More than half of the country’s coal mines are managed by pro-Russian separatist militia.

Credit: DmyTo/Shutterstock.

One of the major challenges of underground mining operations is ensuring workers’ safety with adequate airflow, while keeping operating costs manageable and increasing overall efficiency. There are numerous regional safety standards and regulations, with each application varying in terms of required airflow, temperature and humidity changes, and levels of air particulate. Companies are challenged to increase cost savings, by optimizing energy consumption and ensuring employee safety, health and productivity.

AirEng, a fully-owned subsidiary and collaborative partner of New York Blower, has been helping companies to reduce operating costs and increase worker safety through high efficiency mining ventilation solutions for decades. The experience and expertise of these two companies has resulted in the completion of several large mining projects, including a recent contract for Australia’s Gwalia underground mine.

AirEng was contracted to provide a turnkey high efficiency ventilation system which would reduce operating costs and improve worker safety. One of the biggest challenges was protecting workers and directing cool air from the surface to the workers below. Temperatures at the bottom of the mine would climb to around 87°F (30°C), and without adequate airflow workers would be put at risk to heat exhaustion, oxygen deprivation, and exposure to toxic gases.

AirEng was consulted for their expertise in assessing the current system, evaluating the efficiency, and determining what changes would help produce a more efficient system. The project included primary fans, the electric power unit, and civil construction system. Upon successful installation, the results were improved safety and comfort of the miners, as well as providing a static efficiency in excess of 85%—which helped the mining company save on energy costs long term.

Four of the most common safety hazards include oxygen deprivation, exposure to flammable and toxic gases, inhalation of particulates in the air, and unsafe temperature and humidity levels. System designers need to understand these common hazards and know how to limit or account for these real world challenges. Modifications and customizations are common to help overcome these obstacles.

Mining applications require the use of several fans within the complete system. Primary fans are installed at the intake side to drive air through the entryway of a tunnel, and at the return side to remove air from the system. Secondary fans, also referred to as auxiliary or booster fans, are smaller, portable fans used for supplemental airflow. Both primary and secondary fans can be axial, centrifugal, or mixed flow fans. Typically both types of fans are used to help facilitate airflow in any underground mine.

In order for an engineer to properly design the fan, several key factors must be discussed to account for each applications’ unique challenges. Some of these factors include:

• Aerodynamic and noise requirements
• A sketch showing dimensions of connections to the fan system and where you need pressure
• Corrosive and erosive properties of the air
• Power type available (voltage, frequency)
• Environmental conditions
• Site location and physical limitations
• Required equipment life and reliability

Collaboration between the on-site or project manager, and the fan system designer is crucial for proper fan selection, calculating the system losses and flow conditions, and mechanically designing the fan. With this information, as well as discussing any previous operating inefficiencies, nyb can select the optimal fan for performance, quality, cost, and reliability.

It is important to take into account all possible health and safety hazards, as well as unique challenges and constraints of the location and environment. The best way to do so is to work with an experienced fan manufacturer that can supply a turn key solution and provide ongoing support. With each application having unique challenges, a custom engineered solution is needed to meet the precise requirements. Partnering with a knowledgeable ventilation equipment manufacturer, like The New York Blower Company, can help select a customized solution.

More than half of the country’s coal mines are managed by pro-Russian separatist militia.

Credit: DmyTo/Shutterstock.

The US Environmental Protection Agency has shown that the leftover materials from uranium mines are hazardous to human, animals and ecosystems more broadly. The agency has also said that radioactive dust from tailings can blow into towns and onto surface water, posing a risk of uranium contamination to groundwater. In addition, miners and residents living close to mines could suffer from elevated cancer rates, birth defects, and other health conditions.

Roger Clark, programme director of the Grand Canyon Trust, said in an article by the Arizonian publication azcentral that radiation from the now-closed Orphan Mine below the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, abandoned in 1969, contaminated even the metal from old equipment, which had to be disposed of.

Despite the government spending more than $15m to clean up the site, hikers are still warned against drinking water from Horn Creek and Salt Creek, located downstream from the mine.

There are also fears for the Canyon’s 2,000-plus animal and plant species, some of which are endangered or endemic to the area.

Amber Reimondo, energy programme director of the Grand Canyon Trust, has previously called uranium mining near the Grand Canyon “an unnecessary gamble of a sacred landscape, a worldwide wonder and a primary driver of the Northern Arizona economy,” as reported by the Centre for Biological Diversity, a US conservation organisation.

Tourism is another reason that turns locals against uranium mining. With more than 9,000 jobs and $938m in annual receipts generated in the region, and $160m going into the state and local government, citizens are concerned that any environmental degradation caused by increased mining activity will negatively impact this lucrative sector.

People in favour of the ban now fear that even if the bill reaches Donald Trump's desk, it's unlikely he'll sign it, based on his recent comments on the White House website, where he announced the implementation of polices to "increase energy production and advance energy independence."

Energy Fuels (one of the companies seeking to mine in the area) marketing and corporate development vice president Curtis Moore says that activist groups have unsuccessfully tried numerous times to overturn the Canyon mine licenses in court, but the mine is fully licensed and in compliance with all permits.

“The facility is heavily regulated by an array of federal and state agencies, including the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, the US Environmental Protection Agency, and US Forest Service,” he says.

Asked about the risks uranium mining poses to the environment and the locals, Moore explains that modern uranium mining is nothing like it used to be: “It’s done in a highly regulated, responsible manner that is fully protective of human health and the environment.”

He also adds that, “The last ‘breccia pipe’ (a rock composed of broken fragments of minerals) deposit to cause contamination was an old copper mine inside the Grand Canyon that started production 130 years ago.

“This is the only documented case of a breccia pipe mine in the area causing environmental contamination. Needless to say, a lot has changed since then, and the activists have no credibility on this issue,” he claims.

Instead, Moore emphasises the threats which uranium exploration decline is posing to the local mining industry. While both miners and operators are awaiting the “reinvigoration” of the industry and the implementation of polices to advance energy independence, mining infrastructure is collapsing.

“Just this month [January 2020], there have been dozens more uranium workers laid-off, and the largest licensed uranium mine in the U.S. [Mount Taylor in New Mexico] announced that it is being reclaimed and closed forever,” Moore says.

“In 2020, US uranium production will essentially be zero for the first time since before World War II,” he concludes.

As 20% of all the energy the US uses is generated by nuclear power, the main element needed for nuclear stations - uranium - has become essential.

Uranium is also crucial to businesses and the military, such that, without indigenous mines, relying on imports could pose a substantial risk to the security and functionality of the country.

In 2018, the Interior Department officially listed uranium as a critical mineral, and the Department of Commerce (DOC) began researching the feasibility of imposing import quotas and domestic purchasing requirements on firms within the nation.

During that same time, Energy Fuels and Ur-Energy filed what is known as a Petition for relief under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, requesting that the government investigate whether imported uranium from outside US is a threat to national security.

The DOC submitted their report and recommendations to President Trump in April 2019.

Moore says: “We believe the report says that the DOC found that uranium imports were having an adverse effect on US national security, and we believe they recommended that Trump takes action to address the problem.”

“We’ve asked to see a copy of the report; however, the Trump administration has been keeping it confidential for some unknown reason.”

With the US currently importing 93% of all its commercial uranium, including 75% from four countries: Canada, Kazakhstan, Australia and Russia, producers also asked for uranium import limits.

At the time of writing, Trump’s administration declined to impose import limits, but voiced concerns over national security, and established the US Nuclear Fuel Working Group to review the state of US nuclear fuel.

Operators have not seen any further government action to date, but there is a distinct possibility of the administration greenlighting new uranium mines as a result of the inquiry.

While increased uranium exploration near the Grand Canyon could pose contamination risks, banning an already diminishing industry could harm the country’s energy security. The seriousness of each charge remains to be proven but what is clear is that some important decisions need to be made about the future of the US uranium industry and the interests of the inhabitants of the area.