Abstract
Subsurface mining operations are continuously getting deeper and more complex due to depletion of shallow deposits. This fact inevitably brings more expensive, high-tech oriented and most importantly energy intensive subsurface mining operations to come alive. Accordingly, while big mining companies are developing sensible extraction methods to exploit orebodies located at great depths, they are also seeking to cut down their costs and carbon footprint. A large percentage of the energy needed by a subsurface mine is due to the mine ventilation and air conditioning reasons. In fact, for mines deeper than 2 km, mine air conditioning becomes a must. Yet, as there are not many alternatives developed, most of the modern mines are subjected to deploy tens of megawatts worth of cooling plants using massive refrigeration units. This does not only create a large financial burden during the project stage but also results in heavy energy demands during the operation. This paper aims to investigate a natural, alternative deep-mine lake cooling system by providing a detailed ‘front-end-loading’ design conducted for a real-life, Canadian example.
Highlights
It is known that mining operations are heavily reliant on energy due to their intrinsic nature.subsurface mining operations taking the lead in terms of heavy energy demands
Subsurface mining operations taking the lead in terms of heavy energy demands
It is worth to note that, lake cooling system may not attend extremely cold air temperatures it is worth to note that, lake cooling system may not attend extremely cold air temperatures as it is not mechanized like conventional system and relies on natural resource availability
Summary
Subsurface mining operations taking the lead in terms of heavy energy demands They demand roughly 20% more energy than open pit mines per tonne of ore extracted and processed [1]. This difference is mainly due to mine air heating, ventilation and refrigeration (HVAC) purposes. A significant percentage of the Canadian mines are relying on fossil fuel driven energy generation systems to keep operating [3]. This energy dependency and attached GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions pulls the spotlights over the industry questioning its energy profile in the era of clean energy. According to Thollander and Ottosson, several studies are already assuming this; potential issues related to the environmental and energy aspects of the mining industry are soon to be harshly regulated based on the forthcoming economic and regulatory means [4]
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