Skip to content

Maestro Mine Ventilation technology deployed in more than 70 mines

The Ultra-Deep Mining Network (UDMN) has presented its Outstanding Achievement in Commercialization award to Sudbury-based Maestro Mine Ventilation at its second annual Symposium for network members from across Canada.

The Ultra-Deep Mining Network (UDMN) has presented its Outstanding Achievement in Commercialization award to Sudbury-based Maestro Mine Ventilation at its second annual Symposium for network members from across Canada.

Maestro Mine Ventilation’s Vigilante AQS gas monitoring technology is currently being used in more than 70 underground mines globally.

The Vigilante AQS technology represents an improvement over traditional sensors that measure toxic gases from drill and blast activity or gases given off by the surrounding strata rock.

Traditional sensor technology requires frequent maintenance and calibration underground at each individual location in order to maintain accurate measurements.

Maestro, with the support of the UDMN, developed a digital gas sensor that can be calibrated on surface in a stable, controlled environment. The digital sensors can then be “hot swapped” by a ventilation technician without the requirement of underground calibration.

The digital sensors have a complete suite of diagnostics to help determine the health of the system and provide maximum uptime.

“This innovation has allowed our Vigilante AQS environmental stations to be installed in some of the deepest mines on the planet,” said Michael Gribbons, vice-president of Maestro. “Prior to this innovation, the underground miners lacked the confidence of the gas readings since there was no practical method of calibrating the sensors or understanding if the sensors were even working. This will result in major productivity improvements by getting the miners safely back to the face quicker.”