Mining’s old guard needs strong medicine
A new report details subpar investor returns in the mining industry over the last decade, particularly big cap diversified companies which have not adapted to new realities.
Where gold extraction reaches 2400 m below surface, the virgin rock temperatures can be greater than 50°C. Furthermore, the excavating activity creates additional heat that must be fought.
In view of the underground heat rejection limitations and costs in deep mines, the introduction of ice from surface becomes a viable alternative. The latent heat of fusion of the ice provides pure cooling energy.
Each kilo of ice absorbs 334 k Joules as it melts, way more than cold water. Ice is easily conveyed down the main shaft and reaches the 1800 m level in a matter of seconds. Hence the ice-cooling system reduces the pumping costs at the mine to less than 20 %.
In June 2013, KTI had been awarded a first contract to supply 2 x 200 ton Ice plants and extend an existing surface ice plant at this site. KTI successfully demonstrated the technical feasibility and the economic viability of the containerized ice plant concept in a very convincing way.
The trial 400 tons/day plant was pre-fabricated in record time at the German KTI factory in Balzheim and delivered to site in early November 2013. It was then erected and commissioned in just 10 days. Once the plant was in full production, an average daily production of 440 tons per day was achieved.
This successful result led KTI’s South Africa customers to logically haste the second extension phase, adding four new plate ice plants of one Megawatt each. They will be supplied along with a new 1.5 Megawatt water chiller, raising the overall capacity at this mine to 3,300 tons/day.
KTI-Plersch Kältetechnik GmbH is a German, Balzheim-based, refrigeration company specialized in containerized ice plants for the industrial and food-processing applications.
Over more than 25 years, the KTI Ice plants have acquired a unique reputation for dependability and performance in extreme weather conditions ; from arid Middle East deserts (readymix concrete cooling applications) to cold Alpine mountains (All-weather Snowmaking in ski resorts).
KTI is N°1 in concrete cooling worldwide. The company also devises its know-how in ice engineering to the Mining and a wide range of other applications such as Dye manufacturing, Fishing and Food processing in general.
The 2013 diversification towards other ice applications, led the company to boost its investment in Research and Development. Remarked innovations and commercial successes stem from R&D and the concept of advanced industrial refrigeration systems built in containerized mobile ice plants.
