CMOC’s Northparkes mine is one of Australia’s largest copper producers. After completing a ventilation upgrade, the condition of two ventilation shafts which experienced partial failure needed monitoring. Find out how Northparkes identified potential points of failure early and are now better prepared to maintain the essential return air incline.
In 2018, CMOC’s Northparkes mine commenced a ventilation upgrade to support planned mining expansions, supplement underground air volumes, and maintain occupation exposure to respirable dust and quartz silica at acceptable limits.
Shortly after completion, two intake and exhaust shafts experienced partial failure at the lower level. The Northparkes geotechnical team needed to monitor the condition of both ventilation shafts to ensure that they remained viable and to protect the integrity of the vent incline. However, access constraints meant the only way to inspect the failed sections was to send a scanner down the shafts.
Find out how Northparkes identify potential points of failure early and are now better prepared to maintain the essential return air incline in this case study.
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