Oxair Launches Portable Underground Nitrogen Generator Rental for Mining Safety

Oxair’s latest innovation, the underground nitrogen generator, is a game-changer for mine inerting and fire suppression. Unlike traditional surface-mounted systems that require extensive drilling and kilometers of piping, these rental units generate high-purity nitrogen directly at the coal face. This on-site production capability allows mining operations to maintain a safe, inert environment at any depth while significantly reducing infrastructure costs and environmental impact.

Key Benefits of Underground Nitrogen Generation:

• Cost Efficiency: Eliminates the need for a network of surface drill holes and expensive pipeline installations.

• Operational Agility: The portable skids follow the coal face as it advances, ensuring gas is delivered precisely where needed.

• Environmental Protection: Minimises surface footprints in sensitive areas or populated regions by moving production underground.

• Increased Productivity: Speeds up seam gas drainage in low-permeability coal, allowing sections to be mined faster.

Traditional Practices

The traditional practice of drilling a series of holes to allow piping of nitrogen from the surface remains valid; however, underground generators make even more sense, as they can follow the coal face without delays and at significantly reduced drilling costs. This saves many kilometres of underground pipeline, as the machines can simply be taken to where the gas is needed. With low noise levels and minimal maintenance, the new generators provide the mining industry with a hassle-free and economical solution to the ongoing need for a safe underground environment.

New Underground Nitrogen Generators

Having the nitrogen generators underground eliminates the need for more surface installations in environmentally sensitive areas as well as populated city and town areas where older coal mines are generally located. Additionally, new mines are subject to strict environmental controls.

Oxair has also designed a smaller N2 underground generator for N2 injection, which can be situated in gas drainage drill stubs to assist in the drainage of low-permeable coal seam gas. This speeds up gas drainage in low-permeable coal, reducing the need for directional drilling and enabling these sections to be mined more quickly. This has come from newly proven mining technologies and techniques. Oxair is keeping pace with the needs of mining companies and helping them improve their production rates while reducing their environmental impacts.

Oxair Engineer David Cheeseman explained: “Underground nitrogen generation at the coal face is a rapidly growing trend. It enables the user to move the generator along with other auxiliary equipment and reduce the number of downholes needed to run pipelines underground. By generating the nitrogen underground, the units provide a cost-effective on-site solution. They have minimal ongoing operational costs as they only need compressed air to provide the supply of nitrogen.”

Safety Benefits

Alongside the company’s existing ground-level generators, these solutions play a vital role in reducing the risk of fires and explosions deep underground by lowering oxygen levels to below the threshold where burning is possible. With a consistent supply of inert gas, miners can focus on extracting resources more efficiently, without interruptions or delays caused by unforeseen hazards. Oxair’s technology significantly reduces risk and is equally applicable to a range of situations, including iron ore extraction.

David Cheeseman added, “Mining is a risky business. We’re doing everything we can at Oxair to develop technology that reduces risk without complicating things for businesses or adding a hefty price tag – hence the addition of generators to rent. Working in a safe environment is a basic human right, but maintaining this can be costly for the industry and the planet. We’re delighted to be launching this underground generator, which looks after mine workers, improves efficiency and reduces costs – everything that a mining company could want.”

For further information, contact Oxair.

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