In partnership with Howden, we are developing—for the first time in Chile—an AI-optimized ventilation system for large-scale mining, a milestone we shared with dozens of industry experts at an event organized by HCA Mineria and Howden.
A few weeks ago, we had the privilege of participating in a conference organized by HCA Mineria in partnership with Howden, an event that brought together nearly 100 professionals from the mining and industrial sectors to discuss the present and future of ventilation in underground operations. Aldo Di Biase, Smart Grids Manager at Tunning Ingeniería, was one of the 20 speakers at the event. He shared our experience implementing an AI-optimized ventilation system at a large-scale underground mining operation, developed in partnership with Howden using their Ventsim Control software.
This project is among the first of its kind worldwide and is a pioneer in Chile on the scale of large-scale mining.
A solution that learns from real-world operations
At Tunning Ingeniería, we believe that incorporating new technologies is the way to deliver ever-greater value to our clients and the market. That is why, when the challenge arose to take Ventsim Control—Howden’s platform for ventilation system optimization—from the model and software to a solution operating on-site, we decided to combine our expertise in mining ventilation and Artificial Intelligence.
“The solution currently being implemented incorporates Artificial Intelligence. In this way, an agent that learns from actual operations will complement the calculations performed online with Ventsim Control to define the optimal ventilation strategy at any given moment,” explains Aldo. Tunning’s specific contribution to this partnership with Howden has been, precisely, the development of that AI agent.
The underlying goal is efficient use of resources: an intelligent, adaptive ventilation system that delivers fresh air in the exact quantity and quality required by each process, only when and where it is needed. This reduces the effort required to inject and extract air in the mine, resulting in energy-efficiency savings.
Benefits That Go Beyond Energy
The expected results of this optimization translate into lower operating costs and a longer service life for the fans, which operate with less strain and require less frequent maintenance. But there is also an impact on workers’ health.
By improving ventilation, clean, fresh air can be directed toward areas where people are present, prioritizing them over zones where machinery or autonomous, remotely controlled vehicles are operating.
The Challenges of a Pioneering Project
Being among the first to implement a solution of this kind brings its own set of challenges. As Di Biase points out, each mine has a distinct layout and operation, so while the experience of other facilities serves as a reference, it cannot be applied directly, as the AI agent must be trained using the actual data and conditions of each mine site. Added to this is the fact that mines are constantly changing as mining progresses, which requires the agent to continuously adjust its criteria.
For our team, combining our expertise in mine ventilation with the use of artificial intelligence and applying it to a specific case has been a major methodological learning experience that is now part of Tunning Ingeniería’s technical expertise.
Looking Ahead
Our Smart Grids manager explains that participating in this type of initiative fills the company with pride, adding that “the impacts we hope to achieve at this particular mine place Tunning at the forefront of ventilation applications worldwide, opening the door to replicating this development at other mining sites, both in Chile and abroad.”
Thus, we remain committed to incorporating cutting-edge technology to serve the underground mining industry, creating solutions that optimize processes, protect people, and raise industry standards.
