In addition to supplying electricity, the plant provides all heating for the concentrator and industrial buildings. It also operates the compressors, vacuum pumps, flotation blowers and other equipment.
“Since all of Nanisivik is dependent on this plant, it has to be kept in tip-top condition,” explains Maintenance Superintendent Ronald Light. “We therefore have an in- depth preventive maintenance program and an ongoing overhaul and rebuild program.
“If the power plant was to go down in total, we’d be out of business. We would lose our townsite, our industrial building and our product. That’s why we have other units as backups.”
He adds that the plant is unique in that the exhaust gases of the diesel-generators are put to practical use in drying the concentrates and in the operation of a waste heat boiler. Heat exchangers at each diesel-generator recover heat from the engine jacket water, aftercooler and lubricating oil systems for use in a low-temperature, hot-water heating system. This system supplies heating for building space, process water and domestic water.
“All the heat is recovered instead of just letting it go into the atmosphere,” says Light.
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