LIFE OF MINE VENTILATION REQUIREMENTS FOR BRONZEWING MINE USING VENTSIM

Bronzewing Mine is located in the centre of the Yandal Belt, 360 km north of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia. Discovered in 1992 by Great Central Mines, the Bronzewing Mine is now owned and operated by Normandy Mining Pty Ltd. Mining at Bronzewing is carried out by sublevel open stoping method recovering the ore from the underground operations concentrated in two major zones: Central and Discovery. Future production is expected to include ore zones away from the main orebody, Avocado, Winged Keel, Carrot and others. The future airflow requirement is estimated at approximately 450 m/s, which falls only slightly short of the current airflow of 412 m/s. This paper examines the ventilation requirements for the Life of the Bronzewing Mine by using ventilation software, VentSim. The current ventilation conditions are simulated and evaluated in terms of the future ventilation requirements. An optimisation process, based on the proposed mine production plans, is performed to arrive at the most efficient and cost effective use of the current airflow to supply sufficient air to working areas of the future stopes.