MechChem Africa November-December 2024

⎪ Heating, cooling, ventilation and air conditioning ⎪

Ventsim CONTROL is an intelligent, customisable underground Ventilation Optimisation software solution that communicates with hardware devices, allowing remote monitoring, control, automation and optimisation of airflow, heating, and cooling.

to design more efficient operations. Fan and compressor motors often have to run continuously, which leaves room for optimisation: based on the level of activity as well as changes in conditions under ground,” he argues. Mine ventilation and cooling systems are critical from a health and safety point of view. Fundamentally, they are respon sible for providing oxygen, controlling airborne pollutants, diluting gases, and controlling temperatures underground. Each case must be thoroughly investigated to establish the most optimal solution and optimisation strategy, with health and safety remaining top of mind, while also considering the financial metrics and economic impacts. Solutions might include fans only, or a combination of fans and cooling equipment to mitigate sub-standard en vironments and to minimise exposure to stressors at permissible levels. “Apart from the control of fans, doors and regulators, Ventsim CONTROL fur ther allows mines to optimise their cooling installations. The cooling plant duties can be modulated based on changes in ambi ent conditions and the level of activity underground. We are cognisant of the fact that reducing the duty of the cooling plant could have knock on effects downstream, such as a build-up of residual heat in the workings. “In our pursuit of optimising energy usage, we are currently in the process of harnessing the power of machine learn ing and predictive modelling to develop a new Temperature Prediction Controller designed to determine the optimal tim ing for initiating cooling or heating pro cesses in specific areas. Our aim is to avoid wasteful energy consumption that often results from starting heating or cooling processes too early, ensuring that the desired temperatures are achieved exactly when activities are set to begin,” Bergh explains.This is where Ventsim CONTROL comes in: Historically, he continues, mine ventilation solutions were designed with the end view in mind, and mines were

The software then computes and calcu lates the air and cooling demand required to comply with and maintain acceptable standards underground. The Ventsim CONTROL software in turn communicates with hardware underground to ensure ventilation devices react accordingly to support conducive conditions. Level 4 adds tracking and tagging integration for underground equipment. “A mine can then track the movement and activity of its vehicle fleet to see if and where they are operating. Ventsim CONTROL collects that data and responds by extracting pollutants and heat based on the location and status of the equipment. And in Level 5, the highest level of integration, as much data as possible is collected from each area of the mine. By using carefully designed algorithms, Ventsim CONTROL continuously looks to reduce the system resistance in the mine. This enables fans to run at a lower pressure, leading to reduced power con sumption brought on by a reduction in fan speed. “The cubed relationship between fan speed and power leads to significant energy savings with small reductions in speed. This is how we have supported our customers to achieve their energy savings commitments with some mines reducing ventilation related power consumption by up to 70%,” he notes. “The primary goal of Ventsim CONTROL is not to save power, though. That is a by-product. The goal is to guarantee safe and healthy working conditions by coupling real time monitor ing with real time action. “If a mine can see sub-standards occur

ventilated at full capacity for the duration of their life, irrespective of the conditions or level of activity underground. But ton nage profiles change and their associated varying levels of activity allow room for optimisation. Thinking short term – every hour of the day or day of the week – there are travelling and maintenance windows, pre- and post-blast events, etc. Each of these are associated with varying levels of activity and running ventilation and mine cooling installations at peak capac ity on a continual basis will likely lead to energy wastage.” Ventsim CONTROL is firstly focused on improving workplace conditions un derground. Automated control of these devices eliminates manual intervention, ensuring a seamless and safe operation. Monitoring and control of contaminant gases ensures compliance with regula tions. “In addition to the health and safety benefits and energy savings, gas dispersal can be accelerated following blasts to reduce production downtime,” he explains. To cater to various levels of sophistication at different mines, Howden has incorpo rated five levels of control into its Ventsim CONTROL solution. Level 1 is manual remote control. This enables the mine to remotely manipulate ventilation devices. This could be switch ing fans on or off, speeding them up or down, and/or opening and closing doors and regulators. “Level 2 is where we apply programmed automated scheduling for events. For example, if the mine has a maintenance window between 6:00 am and 8:00 am every Tuesday and Thursday with consis tently limited mining activity, the surface fan speed might be reduced from 100% to 90% during those periods and auxiliary underground fans would be switched off in areas where it is safe to do so,” Bergh says. Level 3 involves the installation of flow, gas and temperature sensors to collect and monitor key underground conditions. Five levels of Ventsim CONTROL

ring in real time and has the ability to mitigate the event through either manual or autonomous intervention in real time, we would have made enormous strides on our collective journey to ZERO HARM,” Stephan Bergh concludes.

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www.chartindustries.com/ Businesses-Brands/Howden

November-December 2024 • MechChem Africa ¦ 37