Renström, Boliden area. Photo: Boliden AB.

Mining company Boliden Renström to monitor process-critical fans online

Swedish mining company Boliden now moves on to introduce online condition monitoring equipment from SPM on two major exhaust fans manufactured by Akron, located above ground at the Renström mine in northern Sweden.

The Intellinova Compact online system with a combination of the SPM HD shock pulse measurement technology and vibration analysis are soon to be installed on the two fans that have both been rated process-critical. Shock pulse measurements will monitor the rolling element bearings while the vibration transducer detects imbalance and any loose parts.

"The online system enables long-term planning of our maintenance work. Ultimately, our goal is to have online monitoring installed on all significant operational equipment, and we are almost there. We have chosen to further develop our SPM systems since we have good cooperation; it is easy to get in contact with the service technicians and they always provide prompt assistance", says Maintenance Manager Mats Johansson.

Boliden also implements the Intellinova online system to monitor the condition of the mine hoist. For this particular application, Boliden Renström utilizes a condition monitoring service from SPM where deteriorating operating condition is reported to the customer via the web portal SPM Servicenet. In addition to online measurements, the preventive maintenance department also uses SPM’s portable instrument Leonova Infinity for periodic measurements on critical equipment.

Boliden AB is a metals company focusing on exploration, mining, smelting, and metals. The Boliden Group operates mines and smelters in Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Ireland. The Renström mine was opened in 1952 and is currently Sweden’s deepest mine at 1388 m. The ore is polymetallic and contains zinc, copper, lead, gold, and silver, which is extracted using the cut-and-fill method. Granite from the extensive development work and sand from the concentrator in Boliden are used as backfill material.

Learn more about Boliden.