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32 www.coalage.com May 2017 ventilation controls continued Winning the Fight LMS started with an assessment of the mine to determine its needs. "Part of what we do is we go in to each mine and drop un- derground before we sell them anything and just assess how they are doing what they do and ask them why they do what they do," Cerklefskie said. Turns out, the mine was already planning on making some "layout changes" for the sake of efficiency when LMS started specifying performance points for the tubing, which created an environment conducive to testing, Cerklefskie said. The company set to work. "Our initial target at that point was 360 ft and still getting enough air," he said. "We were able to get everybody out. We were able to bring in more precise tools to do the air measurements." LMS hung the tubing, set up the fans and started testing. "Right away we knew we were in good shape," Cerklefskie said. The results were almost alarming. The fans would have to be turned down or they would stall. The order met with resistance at first, Cerklefskie said. "There's always a hesitation to adjust the fans," he said. "They've always had to fight for air. The thought of turning a fan down and getting more air doesn't compute." LMS had advertised the tubing as having a friction factor of seven. "We tested a little below that," Cerklefskie said. "We were closer to five, which is incredible." To compare, fiberglass "is rated at 13," he said. "You'll also have a lot more leakage at the joints." That was not an issue with the HardLine tubing. "We reduced the amount of leakage," Cerklefskie said. "It is non-existent at the joints without having a rubber seal that wears out." The fight for air was over. "We were able to get enough air not only at 360 ft but all the way up to 390 ft," Cerklefskie said. "That was pretty significant. For them it proved our calculations were correct. It also shows runs can be more than 420 ft and still get the required air." The Benefits There are a number of benefits in switching to HardLine Perform- ance Ducting, Cerklefskie said. First, there are the cost-savings from reduced usage of the fans. "In this instance, just an amp draw reduction, we're talking probably almost $50,000 a year in energy savings alone on a single fan," he said. "In turn, you're not heating up your motors as much. You're not heating your bearings. You're increasing the longevity of the machine." Second, sound is reduced. Underground equipment, like a fan, "is not always the source of a citation," Cerklefskie said. "It is actually at times the joints themselves that are leaking so bad that it emits high-enough decibels to get them nailed." Third, safety is improved. "Your guys don't have the potential of throwing their shoulders out or their rotator cuffs tearing," he said. "It could still happen, but when you talk about how much these guys move and to be able to have a weight-reduction of be- tween 30% and 50%, that's a big deal." The main benefit, however, he said, is more air. More air means more production, he said. "We're looking at a 30% increase in production, just because of how they can move and can rely on the equipment achieving what they need to achieve." A good example is the multistage slider. "With your cycle, the big thing there is your methane coming out as you're mining. You want to effectively mitigate that as well as your dust that's coming off," Cerklefskie said. "If you have a re- liable slider that fits well, you are able to mitigate those two things a lot better." If you are unable to mitigate those two things, production can come to a halt. "The continuous miners have methane sensors, so if it picks up too much, the machine will shut off and then you are done mining until the levels go down," Cerklefskie said. "Dust is the same way." Game-changer Such a success story can make a company. LMS reportedly is in talks with other coal miners and is telling them HardLine Ducting makes the fiberglass competition obsolete. "We are at the tipping point right now," Cerklefskie said. "It is a matter of us doing a good job and being consistent with custom- ers from a response standpoint and making those improvements." The company reportedly guarantees its products. "We'll bring it all the way in. We'll set it all the way up. And we'll do an air- flow and negative pressure performance guarantee," he said. "If it doesn't work the way we say it is going to work, then we take our stuff back." Advertised as having a friction factor of seven, results from testing, pictured above, put the tubing at closer to five.