MINE VENTILATION
Air control
The use of mobile mining equipment technology such as battery-electric vehicles and machine automation is influencing mine ventilation design , according to Stantec
With evolving requirements around providing ‘ adequate ventilation ’ underground and the need to decarbonise operations in line with stakeholder expectations , miners are continuing to look for innovative solutions from their ventilation suppliers , Dan Gleeson reports
For underground mines looking to extend or establish new workings and adapt their ventilation systems , simulation technology can often be as important as the hardware available on the market .
For instance , at Glencore ’ s Onaping Depth Project , the simulation advances involved with modelling an all-electric mine outlined many ventilation benefits the company will take through to engineering .
Reflecting on this in a presentation titled , ‘ Building the mine of the future through Craig Mine – Onaping Depth Project ’, at the BEV In- Depth : Mines to Mobility conference in Sudbury , Peter Xavier , Vice President , Glencore , Sudbury Operations , outlined a mine design configured around battery-electric vehicles without the need for a return air ventilation ramp , fresh air raise , three ventilation fans and five ore passes .
Similar observations were made by Goldcorp ( now Newmont ) when it was at the design stage of its all-electric Borden gold mine in Ontario , with the use of electric equipment enabling the design of smaller drifts and a reduction in the number of auxiliary fans , as well as the removal of a return air raise in the mine .
It is not just battery-electric vehicles influencing ventilation design on the mobile mining equipment side , according to Kim Trapani , Ventilation Engineer at Stantec .
“ Autonomous technology is great for ventilation because it removes personnel from
underground and , so , the air quality only needs to be good enough for the equipment to operate in ,” she told IM .
Air quality , as well as air quantity , therefore , is increasingly becoming a consideration for mine operations looking to leverage such technology .
One also needs to factor in legislation – current and future – when designing ventilation systems .
This varies from region to region , with some major mining companies having guidelines they apply across all operations regardless of location , and others incorporating plans that try to predict where local regulations will likely go in the future .
Roberto Alvarez , Trapani ’ s colleague and fellow Ventilation Engineer , favours the former approach given higher standards will most likely be adopted in jurisdictions where they are currently less strict .
Miners would do well to look to countries that have significant mining contributions to the economy as well as high safety standards for the
‘ gold standard ’ in ventilation regulations , according to Trapani .
“ Canada , USA and Australia , to name a few , typically have well-defined ventilation practices and guidelines ,” she said . “ These countries mostly have similar requirements , with some variations between the provinces and the states .”
Arguably the biggest influence on mine ventilation design will be the environmental goals that miners have set themselves , which are integral to the wider industrial move towards electrification .
Alvarez explained : “ I think the biggest questions out there are still around major emissions reduction goals . Many mining companies have stated their goals to be carbon neutral or zero emissions by some date 10 to 20 years out , but that ’ s not just going to happen without intentional planning and action now .”
For Alvarez , the pathway to meeting these goals requires mining companies to mix and match multiple carbon reduction methods that consider the whole mine design and not just individual elements .
“ Yes , we can reduce emissions by switching to electric vehicles – which reduce some of the need for ventilation , which also reduces some of the emissions – but we still rely on ventilation for cooling and heating , so what else can we do to cool the mine ?”
Considering natural cooling systems like seasonal thermal storage or lake water cooling is a good place to start in terms of mine cooling , he says . Trapani says miners should also more regularly consider the use of heat exchangers as a cleaner way of ventilating mines in cold climates ( see Almost carbon-neutral ventilation for an example ).
The ability to quantify carbon emissions across the mine site may help companies prioritise where the low-hanging fruit is and what aspects related to ventilation may require more design
JULY 2022 | International Mining 57