Endesa Background Ventilation

The SAME Solution generates an Assisted Natural Ventilation which complies with being an energetically efficient solution in terms of achieving the expected air renewals.

This design is achieved utilizing the wind energy, plus the assistance of axial fans (located at the base of the dome and at the static fan) to generate the static pressure field needed to move the air inside the dome to ensure the air renewal and maintain a methane concentration below the set regulation.

Hood Monitoring System

Based on the SAME patented High Energy Hood system (Patent No. 46866-2010) and developed within the BHP Billiton (Spence) World Class Supplier Cluster program.

Objectives

• Generate the first real-time monitoring platform for an acid mist control system in electrowinning cells.
• Optimize the asset management of the acid mist control system, aiming for an increase in availability and efficiency, thus improving the air quality for the personnel exposed in these tasks.

System Benefits

• Capacity of increasing production rates, complying with national and international environmental regulations.
• Applicable worldwide in any mining operation with copper, nickel, or other electrowinning process.
• Cost reduction, due to better management of the acid mist control system.

Nikkelverk

In 2015 Nikkelverk is in the stage of testing different solutions for acid mist control for a future expansion project. Norwegian legislation requires that the concentration of acid mist should be less than 0.05 mg/m3, 16 times lower than the current Chilean standard.

SAME achieved this concentration in the first approach of its pilot, and Nikkelverk extended the contract to develop advances in the washing system of the hoods. This already results in having doubled the autonomy time of the system without manual maintenance.

(Nikkelverk Current Density: approx. 200 amp/m2)