How Fosterville Gold Mine / ABB cut ventilation energy costs through Level-4 VoD automation
Tracking and sensors tune airflow by zone as people and machines move. This lowers energy while maintaining safe air quality underground.
Context
Continuous ventilation consumed a large portion of energy costs, especially during periods of low activity. Fixed airflow settings also struggled to maintain good air quality as conditions changed underground. The site required more adaptive airflow control to lower costs while meeting safety standards.
Solution
A Level 4 Ventilation-on-Demand system was implemented with automated, zone-based airflow control triggered by real-time tracking. The system modulates ventilation based on personnel and equipment presence. This allows airflow to be delivered only where and when it is needed.
Results
The operation achieved significant energy savings while maintaining or improving air quality. It also became the first Level 4 VoD implementation in Australia, demonstrating advanced ventilation automation in a live mining environment.
Data Inputs
RFID/RTLS for people & equipment, sensors (airflow, gas, temp)