Northern Miners Get Rid of Diesel

Diavik Diamond mine, located 300 km north of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories, currently relies completely on diesel. This diesel is shipped to the site by plane or ice road. However, operators Diavik Diamond Mines Inc and Harry Winston Diamond Corporation are in the process of developing a 9.2 megawatt wind farm, consisting of 4 enercon 2.3 megawatt turbines.

If this wind farm is successful, the farm will supplement almost 10% of the mine’s energy requirements, reducing the amount of diesel used by almost 40 million litres. This would equal approximately 100 less ice road trips by truck.  However, there are many challenges that come along with this new process. For instance, the turbines must be able to operate in temperature well below zero, at minus 40 degrees Celsius. This is 10 degrees colder than what most wind turbines can usually face.

Extreme cold leads to a number of challenges for the functionality of the turbines. For example, the gearbox contains a number of hydrocarbon-based lubricants. These cold temperatures cause the lubrication to stop, which prevents the turbine from working. Subsequently, instead of a gearbox, the turbine requires a direct driver rotor that connects to a synchronous generator.

Secondly, cold temperatures cause ice build up, and the turbine will need a blade that resists ice damage. A hybrid design that includes both steel and concrete will be needed in order to prevent freezing.

This project will cost an estimated 25 million. However, it will save the mine $5 million a year on diesel fuel and transportation costs. Although the project presents many challenges due to the cold climate, the operators believe this project will be successful. Bring on the cold!