CASE STUDY: TRITTON MINE

CASE STUDY

SINGLE FAN INSTALL FOR NEW MINE EXTENSION. MINETEK AIR. VENTILATION SOLUTION.

VISION. INNOVATION. RESULTS.

SINGLE FAN INSTALL VENTILATION SOLUTION CLIENT

AERIS RESOURCES

SITE

TRITTON OPERATIONS

LOCATION

NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA

PRODUCT

AXIAL FAN

APPLICATION

UNDERGROUND

SCOPE

FAN AND ELECTRICAL COMPONENT

COMMENCED

OCTOBER 2020

COMPLETED

COMPLETE + SECOND PROJECT

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BUSINESS CHALLENGE Tritton Underground Mine is located near the town of Nyngan in central New South Wales. The combined ore production from both the Tritton Mine and the Murrawombie Mine based at the same site, is 1.8 million tonnes per annum.

WE WANTED A SINGLE INSTALLATION FAN THAT COULD DELIVER Aeris Resources has continued drilling extensions to the deposit 3 at a depth of up to 1,500 meters. This extension required a 50 - 60 m PER SECOND, ventilation solution for the development of the decline. The TO SUPPORT A decline length and fresh air raise scheduling posed a unique challenge. Standard fans would not meet the requirements due BOGGER AND TRUCK to high pressure and drive size limitations.

BEYOND THE 1000M MINETEK has been able to support Tritton Mine by providing a DEVELOPMENT MARK. unique patented ventilation solution using only a single fan, SOUND ATTENUATION SOLUTION DAN STEVENS, TRITTON MINE SUPERINTENDENT

delivered within a tight time frame. This allowed operations to meet and exceed development targets, minimize shutdowns and reduce operational and energy costs.

TRITTON UNDERGROUND MINE

IMAGE: https://www.aerisresources.com.au/operations/tritton-copper-operations/tritton-underground/ retrieved on 10/09/2021

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WE MADE THE DECISION TO DO THE JOB ONCE AND DO THE JOB RIGHT. THAT, AND THE COMPACT DESIGN OF THE FAN, WERE THE MAIN REASONS WE CHOSE MINETEK. DAN STEVENS, TRITTON MINE SUPERINTENDENT

CHOOSING MINETEK Tritton Mine’s challenging conditions meant there were several essential requirements to meet when choosing their ventilation solution.

The solution needed to meet the required duty points in both air flow and pressure. The overall size and number of fans required also had to be considered, as a larger fan would include higher initial operational and economic costs, while installing many fans would interrupt operations and include multiple shutdowns.

Additional features were paramount to the Tritton Mine team.

Variable power, pressure and performance that could be controlled from the surface of the mine, and integration into the existing software system were all elements considered in the decision-making process.

Tritton Mine had initial concerns that a single MINETEK fan would not be able to meet their requirements, as larger or multiple fans would traditionally be used for projects of this length and depth.

MINETEK provided technical data that guaranteed the solution would be able to meet Tritton Mine’s needs.

MINETEK SOLUTION The site needed the solution engineered and installed urgently.

MINETEK were agile and worked closely with Tritton Mine, while adapting to last minute specification changes and delivering on time.

The MINETEK solution negated the need for larger or multiple fans that would complicate installation and need maintenance shutdowns throughout the development. The standard 1400mm diameter size of MINETEK’s fan allowed for a single installation.

MINETEK’s fan is inherently quiet compared to traditional and this minimizes the overall length from 7m to 4m.

The shorter size improved install as it is safer to lift, economic to install, with no need to excavate extra for head height.

MINETEK continued supporting Tritton Mine with best practise for installation which helped to expedite the project. It was also important that the programming could bridge between the existing systems on site.

MINETEK developed a tailor-made solution to assist with the integration.

THE BENEFITS Single fan install

Faster re-entry times

Single, low-profile ducting

PLC screen surface control

Reduced installed power

MINETEK WAS ABLE TO REDUCE POWER CONSUMPTION BY

% 55 Comparison: Minetek fan as utilized at an average of 65% of total installed power. Calculation is based of 24hrs of operation, 365 Days, comparing to 2 x twin 110kW fans.