While large portal fans are popular for good mine ventilation, Protan believes that with efficient ducting such as Ventiflex it is possible to use smaller, less energy hungry portal fans and, furthermore, reduce the number of boosters required to deliver excellent air quality to the entire worksite – saving millions of dollars. Protan notes “in a mine, ventilation accounts for some 30% of the energy bill so anything that can offer significant savings is bound to make a mine manager smile.”
Ventiflex is dedicated ventilation fabric for cost-effective reusable ventilation ducting. It is not formed from bought-in components. Using proprietary recipes the UV-proof outer surface is designed to absorb knocks from equipment operating in artificial light while the smooth inner surface offers minimal resistance to the passage of air. To avoid the costly turbulence created by spiral steel re-enforcement the two fabrics are melded to a strong, lightweight, yet flexible, knitted cloth that is noted for containing accidental damage to the puncture area rather than ‘stripping’ into ribbons as is common with poorly-made ducting.
As the Ventiflex fabric is formed into ducts of up to 500 m long, a continuous suspension strip, incorporating non-corroding, nylon eyelets, is welded into the seam. While heavily-galvanised steel ring closures are available, rather than having to stock these accessories, most customers now opt for either the heavy-duty nylon zips or super-strong Velcro to ensure smooth airtight connections between duct sections.
Protan has many case studies to illustrate how, by working closely with leading fan manufacturers and using an intelligent management system to monitor air quality and optimise air delivery, mines using Ventiflex have not only slashed their energy bill but also, by reducing the load on the equipment, have reduced fan maintenance and repair costs while, all the time, delivering quality air to every active corner of the operation.
Rigid steel or GRP ducting has its place but transporting tubes full of air to site or installing a strip forming plant can be very costly. Furthermore, deformation from accidental impact will reduce efficiency and increase energy costs.
Ventiflex is delivered palleted and ready to be installed by skilled Protan-trained operatives.
As a mine evolves production areas change, rigid ducting is often beyond use and abandoned while Ventiflex ducting can be quickly dismounted and re-used in a new gallery. Another cost advantage, at the end of the project, Ventiflx can be retrieved, cleaned a re-palleted and stored ready for re-use or sale.