Stench Gas System Design for Coleman and Fraser Mines

For Vale’s Coleman Mine, BESTECH designed a new impact stench system to alert workers in case of a fire. The project involved mechanical and structural design, fabrication, and quality assurance, including the development of an operation manual. This new system improved safety measures by efficiently transporting pipe bundles to underground sites.

Vale Canada Limited required a novel stench gas system for Coleman Mine, designed to alert underground workers in the event of a fire without disrupting operations at the adjacent, joined Glencore Fraser Mine. The complexity lay in the shared fresh air ventilation system between the two mines.

BESTECH was entrusted with the detailed design of this unique stench gas system. We developed a solution that allowed for segregated and controlled stench gas injection, ensuring that an alert could be given in one operation without affecting the other. The design included installing an underground stench system on the 3,400 level at Fraser Mine, with two separate routes to deliver stench gas to different ore bodies simultaneously.

Key Features:

Innovative design of segregated stench gas injection systems.
Installation of four new stench gas panels in existing air-lock door cut-outs at Fraser Mine.
1,500 ft of piping to deliver stench gas to targeted areas without cross-operation impact.
Use of compressed air and air receivers for efficient stench gas propulsion.
Comprehensive design, including air receiver sizing, air compressor requirements, and piping.
Integration of power distribution, instrumentation, and networking.

Completed between 2012 and 2016, this project provided an advanced safety alert system for both Coleman and Fraser Mines. Our innovative design ensured effective emergency communication while maintaining uninterrupted operation in adjacent mining areas, significantly enhancing safety standards.