Tech Edge Group designed our own Mobile Mines Rescue Winder (MMRW). Two models of the MMRW were purchased by Mines Rescue South Africa, and the larger 3 km depth was successfully tested and launched at South Deep’s Twin Shafts, one of the deepest mineshafts in the world.
The catalyst for the design of this innovative equipment was the 2010 mining accident at Chile’s San Jose gold mine.
MMRW: A Game-Changer in Rapid Underground Rescue
South Africa was one of the countries to contribute to the relief efforts, including airlifting a Tech Edge standard winder to San Jose to act as standby to the efforts of the Chilean authorities. This incident brought together some of the best global mining safety experience from South Africa, Latin America, Australia, the United States and Canada, but also highlighted critical issues in the technology available to speedily mobilise and implement relief efforts. .
This prompted us to design a mobile, go-anywhere, self-contained rescue winder specifically designed to address the need for rapid response, deployment, and resolution of underground mining emergencies; the MMRW.
We offered the concept to South African Mines Rescue Services, who contracted Winches & Winders to bring our MMRW design to life.
We started development of the MMRW as soon as we could following the events in Chile in 2010, and it has taken 9 years of design finessing and testing for us be totally satisfied with the product. Research and development of a revolutionary new product is expensive and time-consuming and had to fit in with our regular winder manufacture. We also wanted to hone the design parameters to ensure that, when completed, the MMRW would be world class.
Realising the urgent need for increased mine safety, we stuck to our task as good engineers do.
Unique considerations or challenges:
The design brief was specifically engineered to improve mobilisation and efficacy of rescue efforts, including:
- Rough terrain capability for off-road and rural access
- A self-contained system, including power supply and sheave wheel deployment
- Normal height vehicle so no additional road permits are required
- All normal statutory requirements for man-riding mining conveyances.
- Length of wind allowing first responder teams to carry out rescue operations to depths of 3km.
This is the greatest depth, by far, to which any rescue winder can operate, worldwide.
The developed specifications were, at times, difficult to resolve in one design. Our aim was to design a solution that will give rescuers an advanced, efficient, widely applicable solution. This meant developing ideas that balanced engineering invention and solid pragmatism.
One of the most exciting elements of the MMRW is the sheave wheel deployment system, which is so novel we patented it. The self-contained sheave wheel means that no additional headgear or on-site rigging is required at the rescue site, saving valuable hours in rescue operations.
The MMRW needed to be deployable in most terrains, including normal roads, so we needed a non-permit vehicle. This was a challenge as there is some serious equipment mounted on the truck, but our engineers managed it through careful truck selection, balanced loads, and persistent design evolution.
Also included in the design are the one- or six-man conveyances (the cage that attaches to the end of the rope). This means rescuers can select their conveyance depending on the size of the rescue shaft and can begin rescue efforts with the much narrower conveyance before the rescue shaft is widened. Again, this saves valuable time when retrieving people trapped underground or delivering essential supplies and equipment during rescue operations.
The winder drive and control systems are considerably more complex and sophisticated because of the significantly increased depth of wind. Rope dynamics (the movement, tension, and material properties) at extreme depths necessitate extremely sophisticated control and feedback systems.
With more than 80 years of operation in the international mining industry, we pride ourselves on our innovation and excellence in engineering. Our Mobile Mines Rescue Winder or MMRW, is truly the culmination of those ideals.
We continue to work on engineering solutions to improve health and safety in mines.