Authors:
D. Witow, J. McCall
13th United States/North American Mine Ventilation Symposium, June 16, 2010 in Sudbury, Canada
Abstract
The Nickel Rim South Project engineered and constructed an underground base metal mine for Xstrata Nickel in the Sudbury Basin. The front-end engineering approach of this EPCM-style project enabled unique applications of technology with the goal of improving productivity and reliability. A key example of this can be found in the newly constructed surface exhaust fan installation. In the span of one year, the project has evolved the engineering of this installation from concept to construction. This paper outlines innovative approaches to ventilation technology including use of silencing, condensed water collection and handling, and an exhaust stack. Electrical and automation topics include unique use of variable frequency drives, multi-fan PLC control, and fan starting considerations. The computer modeling tools utilized in this project are described, including gas dispersion modeling, computational fluid dynamics, sound analysis, and suspended particle modeling. Discussions for each system include references to safety, reliability, and environmental improvements which aimed at meeting Xstrata's Sustainable Development Policy and Standards.
