Creating cleaner air for workers

A clean air project is designed to improve the safety of workers exposed to methane contaminated air.

Broadspectrum and subsidiaries ICD and APP have collaborated with the University of Newcastle to deliver the Ventilation Air Methane (VAM) Abatement Safety Project.

The project aims to address the technical and safety challenges currently impacting VAM abatement efforts. It is part of a wider initiative to decrease methane emissions from underground coalmining operations by up to 90% and reduce Australia’s annual greenhouse output by up to 3%.

The VAM Abatement Safety Project is being led by Professor Behdad Moghtaderi and the University of Newcastle, sponsored by the Newcastle Institute for Energy and Resources (NIER) and funded by partners including the Australian Government Department of Industry, Innovation and Science, and Australian coal producers through the COAL21 Fund.

The project will expand the understanding of the safety risks posed by operating VAM abatement units on gaseous mines, as well as develop functional safety requirements and design guidelines to support implementation of abatement technologies to the mining industry.

“This innovative project demonstrates Australia’s leadership and commitment to be more sustainable in the mining industry. We are bringing expertise from across our business in engineering, project management, construction and maintenance, and further developing it from an innovative angle through our Centre of Excellence for Resources, of worldwide reach, to deliver this project,” said Broadspectrum Chief Executive, Resources Tom Quinn.

Broadspectrum constructed the industrial-scale VAM capture duct, which records VAM data to then help verify the effectiveness of new and existing protective devices and strategies. It leveraged its in-house capabilities of project management through subsidiary, APP, and engineering and design through ICD, which took the VAM design from a laboratory prototype to a fully engineered demonstration plant.

Image courtesy of Broadspectrum.