Developments in the engineering of refrigeration installations for cooling mines

The need to reduce the electrical energy consumption associated with the cooling of mines has recieved considerable attention in recent years. Various methods for reducing the amount of cooling water circulated underground in mines has also been looked at. These requirements have led to several developments such as cooling of the ventilation air on surface, the use of energy recovery devices, refrigeration machines for producing water close to 0°C and currently consideration is being given to installing ice making machines on the surface. These developments and their field of application are analysed and discussed.