In recent years, China's aggregates industry has developed rapidly. At present, machine-made sand and gravel products derived from quarry mining have become the main source of sand and gravel for construction. The use of explosive blasting mining has always been the mainstream of the industry. With the development of blasting technology, fine blasting, compressed air rock breaking and other technologies have gradually emerged, promoting the green, safe and high-quality development of aggregates industry.

On April 11, 2023, Hu Youyi, president of the China Aggregates Association, and his party visited the Datang mining area of Huaxin Cement’s Aggregates Production Line in Wuxue City, and inspected the application of "Supercritical Non-Supplementary combustion Liquefied Air Energy Storage (LAES) Rock Breaking" technology. Liu Bo, Vice President of China Aggregates Association, Chairman of Hubei Chudao Rock Drilling Engineering Co., Ltd., Liu Hongxing, Deputy General Manager of Hubei Chudao Rock Drilling Engineering Co., Ltd., Zhu Wei, director of mine branch plant of Huaxin Cement (Wuxue) Co., Ltd., and Mine Manager Minister Zhang Zhimou and Vice Minister of Mine Management Mei Guofu accompanied Hu on the visit.

Liu Bo introduced the technical process of cryogenic liquefied air energy rock breaking, low explosion velocity and flexible time-limited rock breaking, the development of green (cryogenic) air energy for green mine construction, and the technical application of medium supercritical state. He pointed out that this technology has the characteristics of "low vibration- about 70% lower than traditional explosive blasting, green and low-carbon use of renewable resources, and no hazardous chemicals that are easy to explode", which can solve problems such as blasting vibration and secondary hazards in mining, issues such as blasting pulverization and waste of resources, safety distance control and land occupation, resettlement and relocation, noise emission and cost pressure.

After that, President Hu Youyi and his party inspected the application of "Supercritical Non-Supplementary combustion Liquefied Air Energy Storage (LAES) Rock Breaking" technology in the Datang mining area of Wuxue City, Huaxin Cement Aggregates Production Line.

The person in charge of relevant technologies on the site introduced the progress of the application of supercritical liquefied air energy storage (LAES) non-supplementary combustion rock-breaking technology, construction process, safety and quality, and standardized management of civilized construction to Hu Youyi and his party, especially the development of non-supplemental combustion rock breaking technology and the technical and economic results obtained.

Hu Youyi said that the non-supplementary combustion rock breaking technology is an important supplementary technology to the traditional explosive blasting method, and can be used in large-scale rock breaking operations without explosives. The successful application of this technology in Huaxin cement aggregates production line has laid a good foundation for further promotion nationwide. The peak-valley energy storage technology is green, low-carbon, safe, efficient, and low-cost. It better complements the existing blasting mining technology and helps solve the non-explosive construction of mine structures with a safety distance of less than 300 meters. While maintaining competitiveness, it helps to break through the current bottleneck in the development of the aggregates industry, which is of great significance for promoting the high-quality development of the aggregates industry.

Introduction of the company
Hubei Chudao Rock Drilling Engineering Co., Ltd. It was established in 1995. It was formerly known as "Yichang Guangda Construction Machinery Leasing Company". It grew up with the Three Gorges Project and has developed for more than 20 years. It was renamed as "Hubei Chudao Rock Drilling Engineering Co., Ltd." due to business expansion and technical improvement.

It specializes in perforation construction of large-scale open-pit mine projects. With more than 20 years of development, the company is the largest rock drilling enterprise in China with a complete industrial chain of surface mine drilling rigs, drilling tools, compression power, intelligent pipe network design and manufacturing. The company has more than 400 employees, 329 with special personnel operating certificates, 35 safety personnel certificates, more than 200 sets of drilling equipment, and has participated in more than 50 projects under construction and completed. It is the executive director of China Cement Association and the vice-chairman unit of China Aggregates Association, and the participating unit of the National Ministry of Natural Resources "Green Mine Construction Specifications for Aggregates Industry".

In 2014, the company successfully developed a new method of concentrated high-pressure remote air supply rock drilling, which changed the operation method of using diesel as power in the construction and production of mines and hydropower stations which resulted in high energy consumption and high cost, and broke the traditional potential of using electricity as power. In the operation of drilling rigs, heavy processes such as erecting power grids, transplanting poles, and retracting and unwinding cables lead to the problem of low drilling rig efficiency, thereby obtaining better environmental and economic benefits.

In 2016, the company developed the large-aperture gravity down-the-hole drilling rig, which changed the problems of large volume, many operators, high requirements on the site, and low production efficiency of the roller cone drilling rig in mine construction and production; it has light, flexible and fast down-the-hole drills that can achieve drilling tasks with a diameter of 200mm-300mm, thereby obtaining higher production efficiency and economic benefits.

In March 2018, the company started the research and development of key materials for non-supplementary combustion rock-breaking construction technology — non-supplementary combustion flexible energy storage tube and ultra-low temperature multi-channel filling tube. It was successfully developed in 2022 and obtained a production license. After one year of promotion and practical application, the performance is stable and reliable. It has been promoted to many large-scale open-pit mining projects in the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

In 2021, the company continue to develop and improve the "Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) Green Low-Carbon Wet Mining Rock Drilling Technology", and won the evaluation of scientific and technological achievements: the overall international leadership, among which compressed air energy storage, water mist wet dust removal and other aspects have reached the international leading level. In 2022, this technology was selected into the "Catalogue of Advanced Applicable Technologies for Conservation and Comprehensive Utilization of Mineral Resources (2022 Edition)" by the Ministry of Natural Resources.