Papers

Vale's Stobie Mine conditions 283 m3/s (600,000 cfm) of fresh air via an underground ice stope system. Although the heating value from the system is significant, there are many challenges to operate and maintain an underground system. Vale is currently hosting a project through the Deep Mining Research Consortium (DMRC) to test the logistics of a Modular Thermal Transfer Unit (MTTU) in climates with seasonal freezing conditions. The purpose of the project is to develop a system that provides a means of both freezing and evaporating water to condition mine ventilation air; with three main objectives 1) to reduce the operating cost required to heat and cool mine air supply via an economical alternative to refrigeration and combustion heating equipment, 2) provide a system that is easy to maintain relative to an underground system, and 3) develop a modular system that may be readily deployed.

This paper will focus on construction, functional description and projected results.