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Site overview

Shaft R-XI is an exhaust ventilation shaft of Zakłady Górnicze Rudna, an operating division of KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. in the Legnica-Głogów Copper District of Lower Silesia. Situated in the Rudna Północna extraction district and administratively associated with Głogów, it is the exhaust counterpart to the intake shaft R-VII in that northern sub-area of the mine. R-XI was sunk between 1999 and 2005 by Przedsiębiorstwo Budowy Kopalń PeBeKa S.A. on behalf of KGHM to a depth of 1,250 metres with a clear internal diameter of 7.5 metres.

The ground-freezing method was applied to depths of 635 metres, using a selective approach alternating long freeze holes of up to 635 metres and short holes of up to 395 metres. At the time of its completion, R-XI was the deepest shaft PeBeKa had built in the LGOM and was the 29th shaft sunk by that company in the Copper District. The shaft was the most technically complex shaft project PeBeKa had undertaken, requiring novel blasting technology and a gravity drainage system in place of the costly cascade dewatering previously standard.

The shaft stands in open rural-industrial surroundings in the northern Copper District, where the surface works read as a compact but highly engineered active site.

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History

Shaft R-XI is an exhaust ventilation shaft (szyb wydechowy) located in the Rudna Północna extraction district of Zakłady Górnicze Rudna, north of Polkowice. Its surface coordinates, in the direction of Głogów, are consistent with this northern position. R-XI serves as the exhaust shaft of the Rudna Północna district alongside the intake shaft R-VII.

The shaft was constructed by Przedsiębiorstwo Budowy Kopalń PeBeKa S.A. for investor KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. Construction ran from 1999 to 2005. PeBeKa described the project as among the most technically complex engineering works it had ever undertaken, owing to the variable and difficult geological and mining conditions encountered.

The principal technical parameters of R-XI are a clear internal diameter of 7.5 metres and a total depth of 1,250 metres. The lining comprises segmented concrete and steel tubing sections. Ground freezing was applied using a selective approach, alternating freeze holes of up to 635 metres in depth with shorter holes of up to 395 metres. This selective strategy was developed specifically for this project to manage the complexity of the varying rock formation encountered at different depths.

On selected sections, reinforced concrete panels manufactured from high-strength concrete were installed. A hydraulic lifting device designed and produced specifically for PeBeKa's shaft boring machine was used to mount these panels. A further technical achievement was the development by PeBeKa of a new blasting methodology covering contour blasting, specialised cut blast patterns, and controlled charge sizing, reducing the footprint of each round. The costly cascade dewatering system normally used during shaft sinking was replaced by a gravity drainage arrangement, in which a borehole drilled centrally from the shaft bottom connected the sumps to the base of the shaft.

At the time of its completion in 2005, R-XI was the deepest shaft PeBeKa had sunk in the Legnica-Głogów Copper District. It was the 29th shaft sunk by PeBeKa in the LGOM overall. R-XI continues to function as an active exhaust ventilation shaft serving the Rudna Północna area of ZG Rudna.

Timeline

1999–2005
Construction

Shaft R-XI sunk to 1,250 metres by PeBeKa

PeBeKa S.A. sank shaft R-XI for KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. between 1999 and 2005. The shaft reaches 1,250 metres depth with a clear diameter of 7.5 metres, lined with segmented concrete and steel tubing. Ground freezing was applied selectively using alternating long holes (up to 635 m) and short holes (up to 395 m). New blasting technology and a gravity drainage system were developed for this project. On completion, R-XI was the deepest shaft PeBeKa had built in the LGOM and the 29th shaft it had sunk there.
2005
Operation

R-XI enters service as exhaust ventilation shaft in Rudna Północna district

R-XI functions as an exhaust ventilation shaft (szyb wydechowy) in the Rudna Północna extraction district of ZG Rudna, serving as the exhaust counterpart to the intake shaft R-VII in the mine's northern working area.

Sources and records

PeBeKa S.A. project record: Budowa i głębienie szybu R-XI (1999–2005)
Geocaching.com listing GC6BA97: shaft locations and ventilation classification for ZG Rudna
KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. corporate website: ZG Rudna mine overview
Wikipedia (Polish): Zakłady Górnicze Rudna
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