VENTILATION
for brownfield projects, where it has improved
the operating efficiency of existing fan
installations.
“We have successfully changed out fans in
South African collieries, gold mines and platinum
mines, which benefitted all our customers
immensely during the previous round of the
Eskom Demand Side Management program,”
Madlopha said.
And, TLT-Turbo’s products can also be
incorporated into autonomous VoD solutions.
“TLT-Turbo has always been at the forefront of
advocating for automation of mine ventilation
systems. Our fans are designed in a manner that
they are ready for integration into any automated
ventilation system. The control philosophy can be
easily adapted to suit the customer’s
requirements, without compromising the
integrity or performance of the fans,” Madlopha
said.
One of TLT-Turbo’s peers in the ventilation
space, AirEng was recently contracted by St
As part of the supply and installation contract
at the Kamoa-Kakula underground copper
project, TLT-Turbo Africa is designing,
manufacturing and supplying a bifurcated axial
flow fan station for the extraction of mine
fumes, as well as auxiliary and booster fans
TLT-Turbo said the project is the first of many
of strategic importance within the Sub Saharan
Africa region it is focused on.
Vusi Madlopha, head of Sales and Marketing-
SSA, TLT-Turbo Africa, told IM its mining clients in
sub-Saharan Africa have, in the past 18-24
months, been requesting smaller fan sizes and
solutions as opposed to fixed, large installations,
to cut down on construction costs and improve
flexibility.
This trend is also apparent with the Kamoa-
Kakula contract, with Mike van Oerle, Sales
Manager at TLT-Turbo Africa, saying the
company’s approach will provide several
operating cost benefits.
The use of standardised equipment, designed
for simple installation and maintenance, means
TLT-Turbo’s fans can be maintained by the client
within the high-efficiency envelope, to enable the
customer to turn down or ramp up output as and
when the mine resistance decreases.”
With this latest contract being for a greenfield Barbara as part of a major investment project at
the Australia-listed miner’s Gwalia underground
mine, just south of Leonora, in Western Australia.
operation, IM asked Madlopha about the
different ventilation requirements the company is
seeing from existing and new mining operations:
“The greenfield requirements tend to understand
that mine ventilation should be designed for the collaborative partner of The New York Blower
Company, AirEng aims to help mining companies
reduce operating costs and boost safety by
life of mine. The equipment selected should be
able to perform during mine development, all the
way through to decommissioning of the shaft.
“The brownfield projects are usually
concerned with prolonging the useful life of the
equipment and also the operation of a specific
shaft. They would then have limitations in terms
of civils and any other on-site design work.”
In addition to having expertise with the
greenfields mines, Madlopha was keen to stress
the company’s experience in providing retrofits
A fully-owned subsidiary, and close
providing high efficiency mine ventilation
solutions.
Its turnkey ventilation system for Australia’s
oldest and deepest gold mine – one looking to
reach depths of 2,300 m by 2031, from 1,660 m
currently – included primary fans, the electric
power unit, and civil construction system.
Temperatures at the bottom of the mine hover
around 87°F (30°C), which can be grueling for the
430 miners working underground, AirEng said. “A
significant challenge for Gwalia is safeguarding
workers at this level and getting chilled air from
the surface to the workers below.”
on site, without the need for costly expert
inspections.
“TLT-Turbo is providing highly-efficient
products to meet Kamoa-Kakula’s interim
ventilation and power requirements, with
flexibility for future redeployment at an
alternative ventilation position,” van Oerle said.
Madlopha said this most recent contract was
representative of the type of enquiries the
company has been receiving of late.
“In the past year, we’ve only received enquiries
which require this kind of arrangement. The
customers see real value in efficient, robust and
flexible ventilation solutions,” Madlopha said.
“Our Axial Flow Adjustable Pitch Fans allow
the customer a wider range of operating points
18 International Mining | JULY 2019
The Minetek High Output Axial Fan system is modular, can reduce energy costs and provide adequate
air at the face, according to the company