African Mining February 2021 | Page 41

PLANT AND EQUIPMENT • ventilating air at a pressure loss of 3000Pa .” These requirements fall comfortably within the design ranges of TLT-Turbo Africa ’ s A & B fan offerings .

Based on an assessment of the mine ’ s needs , the final recommendation made by TLT-Turbo Africa was for two MC1600AP-160kW dual stage fans from the newly launched A & B fan range ( specifically 1600mm diameter , dual-stage fans , each fan driven by two 160kW high-efficiency motors ).

However , there was another challenge that TLT-Turbo ’ s team was required to resolve ; the selected fans ( as per standard , off-the-shelf design ) would be too large , to pass freely through the shaft and horizontal infrastructure , to reach their installation site . Madlopha says to overcome this obstacle ; TLT-Turbo Africa ’ s R & D team custom-designed the required fans to be modular , this allowed transport of the fan components through the shafts and access tunnels of the mine , once on site , the fans were easily assembled .

The complete product offering also included broadband silencers , self-closing doors , and other fan ancillaries . For this project , TLT-Turbo Africa also provided Direct On-line ( DOL ) starter panels , which were locally manufactured .

According to Madlopha TLT-Turbo Africa offered the mine a solution well suited to the tough underground mining environment . This solution would ensure a reliable supply of ventilation within the section of the mine in which the fans were to be installed .

Three months after the installation and commissioning of the supplied fans , feedback from the mine echoed Madlopha ’ s confidence in the TLT-Turbo Africa product . Conditions underground at the shaft have improved noticeably , particularly in the previously warmer upper-levels . Positive comments regarding these improved ventilation conditions have been received from all levels of the workforce . Measurement of the delivered performance of the installed fans , indicated that the fans were performing exactly as had been specified ( both in respect to volume of ventilating air moved and in power consumed ).

The installation and commissioning of the TLT-Turbo Africa fans described above , has allowed the mine to permanently stop and remove 14 other auxiliary fans ( with a total rated power of 630kW ). In addition , the mine has also been able to permanently stop one of the main surface fans , resulting in a direct energy saving of + 2MW of power , providing an annual electrical costsaving of ± R14m . The capital pay-back period on this project has been less than three months . With the lifespan of this project exceeding 10 years , the implied electrical cost savings of this solution are massive .

According to Madlopha , the success of their ventilation equipment at this mine can be attributed to the innovative design of their A & B fan range , and to the ability of TLT-Turbo ’ s experts to customise these fans even further to meet client and site-specific requirements . “ The system supplied was customised and optimised for that particular operation .

The design point , layout and robust structure provided an overall fan system which is not only efficient , but also reliable . The performance and energy efficiency of TLT-Turbo ’ s A & B range is capturing attention on a global scale . TLT-Turbo Africa has provided similar solutions to various companies in Sub Saharan Africa , and also recently , the USA . “ Our high efficiency A & B fan range is truly a global leader in mine ventilation equipment . It is a wellknown fact that if equipment performs well under South African hard rock mining conditions , then it is up to the test in other mining markets around the world . This has led us to a strategy for internationalisation of this product range ,” says Madlopha .

In conclusion , Madlopha states that the key to the success of any mining ventilation project such as this installation , is their unwavering commitment to redefining ventilation . The A & B fan range was designed based on client input with the objective of meeting ventilation requirements and reducing operational costs . The A & B fan range solutions are designed to replace the traditional , large primary ventilation fans with a simple , “ plug and play ”, modular design , using the same fans which are also designed to be used underground . This concept allows a mine to keep standardised spares , therefore improving reliability and availability of the fans .

“ With our high efficiency fans , mines have seen a significant reduction in operational costs , where they were able to switch off a large number of standard auxiliary fans and replace them with our A & B fans .” •