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Orange Gold Mine – High Output Crusher Fans

Enhanced ventilation solution for extracting dust

Our client’s mine site, located approximately 25 kilometres from the township of Orange in New South Wales, is one of Australia’s largest gold mines. The site encompasses the Ridgeway underground mine, currently under maintenance, and the underground panel cave mine. Faced with the challenge of extracting dust generated from the dumping and crushing processes underground, our client approached Minetek for a robust ventilation solution capable of withstanding high abrasion rates and ensuring operational efficiency.

Industrie - Exploitation minière
Mine type – Sous terre
Mineral – Gold and Copper
Localisation - Orange, New South Wales, Australia
Product/Scope – 2 x High Output Crusher Fans, including steel fabricated impeller, additional wear plate, custom dust protection for motor and bisalloy steel componentry

Brief

This mine site is one of Australia's largest gold mines, located approximately 25kms from the township of Orange in NSW. The site is comprised of the Ridgeway underground mine which is currently under maintenance and the underground panel cave mine. Our client approached Minetek to provide a fan suitable for extracting dust caused from the dumping and crushing process underground.

Challenge

The high abrasion rates caused by the airborne dust passing through the ventilation fans has caused rapid degradation of the incumbent vane axial ventilation fans. With the current standard operation, the 110kW Single stage axial fans in use have an operating life span of 6-12 weeks, until the impeller has degraded and worn too significantly to be operably effective.

Résultats

Minetek provided a custom ventilation solution, a 90kW High Output (HO) Axial Flow Fanwhich provided both the required duty and longevity of performance and operation. Following installation of Minetek's solution, the previously used 110kW Single-stage Axial Fans and Minetek's 90kW High Output (HO) Axial Flow Fan were tested in a side-by-side comparison for three (3) months. The Minetek fan was estimated to last almost 7 times longer than the standard fan, with the robust steel impeller design that allows the dust to travel through the equipment with minimal impact to the structure.

Key Features

  • Compact and wear-resistant, designed to effectively extract dust caused by dumping and crushing processes underground.
  • Available with various motor sizes to meet the specific needs of different sites.
  • Ensures compliance with WHS regulations and maintains safety standards.
  • Engineered to operate efficiently, reducing overall power usage.
  • Minetek’s durable steel impeller manages high abrasion rates from airborne dust, maintaining performance in tough environments.
  • Provides the required pressure and duty with high efficiency and sustained performance.

Not only have we designed a fan that outperforms the existing Axial Fan, but we have also supplied one that is quieter and smaller, with a unique design that allows the dust to travel through the equipment with minimal impact to the structure.

Jeremy Sutherland

Manager - Underground Mining Ventilation at Minetek

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