Optimization of mine ventilation fan speeds according to ventilation on demand and time of use tariff

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Authors

Chatterjee, Arnab
Zhang, Lijun
Xia, Xiaohua

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Publisher

Elsevier

Abstract

In the current situation of the energy crisis, the mining industry has been identified as a promising area for application of demand side management (DSM) techniques. This paper investigates the potential for energy-cost savings and actual energy savings, by implementation of variable speed drives to ventilation fans in underground mines. In particular, ventilation on demand is considered in the study, i.e., air volume is adjusted according to the demand at varying times. Two DSM strategies, energy efficiency (EE) and load management (LM), are formulated and analysed. By modelling the network with the aid of Kirchhoff’s laws and Tellegen’s theorem, a nonlinear constrained minimization model is developed, with the objective of achieving EE. The model is also made to adhere to the fan laws, such that the fan power at its operating points is found to achieve realistic results. LM is achieved by finding the optimal starting time of the mining schedule, according to the time of use (TOU) tariff. A case study is shown to demonstrate the effects of the optimization model. The study suggests that by combining load shifting and energy efficiency techniques, an annual energy saving of 2540035 kW h is possible, leading to an annual cost saving of USD 277035.

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Keywords

Load management, Mine ventilation, Optimization, Ventilation on demand (VOD), Demand side management (DSM), Energy efficiency (EE), Time of use (TOU) tariff

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Citation

Chatterjee, A, Zhang, L & Xia, X 2015, 'Optimization of mine ventilation fan speeds according to ventilation on demand and time of use tariff', Applied Energy, vol. 146, pp.65-73.