Basalt Quarry Case Study | LOX Liquid Oxygen Rock Splitting Solution
Overview
This case study introduces how we solved low efficiency and high operating costs for a basalt quarry. Basalt features ultra-high hardness and strong abrasiveness, making it extremely difficult to break. Facing strict explosive control policies and frequent hydraulic breaker wear, the client adopted our customized LOX liquid oxygen rock splitting system to upgrade quarry production capacity.
Client’s Challenges
The basalt quarry encountered severe construction bottlenecks:
• Explosive approval difficulty: Strict environmental and safety regulations make traditional explosive blasting almost unavailable for long-term stable production.
• Hard rock breaking & heavy machine loss: Basalt has high compressive strength and strong abrasion. Working with a 35-ton excavator hydraulic breaker leads to serious hammer wear, frequent maintenance and high fuel costs.
• Very low daily output: Due to hard rock texture, the hydraulic breaker only achieves 300m³ per day, failing to meet the client’s daily target of 4000m³ for aggregate supply.
• Slow progress & high unit cost: Long-hour breaking, repeated chiseling and machine downtime greatly increased overall construction costs.
Customized Solution
We analyzed the client’s basalt rock texture, existing drilling equipment and budget, comparing CO₂ rock breaking system and LOX rock splitting solutions.
Although CO₂ rock breaking system has lower unit material cost, it requires 140mm large-diameter holes. The client’s drilling rig only supports 90mm holes, making CO₂ solutions incompatible. Moreover, CO₂ equipment requires high one-time investment and complicated tube recycling procedures.
To match the client’s equipment conditions and control overall costs, we recommended the LOX liquid oxygen rock splitting system.
Our technical team surveyed the basalt site and formulated a rigid rock breaking layout:
3.2m hole spacing, 3m row spacing, 7.5m hole depth, 2-row staggered blasting design, perfectly adapting to dense and tough basalt strata.
Core Advantages for Basalt Quarry
• High safety & eco-friendly: No hazardous chemicals. Liquid oxygen is easy to purchase, pollution-free and compliant with strict environmental policies.
• Zero recycling labor: Disposable splitting tubes eliminate post-construction recovery work, saving huge labor cost compared with CO₂ blasting.
• Strong breaking force for hard rock: 600MPa instant expansion pressure perfectly cracks high-hardness basalt from bottom to surface.
There is no best mining equipment, only the most suitable solution. We customize technical plans according to different rock hardness, drilling conditions and budget demands.
Field Results
The client conducted formal trial splitting with 18 LOX rock splitting tubes.
Under confined borehole conditions, liquid oxygen instantly vaporizes and releases 600MPa high pressure, forming continuous and uniform cracks inside the dense basalt layer. The hard basalt bulk completely fractured and fell off with uniform particle size.
Single blast output reached 3600m³.
Compared with the original 300m³/day hydraulic breaker output, the LOX system increased comprehensive efficiency by 12 times. It completely solved the problems of slow basalt breaking, frequent equipment damage and unstable output. It also helped the client avoid explosive approval risks and achieve stable, large-scale quarry production.
Conclusion
For high-hardness basalt quarries, traditional hydraulic breakers cause severe wear and low output, while explosive blasting is restricted by policies.
The LOX liquid oxygen rock splitting system is the most cost-effective alternative solution. It adapts to 90mm conventional drilling holes, requires low initial investment, delivers strong hard-rock breaking performance, and effectively reduces equipment loss, labor costs and construction cycles. It is an ideal upgrading solution for modern environmentally friendly basalt mining.