Helping mines 'clean up' their act: Highvec Canada is the only company in the world that will clean mine substations without cutting the power, saving their clients big time. The company's founder, when he isn't speaking at conferences, is resisting the urge to expand.

Diesel emissions and dust from drilling, blasting and hauling tonnes of ore coat portable substations underground with a thick layer of dust and grime that can cause flashovers, fires and severe injury or death to mine personnel.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Traditionally, cleaning electrical equipment meant turning the power off, but that can be an expensive proposition in a 24/7 operation.

Chuck Humphrey of Timmins was convinced there was a better way. In 1991, he founded Highvec Canada Inc. to offer the mining industry high voltage electrical cleaning without shutting down the power.

"There was no market for what we wanted to do because no one was doing it," recalled Humphrey, an industrial electrician with 38 years of experience. "It took a long time before anyone believed it would work."

Today, Humphrey and his crew perform high voltage cleaning services across Ontario and as far as New Brunswick. He's in demand as a speaker at electrical conferences across North America and is recognized as an expert on corona discharge and flashovers. Most of his time, though, is spent underground as the mining industry's preeminent dustbuster.

Booked solid for three years

His calendar is full three years in advance, and he regularly turns down contracts in the U.S. and overseas.

There's nothing revolutionary about the ground-up corncobs, walnut shells and limestone concoctions Highvec uses to blast the dirt and grime off the metal clad switchgear.

Ground-up corncobs are non-conductive, environmentally friendly and just abrasive enough to dislodge the dirt and grime without causing damage to wiring and other components.

The material has been widely used in the electrical trade for many years, but the challenge was how to apply it in an underground environment.

"We require a fairly elaborate system to make use of the mine's compressed air supply because the air lines are full of water, scale and particles of oil," explained Humphrey.

There's also a custom-built dust collection system to seal off the area being cleaned and collect the dirt, grime and abrasive material.

The first step in the process is to inspect the switchgear using infrared and ultraviolet cameras and ultrasound equipment to make sure it is safe to clean.

"We want to make sure it's not going to blow up when we're working on it," said Humphrey. "We'll know if there are any hot spots, bad connections or thermal anomalies."

Company provides cleaning and inspection in one package

Most flashovers, he explained, are caused by corona discharge.

Poor air quality, humidity and high electrical stress can cause an electrical breakdown of the air, discharging "some pretty nasty by-products such as nitric acid and carbon," explained Humphrey. "This, in turn, deteriorates the insulation, and that can cause flashovers and short circuits."

Highvec crews alert the mine's electricians to any problems they discover and move on to another substation while they are being repaired.

Some mines can have more than 100 portable substations, so contracts can take anywhere from 30 days to nine months to complete. Cleaning can be done at intervals of one to three years, depending on the mine environment.

Highvec submits a detailed report on the condition of each substation to the mine's maintenance department, complete with before and after photographs illustrating the work done and the problems discovered.

Humphrey's first customer was the Golden Giant Mine in the Hemlo gold camp, north of Lake Superior.

"We cleaned the first substation with the power off," he said. "We did the next one with the power on and we never looked back.

"If you're the only guy in the world doing it, there's nobody to teach you, so we've gone through a 16-year learning curve. The only way to learn how to do this was to do it."

Not only do mining companies benefit by not having to shut down production when the equipment is being cleaned, but they also reduce the risk of flashovers, fires, and possible fatalities.

"Now it's commonplace," said Humphrey. "We get recommended by inspection authorities because we improve the safety of the equipment."

Demand for the service in North America and overseas could warrant expansion, but the expertise required and the risks associated with the work have dissuaded Humphrey from growing the company. With one crew, he's able to directly supervise the work himself.

"It's a good feeling at the end of the day when you know you've prevented someone from getting hurt and helped keep downtime to a minimum," said Humphrey.

www.highvec.com

By NORM TOLLINSKY

For Northern Ontario Business