Ventilation systems provider TLT Actom is aiming its holistic Total Ventilation Solution at the domestic mining sector to provide its innovative ventilation fans as customised systems that reduce the cost of ownership and ensure working conditions are safe and energy efficiency is enhanced.

TLT Actom operations director Craig Johnston believes that TLT Actom’s approach is ideal for addressing the concerns of the Southern African market. “We have come to realise that, in Southern Africa, power is becoming a far higher input cost in our industries and processes than it was in the past.”

He says TLT Actom applies innovative, lateral ideas to solutions that save energy by offering the best efficiency selections for the applications. “We can supply products that are not only more efficient in their performance but are also tailored to deliver the required air at the required time.” For example, TLT Actom fans can be designed to have different degrees of control to meet the specific levels of ventilation required for increased ambient temperature or activity, or when measured pollutants move beyond a preset tolerance.

The Total Ventilation Solution approach aims to provide complete solutions to the challenges of subterranean mines. According to Johnston, the main focus of the solution is on making clients’ operations more efficient in terms of both performance and energy consumption, thereby having a significant impact on total cost of ownership.
“Capital cost is one aspect that clients are most heavily focused on, but TLT Actom strives for excellence in power efficiency, maintainability and life expectancy – all factors that can easily outweigh the initial purchase price,” he says, adding that, to do this, the company relies on advanced technology derived from its parent company, TLT-Turbo.

Johnston states that the most innovative suppliers can help their clients look beyond the initial capital cost, considering the short-, medium- and long-term running costs, which include absorbed power and maintenance.

Providing an example of how its innovation ensures that clients see a return on investment, Johnston says that, as part of a recent study, TLT Actom proposed to replace two existing mine ventilation fans with a single axial fan. “Because of its higher efficiency, it will save about 500 kW.” This results in a calculated yearly energy saving of R3.6-million, he says.

Meanwhile, Johnston highlights the issue of old equipment, stating that the current installed base of process and ventilation fans is ageing. To ensure the expected life of product is reached, this equipment has to be carefully maintained. To do this, TLT Actom provides a dedicated skilled team of fan specialists to monitor and maintain installed systems.

Where replacements are required, TLT Actom critically analyses the existing plant and, using an intellectual approach, offers improvements in factors such as efficiency, size correction or wear durability. “Wherever possible, this can be achieved without replacing the entire fan but in retrofitting the rotating element with minor modifications, thereby reducing the capital spend for the customer and ensuring an acceptable return on investment,” concludes Johnston.