Howden South Africa, in conjunction with Howden Australia were awarded a contract to increase the underground ventilation of the Somisy Syama Gold mine, located in the West African country of Mali.
Following a tender process JB Switchgear Solutions (JBSS) were appointed by Howden South Africa to provide a complete skid-mounted containerised underground substation to power two new 750 kW fans.
A major contribution to the unique nature of this substation is the requirement for a specially modified eight metre container to optimise space in the underground location, as well as the fact that the two 750 kW fans are to be powered by variable speed drives (VSD’s) which are fitted inside the container.
JB Switchgear integrated the motor control centre and the VSD’s in a single panel of uniform depth and height without duplication of equipment. The variable speed drives produce around 30 kW of heat inside the container, and to overcome this excessive heat load, the company designed a ducting system incorporating maintenance-free spin filters with roof exhausts to eject the main VSD heat losses directly out of the container. The balance of heat losses inside the container are kept under control by a 32,000 BTU air conditioner.
JB Switchgear successfully completed the project on time, within budget, and to the full satisfaction of the customer.
Enquiries: Johan Basson Tel. +27 (0) 11 027 5804/ +27 82 852 6401 or Email info@jbswitchgear.co.za
