RECENT PROJECTS
Minetek has enabled industry leaders around the world to achieve safe, compliant and profitable operations.
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Minetek has continued to solve underground ventilation, water evaporation, and sound attenuation solutions worldwide.
Download our free ebooks and learn how we’ve saved mine sites millions, in increased production, reduced shutdowns and incredible power saving.
SOUND
Achieve operational excellence, by reducing your noise output level and improving machine availability. Our expertise has enabled mining and industrial business to extend their operations while maintaining compliance with regulatory and community noise expectations.
WATER
Our evaporators can manage the process and contaminated water in the most challenging conditions; from the humid tropics to arid desert operations. Including wastewater produced by-products in gold, copper, zinc, coal, cobalt and oil sands mines.
AIR
Reduce energy consumption, expand exploration, and increase profit with MINETEK’s advanced and innovative underground ventilation solutions.
CADIA, NSW, AUSTRALIA
Given:
Newcrest Cadia mine approached Minetek to provide a fan suitable for extracting dust caused from the dumping and crushing process underground. Minetek provided a custom ventilation solution for this underground crusher.
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.
Solution and Results:
Minetek proposed a 90kW High Output (HO) axial flow fan as a more suitable option, to provide both the required duty and longevity of performance and operation.
“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, Minetek Air
The fans 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 able to withstand even the toughest environments without loss of performance. The mine site ordered five Minetek fans in total at the completion of this trial.
GOLDFIELDS, WA, AUSTRALIA
Given:
The customer aimed to increase production and expand exploration. Debottlenecking the existing primary ventilation circuit was required to achieve their goal.
Challenge:
Minetek was commissioned to develop a primary booster fan of a size and technology combination not seen before in Australia. The full scope also included removal of redundant equipment and installation of the new fans.
Solution and Results:
Minetek staff worked around the clock to ensure project goals were achieved within the tight timeframe, and managed to remove the old equipment, install the new fans and commission them in four days.
Due to their size, for the fans to be tested prior to shipping, approval had to be granted from the Power Supply Authorities, and all other facilities in the Minetek complex had to be shutdown to provide enough power.
Key Features of the fans:
- POD: “Performance on Demand” vane inlet controls to adjust vent flow and power usage.
- Impulse bladed impeller equipment with an anti-stall chamber to ensure optimum fan performance.
- 1100kW/1000V individual fan motors (all run off the renewable power station).
- 280m³/sec @ 3700Pa for current production needs with a maximum airflow capability of 350m³/sec @ 4200kPa.
COAL-FIRED POWER STATION, USA
Challenge:
Minetek was commissioned to design and supply within weeks a complete turnkey package to be fully operating 24 hours per day, evaporating large volumes.
Solution and Results:
Minetek team successfully designed, manufactured, and installed a 316L stainless steel construction with eight (8) evaporator units and a heavy-duty pumping system that was fully automated and integrated into the power plant’s operating system. Minetek project specialists provided installation support and worked with the Power Plant personnel to successfully commission the system.
QLD GOVERNMENT, AUSTRALIA
Details:
The Queensland Government Department of Natural Resources and Mines is responsible for the rehabilitation, care, and maintenance of the world-famous and historic Mount Morgan mine near Rockhampton in Queensland. They needed an evaporation water system for a specific volume per day from the Mount Morgan pit.
Challenge:
Minetek was engaged to design, manufacture, and install a large-scale three-unit water evaporation system at the abandoned Mt Morgan pit in an effort to manage water levels and reduce the risk of unplanned discharges into the Dee River, thus removing the potential impact on the environment.
Solution and Results:
After weather modeling and installation-location assessment, Minetek designed and supplied all aspects of the turnkey system including evaporators, transformers, pumps, pipework, electrical control centre, and cables, and commissioned and trained local maintenance teams. The Mt Morgan system forms a crucial part of the water management plan and has been efficiently operating now for over four years.
HUNTER VALLEY, NSW, AUSTRALIA
Given:
The Caterpillar 789C Mining Truck is engineered for performance, designed for comfort, and built to last. Developed specifically for high-production mining and hauling applications, 789C keeps material moving at high volume to lower the cost-per-ton.
Challenge:
The client had to significantly decrease the machinery noise level in order to meet environmental regulations and prevent the delays and stoppages on site that were leading to a significant loss of production and profits. Minetek was commissioned to design and manufacture a sound attenuation package for the Caterpillar 789C Dump Truck down to the regulatory stringent noise levels that were required onsite.
Solution and Results:
Mining sites that installed the kit continued operations during noise-sensitive times and in noise-sensitive areas where previously the sites were sustaining significant losses due to machine downtime.
HUNTER VALLEY, NSW, AUSTRALIA
Given:
Liebherr R9800 is one of the largest mining excavators in the world. At 800 tonnes it is designed for large-capacity mining operations and can work on almost any surface. Developed as the optimal loading tool for large-scale mining operations, the R9800 is able to achieve the most challenging targets. Mining operations could not continue to operate the Liebherr R9800 during noise sensitive times and areas due to excessive machine noise output.
Challenge:
Minetek was commissioned to design and manufacture the first sound attenuation package in the world for the mining excavator Liebherr R9800 to reduce its operating noise down to the site noise-level without compromising its operating capacity, nor adding excess weight to the machine.
Solution and Results:
With the Sound Attenuation Package installed, Liebherr All references to R9800 operates at an amazingly low noise output. Minetek projects set an industry benchmark and noise suppression at the source is now best practice.
All Projects
Explore our recent success stories! Explaining how we have helped mining and industrial leaders achieve their operating objectives.
Turn Key Projects
Engineering Capabilities
We are always looking at new innovations and technologies that will benefit both us and our clients. Minetek has been able to display that with the use of their modern ventilation technology, where we can look to see production increases through faster re-entry times and reduced capital costs in the total life of the development, delivering value to both us and Mincor.
Kipoi have successfully utilized MINETEK WATER evaporators on our process water pond to remove mine water and has contributed to help with our water balance. We are currently in the process of moving these units to where the catchment area is larger giving us better utilization of the evaporators.
We found the MINETEK WATER team listened and supported our situation with helpful guidance and advice to layout the evaporator pipework maximising their efficiency. I would highly recommend the units to others needing a cost effective solution to excess water.”
Our evaporators are still performing flawlessly and working absolutely great. They have been running 24/7 without a single hiccup. Thanks again!”
After investigating a raft of different methods from sprinkler systems through to desalination systems (too costly for little benefit) we decided on the MINETEK WATER units. The evaporators were easy to install and once activated ran trouble free. We were very happy with the service from MINETEK and the reliability of the system.
Solutions
