Copper miner Kunming Fengjing Mining is using an Atlas Copco electric portable air compressor on its underground operations in Dongchuan Copper Mine Field.

Kunming Fengjing Mining is a mining company based in the Yunnan province in the west of China. The company has been operating in copper mining for over 15 years at Dongchuan Copper Mine Field. Throughout its existence the company has continually looked to improve its ways of working, the company already bought one electric E-Air compressors: XRHS 930E in 2017, and earlier this year the company bought another one the XAXS 600E.

The XAXS 600E, is currently used for the underground mining of copper in the Dongchuan Copper mine field, one of the main copper production bases in China. The mine covers an area of 660 square kilometers and was first used for exploration in the late 1800s. The copper reserves in the Dongchuan area are predicted to be over 5 million tons.

Saving the earth needn’t cost the earth

Kunming Scenic Mining is using the XAXS 600E compressor for blasting and setting the copper ore free. There are two main reasons they chose an electric compressor for these works: the E-Air is emission-free and the total cost of ownership is lower.

Since the mining takes place underground, any form of gas emissions can be detrimental to the health and working conditions of the miners. Moreover, the unit will keep working at high load for thousands of hours per year, so having a high efficiency and energy saving compressor is vital. Since the electric E-Air compressor more than capably meets those two needs, the mining company decided to start working with Atlas Copco’s E-Air.

With the electric units having completed their first two months on site, Equipment Management Director Mr. He is happy with the results so far: “The E-Air is really easy to use. It just has to be plugged in and we can start working immediately. The electric unit is a perfect match for our underground application and the protection of our workers is our first priority. The ventilation in this underground mine is poor, so with the use of this powerful electric compressor we avoid polluting gases.”