Intelligent power management solution for complete underground mine power distribution will optimise and strengthen the power supply while accelerating maintenance and boosting safety. ABB has been awarded its first order for the newly developed ABB Smart MinePowerTM system from Boliden for its Kankberg gold mine in Sweden, enhancing remote monitoring and control of electricity to cut costs, boost safety and ease maintenance.
The order, including an energy-saving Resibloc EcoDry transformer, MNS switchgears with TMax XT distribution groups and mSpeed VSD groups with ACS850 drives, was booked in January 2015, with commissioning by the end of June. In addition to upgrading one of Kankberg’s 11 substations with this new equipment, ABB is responsible for its integration into the mine-wide 800xA control system.
Should a fault occur in a cable feeding the substation, ABB Smart MinePower technology allows mine operators to quickly locate the problem and adjust protection settings to accommodate power from a second feeding route, reducing downtime and boosting safety until normal operations can be restored.
Via ABB’s System 800xA, power distribution can be remotely monitored and controlled, an extension of the “Internet of Things, Services and People.” Operators can not only respond to failures without entering the mine but will have more data to make proactive decisions about circuit-breaker maintenance.
“ABB’s new Smart MinePowerM technology is an ideal power management solution for underground mines, facilitating energy measurement and optimisation,” says Peter Terwiesch, President of ABB’s Process Automation division. “It will help to solve many efficiency-related challenges in existing mines and will increase safety for the entire operation, setting the standards for future projects.”
The system is based on a modular concept whose durable design and pre-manufactured dockable units are built for mobility, flexibility and easy expandability as the mine advances to exploit further resources.
Functions include supervision and control of protection settings, alarm management, dynamic selectivity planning, selectivity supervision, improved maintenance and operator assistance, fault tracking and localization. ABB Smart MinePower system also uses fuseless technology and safe-with-earth fault protection and arc guard.