by adhering to regulations. It also provides a record for litigation purposes, if required.
The typical frequency range for sensors used in Far-Field Monitoring is 2 to 250 Hz. By measuring air pressure, we can determine the effect of air blast energy on structures, measured on the Linear “L” scale with an Instantel ISEE Linear Microphone (2 to 250 Hz), or as perceived by the human ear, measured on the “A” Weight scale, using an Instantel A-Weight Microphone (15 Hz to 18 kHz). Instantel ISEE and A-Weight Microphones are used to measures air blast to ensure regulatory compliance while Instantel High Pressure Microphones (5 Hz to 1 kHz) are being used for underground applications, such as mining and tunneling.
Other sensors used in Far-Field Monitoring include standard geophones, which come in uniaxial and triaxial configurations, such as the Instantel ISEE (2 to 250 Hz) and Instantel DIN (1-80 Hz or 1-315 Hz) Triaxial Geophones. These are used to measure ground. Additionally, Instantel offers Hydrophones (8 to 500 Hz) that are used to measure water pressure changes caused by construction activities.
Visit Downloads for sample Event Report
Blast Monitoring – Advanced (Near-Field)
Blast monitoring for advanced analysis is also referred to as Near-Field Monitoring. The Event source is very close for Near-Field Monitoring, with a monitoring point for Near-Field Monitoring usually set within 50 meters of the Event source. High frequency data is gathered to analyze the blast designs with the Blastware® Advanced Module software program to discover possible blasting problems or to improve blasting efficiency with tools such as Signature Hole Analysis.
The typical frequency ranges for sensors used in Near-Field Monitoring are up to 1000 Hz. Instantel High Frequency Geophones (28 Hz to 1kHz) and High Pressure Microphones (5 Hz to 1 kHz) are used for Near-Field Monitoring to measure the amplitude and frequency of ground vibrations and air over pressure. For more demanding applications, Instantel offers a wide range of Accelerometers. These range from very low amplitude and frequency (0.5g to 0.5 Hz) to extremely high levels (500g to 3 kHz).
Visit Downloads for sample Event Report
Recommended Products for Blast Monitoring:
- Minimate Pro6
- Minimate Pro4
- Minimate Plus
- Minimate Blaster
- Blastmate III
Minimate Pro6 Highlights
| Key Features |
Ethernet® interface
Auto Call Home™ remote monitoring function
Cast aluminum case
Water resistant to IPC67 – submerse to 30 cm (1 ft.) for 24 hours
Compliant to CE Class B - Meets or exceeds RF and EMI requirements
Sensor Check for automatic error checking
|
 |
| 6 Channels |
Microphone and Triaxial Geophone or two Triaxial Geophones |
| Available Memory |
7,100 plus events |
| Record Modes |
Manual, Continuous, Histogram, Instantel Histogram Combo, and VDV - Vibration Dose Value (optional)
|
| Available Sample Rates |
512 to 4,096 S/s per channel
|
| Unit Dimensions |
254 X 117 X 108 mm (10.0 X 4.6 X 4.25 in)
|
| Unit Weight |
2.27 kg (5 lbs) |
| User Interface |
10 domed tactile keys |
| Product Rank |
Premium |
Minimate Pro4 Highlights
| Key Features |
Ethernet® interface
Auto Call Home™ remote monitoring function
Cast aluminum case
Water resistant to IPC67 – submerse to 30 cm (1 ft.) for 24 hours
Compliant to CE Class B - Meets or exceeds RF and EMI requirements
Sensor Check for automatic error checking |
 |
| 4 Channels |
Microphone and Triaxial Geophone
|
| Available Memory |
8,000 plus events
|
| Record Modes |
Manual, Continuous, Histogram, Instantel Histogram Combo, and VDV - Vibration Dose Value (optional) |
| Available Sample Rates |
1,024 to 4096 S/s per channel |
| Unit Dimensions |
254 X 117 X 108 mm (10.0 X 4.6 X 4.25 in) |
| Unit Weight |
2.27 kg (5 lbs) |
| User Interface |
10 domed tactile keys |
| Product Rank |
Premium |
Minimate Plus Highlights
| Key Features |
Most versatile monitor available
Auto Call Home™ remote monitoring function
Wide variety of sensors – microphones, geophones, accelerometers, and hydrophones
|
 |
| 4 Channels |
Microphone and Triaxial Geophone |
| 8 Channels |
Two Microphones and two Triaxial Geophones or 8 independent channels
|
| Available Memory |
300 events |
| Record Modes |
Manual, Single-shot, Continuous, Histogram, and Instantel® Histogram Combo
|
| Available Sample Rates |
1,024 S/s to 16,384 S/s per channel, selectable up to 65,536 S/s for 8 channels |
| Unit Dimensions |
81 X 91 X 160 mm (3.2 X 3.6 X 6.3 in)
|
| Unit Weight |
1.4kg (3lbs) |
| User Interface |
8 domed tactile keys |
| Product Rank |
Mid-range |
Minimate Blaster Highlights
| Key Features |
Easy to use
AutoRecord record stop mode
Built for blasters |
 |
| 4 Channels |
Microphone and Triaxial Geophone |
| Available Memory |
300 events |
| Record Modes |
Manual and Continuous |
| Available Sample Rates |
1,024 to 4096 S/s per channel |
| Unit Dimensions |
81 X 91 X 160 mm (3.2 X 3.6 X 6.3 in) |
| Unit Weight |
1.4kg (3lbs) |
| User Interface |
8 domed tactile keys |
| Product Rank |
Low-cost |
Blastmate III Highlights
| Key Features |
Onsite/In-field printing
Auto Call Home™ remote monitoring function
Wide variety of sensors – microphones, geophones, accelerometers, and hydrophones
|
 |
| 4 Channels |
Microphone and Triaxial Geophone |
| 8 Channels |
Two Microphones and two Triaxial Geophones or 8 independent channels
|
| Available Memory |
300 events |
| Record Modes |
Manual, Single-shot, Continuous, Histogram, and Instantel® Histogram Combo
|
| Available Sample Rates |
1,024 S/s to 16,384 S/s per channel, selectable up to 65,536 S/s for 8 channels
|
| Unit Dimensions |
269 X 355 X 165 mm (10.6 X 14.0 X 6.5 in) |
| Unit Weight |
6.4 kg (14 lbs) |
| User Interface |
63 domed tactile keys, incl. full keyboard |
| Product Rank |
Mid-range |
|