Energy savings for mining: inflate your tires?

Everybody from President Bush to John McCain to Barack Obama is saying that you can reduce energy consumption by inflating your car tires.  Individually, one car driver may reduce their monthly gas (petrol) bill.  Collectively it may indeed result in the use of less gas.  But as a way to solve the United State’s energy pain, it is silly. 

Still, as an individual, it is worth doing.  So yesterday I increased the air pressure in the tires of my favorite bike.  Cut a few seconds off the ride down the hill to the SeaBus. 

That plus lunch with fellows from Inproheat set me thinking about the energy balance of a typical mine. 

In the book Sustainable mining practices there is a chapter on Energy Use Management.  It is short but interesting.  They say these are the key areas of energy use on a mine:

• Ore crushing and grinding
• Mineral processing equipment
• Pumping systems, both for open pit and underground operations
• Ventilation systems for underground mines
• Lighting and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning of buildings
• Material conveying systems.

When I first went to the oil sands mines about a year ago, I was told in the local pub that it cost about $30 to produce a barrel of oil.  When I was in Fort McMurray last month, in the same pub, I was told the cost had increased to $50 a barrel, primarily because the cost of energy has increased so much.

Believe in global warming or not, you can still save money in your house and at your mine  reducing energy consumption.  I am still struggling with the decision to replace the single pane windows of my house with double pane windows at a cost of $3,000, or put up another layer of  plastic over the windows in the winter for $15.  I mean it would take 200 years to balance the payback—but then there is the aesthetics?

The question that arose at lunch is similar:  how many things could be done on the typical mine to reduce energy consumption?  And what are the payback?

The fellows from Inproheat and SubCom suggested their equipment offers one opportunity and maybe many, depending on your ingenuity. I agree.  Searching the web for other opportunities, I draw a blank.  Hence this posting:  If you know of ways to reduce mine energy consumption in individually small but cumulatively significant ways, let me know and I will pass them on.

PS.  We each paid for our own lunch, so no inducement to post this piece.  I do it as it meets my standard rule: it came to my attention, it interests me, and I hope it will interest you.