NEWS
NEWS
“ Aggreko ’ s mine cooling solutions are designed to minimise risk , and provide reliable , easy-to-use mine cooling services . We can mobilise relatively fast and modify our plants year on year , due to the modular design of our equipment . Along with the rental of the equipment , we provide complete mechanical and electrical design of system , installing and commissioning and servicing of the plant for the duration of the hire .”
During summer in the Australian outback , it is common for above ground temperatures to surpass 40 degrees – a heat felt keenly by anyone underground . While the guidelines vary between states and territories , sub-30-degree underground temperatures are considered ‘ safe zones ’ in mining . Resources Safety and Health Queensland guidelines state comfortable temperatures to prevent heat-related illnesses like heat rash , dehydration , cramps , or exhaustion are between 20- 27 degrees Celsius when the relative humidity ranges from 35-60 %.
Temperatures are hotting up due to global warming , and Australia has experienced unseasonably warm conditions during winter . This is reportedly due to developing El Niño and positive Indian Ocean Dipole ( natural drivers ), as well as climate change .
Australia ’ s Bureau of Meteorology has not yet predicted its long-range forecast for November-January however it reports that Australia ’ s climate has warmed by approximately 1.47 degrees Celsius in the period from 1910 to 2021 – leading to
an increase in the frequency of extreme heat events .
“ We are experiencing an unusually warm winter , and forecasters are predicting hotter than usual temperatures due to natural drivers of our weather and continued global warming , so it ’ s even more important that mines take action to have the right solutions in place ,” Mr Bevan said .
“ The best thing you can do for the safety of staff to lower heat and humidity underground – and for the productivity and scalability of your mine – is to outsource mine cooling and ventilation solutions to a reliable provider that offers remote monitoring , maintenance as well as equipment and technology upgrades .”
Aggreko is currently engaged with a Tier 1 miner to supply a total of 4.8 megawatts of power across two cooling plants at a large Australian coal mine .
“ The project demonstrates how cost effective and efficient rental cooling plants are for coal mining , as opposed to installing fixed , permanent plants ,” Mr Bevan said .
“ The relatively shallow and horizontal nature of long wall coal mines , combined with the semi-permanent nature of a rental plant , means the plant can efficiently be picked up and moved to the next section for mining .”
Mr Bevan said in the current market , mine managers and production teams have so many competing priorities .
“ They have been asked to produce at faster rates to capitalise on commodity prices while also having ambitious targets on the energy transition , with aspects of the market and supply chain making things difficult ,” he said .
“ Outsourcing mine cooling solutions to an external provider lightens their load , so they can concentrate on their core focus of production . For this summer it is definitely beneficial to prepare early .”
For more information about Aggreko ’ s modular and scalable temperature control systems , and how they can assist your underground operations , please visit www . aggreko . com . au or call 1300 929 031 .
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