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Mine compressed air systems are energy intensive with the potential for optimisation and electricity cost savings. However, funding for energy saving initiatives has reduced significantly since 2013. A need therefore exists, for cost-effective energy management strategies that can be implemented in short timeframes. Upgrading existing throttle control systems on compressors is expensive. Existing...
Deep-level mines make use of energy intensive compressed air systems to supply energy for underground mining equipment. These systems are complex due to large underground networks and the size and age of existing infrastructure. Typical deep-level mine compressed air systems consume approximately 20% of the mine's total electricity demand. An insufficient supply of compressed air can result in costly...
In 2015, Eskom introduced fundamental changes to the Demand Side Management (DSM) energy services company (ESCo) model. This included a mandatory three-year sustainability period for all DSM projects. The funding available to ESCos was reduced and the funding structure altered to be performance based over the three years. Thus, the focus of this paper was to develop a sustainable project strategy...
Compressed air supply and demand strategies have received significant attention since integrated demand management was initiated by Eskom. Due to the expensive nature of this vastly utilised energy carrier, every increase in the efficiency of a system is needed. Usually controlling the compressed air demand resulted in a reduced need for supply, ultimately leading to energy savings. The majority of...
Energy costs are increasing rapidly. Energy efficiency strategies are required to reduce electricity consumption for energy intensive operations. Cooling systems of deep level mines consume approximately 25% of their total electricity consumption. Cold water supplied by these systems is reticulated throughout the mine. Water reticulation can account for a further 42% of the total electricity consumption...
Mines in general, make use of compressed air systems for daily operational activities. Compressed air on mines is traditionally distributed via compressed air ring networks where multiple shafts are supplied with compressed air from an integral system. These compressed air networks make use of a number of compressors feeding the ring from various locations in the network. While these mines have sophisticated...
Compressed air is an energy intensive utility that is frequently used in the deep level mining industry. Most compressed air networks are designed to ensure ample compressed air supply to consumers. This has created the foundation for existing compressed air energy saving projects on deep level mines. Over the past decade, electricity costs in South Africa increased drastically. As a result, the need...
The performance of industrial DSM projects often deteriorates without proper maintenance. Underperforming DSM projects waste money and increase the demand for electricity from Eskom. A solution to this problem is dedicated maintenance on industrial DSM projects. This ensures maximum performance and maximum electricity cost savings. In this paper, the business case for industrial DSM maintenance is...
South African industries are facing worrying cost implications related to their electricity usage. These include carbon tax, increased reactive power charges, unavoidable tariff increases and the Energy Conservation Scheme (ECS). Some of these proposed schemes and increases are not enforced yet, but pose a threat to the financial well-being of large key customers such as the gold mining industry....
Insufficient generating capacity forced Eskom, the primary electricity producer in South Africa, to delay maintenance. This caused deterioration in generation plant health and performance. Eskom is currently expanding their generation capacity to curb the high demand. This is expensive and time consuming. Energy efficiency projects are an alternative approach to match supply and demand. These projects...
A previous paper described the development of a compressed air control system called REMS-DCS (Real-time Energy Management System for Dynamic Compressor Selection). This system dynamically selects compressors based on their efficiency and position within the compressed air network [1]. REMS-DCS was empirically tested and the results verified with existing off the shelf simulation models as well as...
Eskom issued warnings that the supply of electricity would be under pressure during the winter months of 2013 due to lack of reserve capacity, and planned maintenance that cannot be postponed any further. In addition, Eskom's power buy-back programme on a number of smelters has come to an end in May 2013, which leads to a possibility of increased come-back load from the participating customers. This...
The implementation of Variable Speed Drives (VSDs) on electric motors forms part of strategies and initiatives that contribute towards energy efficient operations in the industry. The electrical efficiency of a motor can be improved by controlling its speed to match the requirements of the process it is applied to. The use of electric motors can be split in two categories; constant torque — and variable...
Deep level gold and platinum mine compressed air systems contribute significantly to the total mine electricity consumption. Insufficient compressed air supply will lead to production losses. Many mines often counteract this risk by ensuring that an oversupply of compressed air is always available, resulting in increased production costs. Significantly higher electrical energy costs and a generally...
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