Cementation has carried out a number of significant feasibility and detailed engineering projects for internal shafts. As a shaft contractor we are very familiar with the constructability and in general the day to day challenges associated with a winze project. Some of the more significant internal shaft projects we have engineered include Onaping Depth, Kidd Mine D #4 Shaft, and Hecla’s Lucky Friday mine.

Winze projects have additional technical challenges associated with mining at depth including ventilation issues, ground conditions, heat, and material handling logistics. All of these issues are complicated by the typical “brown-field” conditions whereby the mine must still produce while the internal shaft is being developed.

The Kidd Mine D #4 (Timmins, Ontario)shaft engineering was carried out for Falconbridge (now Xstrata Copper) and included shaft and headworks designs, shaft stations, loading pockets and material handling and a geo-technical review of the shaft and associated areas. The scope included feasibility engineering and detailed design. This facility is now in operation and is the deepest metalliferous mine and shaft in the world. Cementation sunk the shaft as well as engineered it.

The Onaping Depth project (Sudbury, Ontario) included a winze, as well as a deepening of the existing Craig shaft. The engineering scope included all aspects of the shaft systems and numerous options were evaluated to reduce risk and improve the NPV of the project.

The Hecla Lucky Friday project (Idaho, USA) includes feasibility and detailed engineering of an internal shaft with logistical and material handling challenges.