Reducing compressed air wastage by installing new technology in underground mines

Compressed air is notorious for its generation cost. In order to manage this, in-depth investigations are required as to where the air goes and why. This paper focusses specifically on compressed air wastage at the stopes. After initial investigation it was soon established that there were more important impacts to this energy wastage phenomenon. Rock Drill Operators (RDO´s) leave manifold valves open due to negligence as well as for ventilation purposes. This habit also causes a pressure drop at drills and therefore extends the RDO´s drilling time which results in: Extended risk exposure; Negativity amongst RDO´s and; Potential root cause for strikes. The need arose for an intelligent mechanical valve that closes automatically when certain conditions are met. The authors are involved in developing an Automatic Air Closing Valve that is suited for the mining environment. The operation of this valve is that it will close automatically when it experiences excess flow and opens once backpressure is experienced. The impact that the valve will have is that of a lower risk working environment, lower use of energy as well as an improved drill supply pressure. It is intended to install this valve on the major mining houses in South Africa that use compressed air drills.