Solution to Pollution.

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Christopher Donald Moore
5 years ago
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1 Solution to Pollution. By Dmitry Przhedetsky (MEng, FAusIMM) the Founding Director of Rock Cognition Pty Ltd (Photo by Kostya Ryjenko) There are multiple advantages of dust collectors this is something that often gets overlooked, especially under strict cost cutting policy. However, dust collectors are not only a solution to the OH&S and environmental problems, they also bring cost savings. As the Australian mining industry is under strict cost cutting pressure and companies are trying to reduce the operating costs and cut down on capital expenditures and upgrades, there is a high risk of overlooking the modern solutions to dust control. While the remaining scanty financial resources will be spent on upkeep of the existing equipment, very few people will be looking at upgrading their fleet with various add-ons, such as dust collectors. This may be a crucial oversight, as not only the Dust Collectors offer a successful solution to the OH&S issues, hence increase uptime, but also Dust Collectors retrofitted to the existing drills will increase the penetration rate and precision of drilling. The later will contribute greatly to more consistent fragmentation, hence more savings down the cycle due to less oversize; better loading factor; less wear of buckets; trays and conveyors. Unlike other dust removal solutions (e.g. water or foam), the operating cost of air-suction based dust collectors is substantially less, as they neither require water reticulation, nor extra supply of chemicals. In underground environment, dust control is a fundamental issue and, regardless of the efficiency of the underground ventilation, should be a prerequisite. In open cut environment drill rigs have never been consider the major source of dust generation, yet they contribute to the overall volume of dust generated at the mine site. Again, efficient removal of dust and debris from blast holes will contribute to higher bailing velocity and better penetration rates, especially with multi-pass drilling. In exploration drilling it is even more critical to keep the hole clean, as in absence of a decent dust collector to remove cuttings from the top of the hole there is increased likelihood of cuttings falling

back into hole from the edge of the hole when the rig s air is turned off (e.g. when adding rods). This will increase the chance of bogging rods because cuttings will get reground in the hole.

2 back into hole from the edge of the hole when the rig s air is turned off (e.g. when adding rods). This will increase the chance of bogging rods because cuttings will get reground in the hole. On top of it, in any application the advantage of dust collectors, apart from obvious OH&S and environmental advantages, is that it keeps the rig cleaner which means it generally also gets better service and maintenance. There are multiple advantages of dust collectors this is something that often gets overlooked, especially under strict cost cutting policy. However, dust collectors are not only a solution to the OH&S and environmental problems, they also bring cost savings. Just recently the author visited one of the best manufacturers of Industrial Dust collectors in the world ILMEG Products AB. The ILMEG factory is located in Nyköping (approximately 1 hour drive from the Swedish capital Stockholm.) The company has just moved into a newly erected building, as it has outgrown the old one. ILMEG was founded in 1971 and has been growing ever since, currently being represented in 15 countries and exceeding the annual revenue of Euro 1.8 mln. Dust Collectors amount for nearly half of the revenue, with the other half generated from the Aftermarket; Precision Drilling Solutions and Asphalt Fume Solutions. Having adopted the lean manufacturing strategy, ILMEG very much focused on two things: individual solutions for its clients and an advanced engineering design. Both concepts are driven by Magnus Eriksson The President. Prior to taking the lead of ILMEG, Mr Eriksson has spent many years with another Swedish mining equipment manufacturer Atlas Copco. He has certainly inherited and brought to ILMEG their innovative approach, demand for quality and the ability to customise the equipment for clients. One of the recent innovations of the company is a Dust Collector unit with self-cleaning filters. The ILMEG Dust Collector self-cleaning procedure (photo by Dmitry Przhedetsky).

These are the main features of the new ILMEG Dust Collector: Superior Capacity The suction capacity, created by the unique design of the suction fan, is sufficient for any drilling application.

3 These are the main features of the new ILMEG Dust Collector: Superior Capacity The suction capacity, created by the unique design of the suction fan, is sufficient for any drilling application. The new self-cleaning filters, which are cleaned with reversed air during the drilling process, ensure that the full filter capacity is utilized at all times. Improved efficiency Clean filters combined with a suction fan with high efficiency mean reduced power consumption and less noise compared to existing dust collectors. Reliable The new filter design, using 4 filters instead of 24 filters in combination with high quality components result in high reliability of the system. Compact and Robust The X-Series is specially designed for the extreme demand of mobile drilling equipment in the construction and mining industry. Another ILMEG product worth mentioning here is their Precision Drilling gauge called the MecAngie. ILMEG MecAngie - Precision Drilling gauge (photo by Dmitry Przhedetsky). The Mec Angie was developed to improve the drilling accuracy by aligning the feed beam in the right direction of drilling blast holes. The benefits with accurate drilling are evident in reduced explosives and the possibility to expand the holes pattern. This instrument s main benefits compared to electronic devises are the robustness and that it is fully mechanical.

4 As an entirely mechanical indicator, the Mec Angie incorporates the following significant features: Only one part (the sensor and readout unit are both placed in one box) Direct reading of analogue display No electric power needed No pre-setting of the angle Easy to read Quick and easy to install Very low maintenance cost Yet, the Dust Collectors would still remain the ILMEG number 1 product, as not only it perfectly works in mining, but also it works now at many construction sites. Just recently we saw on the French News that due to some construction in the neighbourhood, the invaluable paintings of the Musée de l'orangerie got covered with construction dust. A few may argue, but there are some things which are even more precious than the Monet and Cézanne masterpieces, such as our lungs. Not only we need to protect our national heritage, but also we need to make sure that the dust pollution is managed adequately at any construction site. It is even more so, if a construction site is adjacent to a fully operating hospital. In 2004 ILMEG has commissioned its Dust Collector at the construction site for a new hospital in the Northern part of the Norwegian capital Oslo. What made this project unique was that the new hospital was built wall to wall with the existing hospital. The existing hospital had been continuing all activities during the construction period. Understandably, the owner s demand on dust and vibrations was extremely tough. Totally 330,000 bcm have been excavated whereof over 30% was blasted rock. Much to the relief of the doctors (and certainly the patients), the newly developed Centralized Zero Dust Collector System reduced the dust levels to the absolute minimum during the construction. The dust collector was operated via radio signals and was electrically powered. Throughout the entire project the owner had been monitoring the dust inside the existing hospital. If the dust levels were too high they would have closed down the construction works immediately. This has not happened.

ILMEG self-cleaning Dust Filter (photo by Dmitry Przhedetsky). Dmitry Przhedetsky (M Eng (Mining), FAusIMM) is a director of Rock Cognition Pty Ltd. Contact him at: dmitry@rockcognition.com.

5 ILMEG self-cleaning Dust Filter (photo by Dmitry Przhedetsky). Dmitry Przhedetsky (M Eng (Mining), FAusIMM) is a director of Rock Cognition Pty Ltd. Contact him at: dmitry@rockcognition.com.au Dmitry Przhedetsky (M Eng (Mining), FAusIMM) is a Managing Director of Rock Cognition Pty Ltd an Australian socially responsible mining consultancy company. Rock Cognition has completed projects for various clients across the world every time it has delivered Handmade mining consulting services to its clients. Of course, the ideas and their execution incorporate the latest technology and modern software. Rock Cognition people just use them as artisans adopting every client s need and customising every solution. This is why Rock Cognition is often called a boutique mining consultancy. Its solutions are designed individually for its clients. Rock Cognition was one of the first consultancies to adopt the strategy of project reinforcement. This means that not only it works for a client it works with the client and on behalf of the client. Dmitry Przhedetsky s individual experience and knowledge base covers a broad range of minerals from iron ore to salt mining; from underground coal to uranium mining and from quarrying to tunnelling. Dmitry Przhedetsky has been responsible for successful implementation of new mining methods and equipment, such as: surface miners for iron ore and salt mining in Australia; 50- tonne underground truck and new generation of underground loaders in Australia; Mitsubishi TBM for soft rocks and Teledyne breakers for gold mining in the former CIS. He has been involved in many major international mining projects and worked in all States and Territories of Australia; New Zealand; New Caledonia; USA; Canada; India; Germany; France; Russia; Ukraine; Kazakhstan; Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan. For many years Dmitry Przhedetsky has been providing consulting services to investors, government officials, equipment manufacturers, and broader community. Dmitry has contributed papers to many Australian and international mining media, covering a variety of topics from mine safety to hydrogeology; from mining equipment to business development.

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