MineARC was recently given the opportunity to visit Oyu Tolgoi LLC, the largest copper and gold mining company in Mongolia, and a long-standing and valued client of MineARC.
Our China Business Development Manager, Davy Li, travelled with Global Service Manager, Brad Whittaker, to Oyu Tolgoi’s Khanbogd site; a combined open pit and underground mining project located within the South Gobi Desert. The visit provided the opportunity to offer updated service training and inspect their current chambers. It also gave MineARC some valuable insights into the operations and requirements of the Rio Tinto operated mine and the Mongolian mining industry.
MineARC commissioned the first chamber for Oyu Tolgoi at the Khanbogd mine in 2007 – an HRM Series II. Since then, our close relationship has seen the integration of a number of Extra Low Voltage, Portable Chambers (ELVPs) into their Emergency Response Plan (ERP).
Oyu Tolgoi has embraced MineARC’s ELVP Refuge Chambers due to their small, compact design that allows easy manoeuvrability within tight mining confines. Designed for optimum self-autonomy, the unique, extra-low voltage control systems allows the chamber to go long periods of time (up to 6 weeks) without connection to mains (mine) power.
Like the HRM Series IV, the ELVP utilises active chemicals in conjunction with MineARC’s unique electrical scrubbing system to remove the build-up of harmful CO and CO2 from the air inside the refuge chamber.
Chamber commissioning and training underground Oyu Tolgoi have also been early adopters of the EnviroLAV, MineARC’s award-winning waste management system. With many mines in Mongolia and other parts of Asia suffering the impact of poor ventilation and waste disposal, the EnviroLAV’s innovative design has proved to be a breath of fresh air for the Khanbogd site.
Drawing on existing biological technologies currently used in two different forms of waste management, the system utilises aerobic and anaerobic reactions to break down matter. Within the EnviroLAV’s sterile, biological treatment tank, micro-aeration filters continually work to break down effluent, aided by MineARC’s unique EnviroZYME solution. As a result, the EnviroLAV requires emptying just once every 12 months.
Chamber commissioning and training underground Oyu Tolgoi have also been early adopters of the EnviroLAV, MineARC’s award-winning waste management system. With many mines in Mongolia and other parts of Asia suffering the impact of poor ventilation and waste disposal, the EnviroLAV’s innovative design has proved to be a breath of fresh air for the Khanbogd site.
Drawing on existing biological technologies currently used in two different forms of waste management, the system utilises both aerobic and anaerobic reactions to break down matter. Within the EnviroLAV’s sterile, biological treatment tank, micro-aeration filters continually work to break down effluent, aided by MineARC’s unique EnviroZYME solution. As a result, the EnviroLAV requires emptying just once every 12 months.
This process of organic waste management results in decreased environmental impact, lower maintenance requirements and a more sanitary working environment.