News

In-situ Testing of VCDs: Aquacrete and PB Launch New Non-Destructive Testing Technique

Aquacrete, the Australian owned and operated ventilation control specialist, has developed in-situ testing technology that will allow underground mine operators to non-destructively verify the thickness and therefore overpressure rating compliance of ventilation control devices (VCDs).  Launched at the Australian Mine Ventilation Conference at the University of New South Wales on 6 September, the Aquacrete Thickness … Continue reading

Advances in In-situ Testing of Ventilation Control Devices for Underground Mines

Greg Kay Aquacrete, Newcastle, NSW, Australia Michael Salu Parsons Brinckerhoff, Brisbane, QLD, Australia ABSTRACT: As underground mines increasingly face the challenge of maximising production without losing focus on safety excellence, the ability to predict the effectiveness and identify defects in mine seals and stoppings plays an increasingly important role in mine ventilation management. While technologies … Continue reading

Geology Consolidation and Ventilation and Ventilation Control Devices in Underground Mines: Determination of Design, Monitoring and Safety Standards

M Salu Parsons Brinkerhoff ABSTRACT: While hazards resulting from spontaneous heating, gas migration, explosions and flooding remain a major threat to the safety and productivity of underground mines, specific research into overpressure ratings and integrity testing of ventilation control devices (VCDs), bulkheads and dams remains relatively limited. Given the difficulty to conduct field tests in … Continue reading

WATER-RETAINING BULKHEAD DESIGN FOR WATER INGRESS MANAGEMENT

Recent incidents of water inrush at underground mines in Queensland and New South Wales have underscored the role of engineered water-retaining bulkheads and dam walls as part of a water management plan. As underground mines across Australia recover from the impact of recent rainfall and subsequent flood levels, safety authorities are now warning mine operators … Continue reading

AQUACRETE UPGRADES WA MANUFACTURING PLANT

Aquacrete is set for further growth in the mining and civil sectors following the completion of a significant stage in the improvement project at its Western Australian manufacturing plant. Aimed at maximising plant efficiencies whilst ensuring stringent product quality management, the project has included a plant-wide electrical upgrade as well as the introduction of new … Continue reading

AQUACRETE SUPPORTS EARTH HOUR

On 26 March 2011, Aquacrete will join hundreds of millions of people across the planet in support of Earth Hour, the internationally recognized climate change awareness initiative. Earth Hour began in Sydney in 2007 and has become a worldwide event across 128 countries and over 4600 cities, with people and businesses switching off their electricity … Continue reading

MANUFACTURING PLANT IMPROVEMENTS COMPLETE

Stage 1 of the Plant Upgrade project at our Western Australian processing and manufacturing plant has been completed. Aimed at maximizing plant efficiencies whilst ensuring stringent product quality management, the first stage has included a plant-wide electrical upgrade as well as the introduction of new fans and an additional automated batching plant. The construction of … Continue reading

Aquacrete Engineers Water-resistant Solution for Underground mines

Aquacrete’s specialised ventilation control and geology consolidation solutions have continued to gather pace with the introduction of a new water-resistant shotblast product. Developed specifically for reinforcement and stabilisation where conditions may result in erosion from water, Aquacrete Wet-Repel™ has achieved a new benchmark in ventilation control performance. While achieving a compressive strength of up to … Continue reading

VCD Engineering Model Aids Ventilation Management Planning

Establishing a computational engineering model has facilitated certification and compliance of ventilation control devices (VCDs). Hazards resulting from spontaneous heating, gas migration, explosions and flooding remain a major threat to the safety and productivity of underground mines.  While ventilation officers rely on comprehensive computational fluid dynamic (CFD) models to simulate the various scenarios of flow … Continue reading

Underground Live Testing Leads The Way to Engineering Certification of VCD’s

The importance and complexity of the ventilation systems in many underground coalmines necessitates the calculation and determination of appropriate resistance values to be used for individual ventilation control devices (VCDs). Whilst there is a clear need to determine the required product strength and thickness of a VCD to meet individual site specifications, such data has … Continue reading

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