Page 43 - Apmor 2018

ventilation & cooling mining

need to be equipped to accurate, real-time, where the additional heat from virgin rock and
and intrinsically safe monitoring systems to be mobile equipment demand some form of a
able to continuously assess the condition of a cooling system.
mine ventilation system. Underground mine The BBE Group, with its full spectrum
workforce safety and workplace productivity of consultancy, automation, energy and
rely significantly on the performance of mine projects divisions has been at the forefront
ventilation and monitoring systems. of developing ventilation and cooling system
Ventilation within any type of underground technology in the mining industry for decades,
mine functions in order to introduce fresh providing professional engineering support in
air into the work space of the workers, while the specialised field of mine ventilation and
simultaneously removing contaminated air cooling, designing and selecting the optimum
from the same location. The removal of such combination of equipment to suit each mine’s
air contaminants is also particularly important particular life-of-mine circumstances.
in maintaining an overall safe thermal The engineering designs begin with cooling
environment that reduces any possible systems at concept level where all aspects
ignitions from occurring within the mine. of energy efficiency and cooling efficacy
The basic components of any type of mine are analysed to determine the best fit-for-
ventilation system involve a combination of purpose solution. Then equipment selection
pipes, ducts, fans, cooling and heating systems, and specifications are detailed and taken
and occasionally air cleaning equipment. through the EPCM phase, eventually wrapping
the project into a simple
design-and-build turnkey
package.
plant and associated BACs at a large copper
Equipped with a mine in South Africa; an underground plant, 2
professional team of 600m below surface, supplying cold water to a
specialist engineers closed-circuit network of cooling coils; a new
who are leaders in mine surface refrigeration plant and BAC supplying
ventilation, refrigeration cold air for a dedicated cold hole into a mine
and cooling, measurement in Ghana; and designs are well-advanced for a
and control of similar facility at a diamond mine in Limpopo
underground pollutants, province, South Africa.
energy optimisation
and ventilation network Although the building blocks appear similar,
simulation software, the each system is discretely tailor-made and
BBE Group has built an the operating parameters carefully tuned
excellent international to suit each mine’s unique situational and
reputation since inception evolving circumstances. For the full-on
Due to the extreme environment, underground in 1989 as it is able to undertake a full range turnkey packages, BBE Projects are familiar
mining operations make use of some of the of projects from greenfield sites to plant with logistics across the African continent.
largest ventilation and cooling systems in extensions and upgrades, while offering Wherever your hotspot, BBE is confident to
the world, incorporating more than one type optimal solutions using the best combination provide efficient and economical solutions.
of cooling technology, such as evaporative of available equipment, tailor-made to each
condensers, mechanical refrigeration plants, client’s specific requirements.
pre-cooling towers and bulk air coolers, in
order to ensure a safe mine temperature. Recent and current
projects include a pair of
These cooling systems typically work by refrigeration and surface
producing chilled water, occasionally ice, to bulk air cooling (BAC)
reduce the temperature of the air entering stations at a mine in Mali;
the mine, or to be sent into the mine to a surface refrigeration
reduce the ambient temperature within and underground BAC
the mine. The systems are installed on the for a mine in Barberton,
surface, underground, or a combination of Mpumalanga province,
both, depending on the depth of the mine and South Africa; an extension
various logistical factors.
to a refrigeration plant
Undoubtedly, Africa is a hot continent. supplying a large surface
Even on surface ambient conditions can be BAC at a platinum mine
uncomfortable, unproductive and even unsafe. near Rustenburg, South
And it only takes a short excursion underground Africa; an underground

AFRICAN POWER Mining & Oil Review Vol 21, Issue 20, 2017 | 43