Ventilation on demand at Boliden Kankberg gold mine in Sweden

ABB Ability™ Ventilation Optimizer provides fresh air for workers while delivering ventilation energy savings of 54% and air heating energy savings of 21% during first year of use

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Site location: Kankberg gold mine in Sweden (2015)
Customer: Boliden

Challenge

Boliden’s Kankberg gold mine in Northeast Sweden needs to operate ventilation equipment more efficiently

Solution

ABB has delivered an innovative demand-controlled ventilation system: ABB Ability™ Ventilation Optimizer

Benefits

Ventilation on Demand saved

  • 54% of ventilation energy
  • 21% of air heating energy

To ensure a ventilation solution that fits different demands of operation and organization, the system can be configured in three implementation levels. In this case we have implemented level 2, ventilation on demand using detection of people and machines to provide fresh air for the 500 meter deep underground mine, which extracts gold, tellurium and other minerals for commercial electronics and industrial uses.

Reliable ventilation critical to worker and equipment safety

In the mining environment, where conditions can change quickly, reliable ventilation is critical to worker and equipment safety. The control system must be adaptable and expandable for current circumstances and future operations. By using ABB Ability™ Ventilation Optimizer solution, Boliden can easily add, remove or relocate fans to where they are needed in the mine.

The ventilation on demand solution uses detection of a mining vehicle or machinery in the ventilation area, then communicates with the 800xA control system which in turn calculates the right amount of air needed and controls the fans to provide it.

Delivering on smart technologies' promise

The project extended the mine’s existing 800xA control system by adding ABB Ability™ Ventilation Optimizer to provide all work areas with plentiful fresh air to ensure worker safety and comfort. It uses a library of functions customized for this Boliden site, including heating of the fresh air brought into the mine. In addition to providing fresh air, ABB Ability™ Ventilation Optimizer helps ventilation equipment operate more efficiently. Since it was commissioned in 2015 at Kankberg, ventilation on demand saved 54% of ventilation energy, and 21% of air heating energy, when compared to operating without this technology.

“This solution truly delivers on ABB’s promise of technologies able to provide a healthy, safe and energy efficient working environment for Boliden’s operations,” said Roger Bailey, Managing Director of ABB’s Process Industries business. “It underscores our commitment to using these technologies to provide our customers in all industries with integrated solutions that significantly improve their operations while ensuring worker safety.”

Managing Director of ABB’s Process Industries business
“This solution truly delivers on ABB’s promise of smart technologies able to provide a healthy, safe and energy efficient working environment for Boliden’s operations”

Shaping the future of mining

ABB Ability™ Ventilation Optimizer provides a controlled ventilation system that delivers fresh air where and when it is needed. At the same time, it minimizes the use of energy through the utilization of on-demand functionality, which yields 30 – 50 % savings compared to normal installed power. The system also improves the safety conditions through built in functionality in case of fire such as preventing spread of smoke and enabling faster exhaust of hazardous fire gases.
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