Understanding equipment condition and effects on ventilation.

Noranda Technology Centre and Brunswick Mining have developed the undiluted gas acquisition system, which uses off-the-shelf technology to acquire undiluted exhaust gas from underground diesel vehicles. The analyser measures CO, NO, NO2 and O2 and calculates CO2, total oxides of nitrogen and combustion efficiency. The analyser also acquires back pressure as well as gas and ambient temperatures. A custom Windows software application has been developed to communicate with the gas analyser. This features an integrated testing protocol, database tools and a function calculator for customised parameters. A modified exhaust quality index is calculated for each engine, which helps in the detection of engine problems and can be used to track engine performance over time. Tests at Kidd Creek, in Ontario, and Gaspe, Matagami and Louvicourt, in Quebec, have shown that this is an effective tool for understanding how diesel exhaust emissions affect mine ventilation.
Noranda Technology Centre and Brunswick Mining have developed the undiluted gas acquisition system, which uses off-the-shelf technology to acquire undiluted exhaust gas from underground diesel vehicles. The analyser measures CO, NO, NO2 and O2 and calculates CO2, total oxides of nitrogen and combustion efficiency. The analyser also acquires back pressure as well as gas and ambient temperatures. A custom Windows software application has been developed to communicate with the gas analyser. This features an integrated testing protocol, database tools and a function calculator for customised parameters. A modified exhaust quality index is calculated for each engine, which helps in the detection of engine problems and can be used to track engine performance over time. Tests at Kidd Creek, in Ontario, and Gaspe, Matagami and Louvicourt, in Quebec, have shown that this is an effective tool for understanding how diesel exhaust emissions affect mine ventilation.