PNIPU: Energy-saving system for mining enterprises

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2024: Introducing an Energy-Saving System

PNIPU scientists have developed an energy-saving system for mining enterprises. The university announced this on February 1, 2024.

Most power plants in industrial areas produce energy continuously throughout the day, but consumption is cyclical, tied to a 24-hour time interval. As a result, energy generated during peak demand hours is not enough for all consumers. To resolve this issue Russia , the Power Demand Management Aggregators operate, which "collect" the resources saved by enterprises and redistribute them. At the same time, the Aggregator, by agreement, pays organizations a fee for reducing energy by the required power at a given time. Thus, companies are interested in introducing energy-saving systems into their work, which not only reduce financial costs, but also allow them to make money on this. Perm Polytechnic scientists have developed a cyber model for managing the demand for electricity consumed by a mining enterprise.

The study was carried out within the framework of the strategic project "Digital technologies for subsoil development" of the program "Priority 2030" in 2023. The development was issued patent No. 2798530 "Process control system at an underground mining enterprise, depending on the demand for electricity."

World practice shows the high efficiency of methods of price-dependent demand management in the day-ahead load planning mode. In the Russian market, this direction is new. It is regulated by the regulatory documentation approved by the decree of the Government of the Russian Federation.

In Russia, for the implementation of such measures, Aggregators were introduced - specialized organizations that manage the redistribution of electricity between consumers in order to sell a set of "unnecessary" resources as a single object as a product/service in the wholesale market. Thanks to Aggregators, consumers of the retail market can benefit economically by forming lower electricity prices.

Organizations have several ways to participate in demand management, for example, shifting the consumption schedule between hours of the day, stopping or reducing the intensity of the production process, completely or partially disconnecting lighting, ventilation and air conditioning systems.

Scientists of the Perm Polytechnic University have derived mathematical dependencies that make it possible to calculate the air distribution between mine shafts (vertical mine workings with access to the earth's surface) and determine the operating mode of the main fan installation at the predicted outdoor air parameters. This plant is the main consumer of electricity.

We have developed a cybernetic model for managing the demand for electricity consumed by underground mining enterprises, combining energy savings and participation in the demand market for it, - said Alexander Nikolaev, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor of the Department of Mining Electromechanics, PNIPU.

The software product created by polytechnics is an integrated digital twin of the process of airing an underground mining enterprise with a weather forecast site. Changing the parameters of the air supplied to the shafts affects the operation of the main fan unit, increasing or reducing its power consumption while maintaining the volume of air supplied to the shafts.

The architecture of the model will allow you to pre-determine the required costs for the operation of the main fan plant, control its operation in an energy-saving mode, and take into account predicted changes in planned and unscheduled modes. For example, the lowering and lifting of workers along the ventilation stack is planned, but the change in outdoor air parameters is not.

If it is not possible to reduce the power consumption of the main fan unit, the system provides an algorithm for analyzing historical data. It will help predict daily loads in the day ahead mode. The result will be achieved by using a digital model of an underground mining enterprise as a simulator. There will be imitated in advance processes related to the implementation of the technological process of ventilation and control of the demand for electricity, - added Alexander Nikolaev, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor of the Department of Mining Electromechanics.

The service of scientists of the Perm Polytechnic will help not only reduce electricity costs for the mining process, but also determine in advance the possibility of reducing energy consumption at the time set by the Aggregator. The development will ensure the technological sovereignty of Russia in the extraction of minerals by underground method. It will also allow you to participate in the demand market and receive financial remuneration from the Aggregator. The algorithm is suitable for almost any enterprise that already has or can be installed sensors that read the main parameters for processing and issuing a forecast. The expected production time and product implementation is 2035.