OPERATIONS •
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 ).
consuming ± 630kwe ). The mine was also operating three main surface fans , each consuming ± 2MW of power .
“ The mine ’ s main objective was to ensure that a sufficient volume of ventilating air was provided to the underground operations while reducing power consumption ,” says Madlopha .
“ To meet their needs , TLT-Turbo Africa was required to supply two fans , each capable of moving 71 m ³/ sec of 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 ).
More challenges await 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 , in order 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 .
www . africanmining . co . za
African Mining Publication
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 cost-saving of ± R14m . The capital pay-back period on this project has been less than 3 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 US . “ It is a well-known 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 ,” Madlopha enthuses .
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 .
African Mining African Mining • January 2022 • 17