Oil & Coal Mining

Plaster based products are used in mining applications due to their non-combustibility and non-toxicity.

• Fire or explosion stoppings are used to seal off areas of a mine when fires or explosions have occurred underground, or where there is a danger of fire or explosion of toxic gases. Two walls of fire retardant material are built, and a slurry is pumped in to fill the space and completely seal off the area. This method can produce an easy to install stopping, which is explosion-proof within one hour of completion.
  
• Cavity filling and sealing Plaster-based products are used to fill and seal cavities quickly and less labour-intensively than traditional methods. Fire-retardant slabs are fixed between conventional steel arches to form permanent shuttering. The slurry is then pumped behind the slabs to give an effective and permanent seal.
  Where natural faults occur in the strata, massive cavities can be formed in the roof of the tunnels as the drilling machines cut through. Foamed plaster products are used, to form a light weight, high volume, strong aerated, cavity filler.
  
• Oil well drilling muds Oil well drilling muds are used to lubricate the drilling head and carry away debris. The drilling fluid is pumped down the inner core of the well to lubricate the drill bit. As the fluid is pumped up the outer core to the surface, it carries away debris, allowing drilling to continue. Gypsum is used as an additive in the formulation of oil well drilling muds that are used for exploration purposes.