With over 35 years’ mine ventilation, cooling & refrigeration experience, BBE’s highly specialised and experienced consulting engineers work alongside international mining clients to provide a comprehensive suite of services.
Thermal Storage
Ice thermal storage
BBE Projects have completed two significant ice thermal storage projects comprising submerged banks of steel serpentine coils where ice is formed on the external surface of the tubes during off-peak tariff periods and melted to produce cooling during peak tariff periods when refrigeration machines can be turned off. In the one project an existing refrigeration machine was converted to glycol chilling by replacing the compressor impeller with a specially-designed new impeller and constructing a new dam to house the ice coils. In the other project a new ammonia chiller was installed and the ammonia itself is circulated through ice coils installed in an existing open dam.
Bladder system
Where cold [and/or hot] water storage capacity is insufficient to withstand longterm stoppage of refrigeration machines during peak tariff periods, it is possible to extend the stoppage period by installing a bladder into a single dam which allows the simultaneous storage of warm and cold water, thereby maximising the ultilisation of existing storage facilities.
