Drives for mine ventilation fans

Ensuring reliable ventilation of the mine is paramount for the health and safety of workers in the underground mine. This is necessary to ensure particulates from diesel engines are adequately diluted, for example. Ventilation operating costs are often a significant proportion of the total electrical energy costs on site, and being able to ventilate in the most efficient manner saves significant operating costs.

AC drives are well recognized to be the most flexible, energy-efficient, low maintenance method for controlling mine ventilation fans. They are used to control the air flow of main ventilation fans on the surface as well as auxiliary ventilation and booster fans underground, and can be easily integrated into Ventilation on Demand (VOD) control systems.

Danfoss drives incorporate a number of performance and protection features that make them especially suitable for mine ventilation fan applications. These ensure reliable operation of the fan even in abnormal operating conditions and the optimum use of energy.

Fan control using drives offers significant cost savings for partial load operation, since the intelligent AC drive automatically adapts the motor operating level to new load situations.