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Deep Mine Cooling: Energy Efficient Vacuum Ice Maker |
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VIM III- 850
The VIM is capable of producing up to 960 ton of transportable, environmentally friendly ice, per unit, per day. Typical energy consumption is only 0.85 kW/Ton ice.
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The Process
The VIM (Vacuum Ice Maker) technology produces ice inside a vacuum chamber (The VIM's Freezer) which is kept under "triple point of water" conditions. The ice is formed due to the evaporation of portion of the water in the freezer due to the deep vacuum condition, which drops down the boiling point of water. The evaporation of the water requires heat which is taken from the remaining water in the freezer, causing a portion of it to freeze. The water vapor is than "sucked" from the freezer by the unique, high speed, vapor compressor which also compresses the water vapor to the point where it can be condensed in the VIM's condenser. The water-ice mixture is pumped from the freezer, in form of ice slurry, and delivered to the ice concentrator, where the ice is separated from most of the water forming mixture of about 75% ice and 25% water by mass. The ice is than scraped from the top of the ice concentrator and delivered to the mine shaft.
Key Benefits of the VIM
- A well-proven technology: VIM had been serving the refrigeration and mining industries since the mid-1990s.
- A most efficient ice maker: Power consumption is typically only 0.85 kW/Ton.
- Very rapid discharge capability: Rapid discharge maximizes flexibility for energy cost savings.
- Environmentally friendly: VIM employs water as the primary refrigerant.
Anglo Gold Ashanti, one of the biggest gold mines in South Africa, and a repeat client of IDE, has been using the VIM for deep mine cooling for more than a decade. The first two units were installed in 1995, followed by the installation of four additional units, and by a new order for three more units which were installed early in 2009, demonstrating the high efficiency, reliability, and availability of the VIM technology.
Total installation: 7,650 Tons, in nine units of 850 Tons each.
For more information, please visit:
Download brochures:
 VIM850 for Mine Cooling Flow Diagram
VIM400 Layout
VIM 850 Motors and Power Requirements . pdf
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