Installation and commissioning of new primary fans at Barrick’s Kanowna Belle Mine, Kalgoorlie, Australia

Abstract

Barrick's Kanowna Belle gold mine in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, has reached a depth of 1100m and further development will take it to 1250m. A feasibility study undertaken in 2006 identified the mining of E-block as both technically and commercially feasible. One of the major requirements of mining this block was upgrading the existing primary ventilation fans. These fans consisted of three 450 kW axial fans that provided approximately 490 m3/s of airflow. The feasibility study concluded that an additional 160 m3/s was required for E block. Subsequent study showed that in order to achieve this, two of the existing fans were to be replaced with 2 x 450 kW axial fans in series, each of them, and the other was to be replaced with at 1400 kW axial fan. The processes of installation and commissioning of these new fans are discussed in this paper.