SciELO - Scientific Electronic Library Online

 
vol.122 número12 índice de autoresíndice de materiabúsqueda de artículos
Home Pagelista alfabética de revistas  

Servicios Personalizados

Articulo

Indicadores

Links relacionados

  • En proceso de indezaciónCitado por Google
  • En proceso de indezaciónSimilares en Google

Compartir


Journal of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy

versión On-line ISSN 2411-9717
versión impresa ISSN 2225-6253

Resumen

CHIKANDE, T.; PHILLIPS, H.R  y  CAWOOD, F.T.. Ventilation optimization through digital transformation. J. S. Afr. Inst. Min. Metall. [online]. 2022, vol.122, n.12, pp.687-696. ISSN 2411-9717.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2411-9717/1950/2022.

Underground mines require electricity to operate both the main surface fans and auxiliary systems, with primary ventilation systems typically accounting for approximately 40-60% of the mine's overall electricity consumption. The primary reason for this considerable expense is that most underground ventilation systems are designed for peak demand, regardless of the actual demand, which is commonly dictated by diesel equipment usage in trackless mining operations. Most platinum mines on the Great Dyke in Zimbabwe tend to operate their ventilation systems at this peak level, despite the mine's air quantity being well in excess of the 'true' ventilation needs. This is due to a lack of appropriate ventilation controls. The authors designed and installed a ventilation-on-demand system at one of the bord and pillar platinum mines to minimize the use of redundant air in underground operations. Fourth industrial revolution techniques were applied to the environmental monitoring and tracking systems thereby optimizing air quantity demands. The mine managed to reduce its annual power consumption by 23% through the implementation of manual control and time-of-day scheduling levels of the ventilation-on-demand concept. There was also a 6% productivity improvement, mainly attributable to an increased face time as a result of the significant reduction in the re-entry period following a blast. This paper introduces a novel concept of ventilation optimization through digital transformation targeting mainly room and pillar platinum mines. A system was designed, installed, and commissioned, though there is currently an ongoing optimization process to harness the full benefits such as productivity enhancement, reduced power costs, and improved worker health.

Palabras clave : mine ventilation; ventilation on demand; internet of things; power savings; ventilation optimization.

        · texto en Inglés     · Inglés ( pdf )

 

Creative Commons License Todo el contenido de esta revista, excepto dónde está identificado, está bajo una Licencia Creative Commons