Page 42 - Apmor 2018

mining ventilation & cooling

Tailor-Made cooling solutions for

Africa’s hotspots

s underground mines reach greater Profitable exploitation must be secured amid maintain thermal comfort of underground
depths, higher temperatures, higher the factors of ever-increasing energy costs, personnel, remove heat from equipment,
Ahumidity, and more gas emissions are stricter conditions, and lower tolerance levels dilute mine contaminants, and provide fresh air
encountered. This becomes a topic of interest to health risks and accidents. In addition, for personnel to breathe. Underground mines
to various audiences with very different ventilation engineers and
viewpoints. Workers in the mines expect technicians strategise to meet
healthy and safe working conditions with an the demands of all parties
acceptable comfort level for a typically heavy and to provide safe and
workload. Mining operators wish to comply healthy working conditions
with regulations while minimizing the cost of underground at a minimum
investment and operation. Mining industry cost. This balancing act
regulatory organizations demand compliance requires intimate familiarity
with standards for safety and health. with the nature of geology
Environmental and workers’ advocates wish to and the ore deposit as well
see improvements in working conditions as well as their interaction with the
as lower emission standards. Mining engineers engineered mining operation.
try to design a mine within the constraints of all The main purpose of mine
of the above. ventilation systems is to

42 | AFRICAN POWER Mining & Oil Review Vol 21, Issue 20, 2017