Mechanical Technology

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Heating, cooling, ventilation and air conditioning

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Mechanical Technology — November 2015

teven Bluhm and Rod Burton,

who were employed by the

Chamber of Mines Research

at the time, founded Bluhm

Burton in 1989. Shortly thereafter they

were joined by two colleagues, Frank

von Glehn and Russell Ramsden. With

entrepreneurial flair and some fortuitous

timing, the four young engineers began

providing consulting services to the

mines, which had begun to rationalise

and reduce the number of in-house

specialists.

From humble beginnings, but with ex-

tensive experience gained in the world’s

deepest and hottest mines, the company

gradually developed a hub for its exper-

tise. Young and energetic, the consultants

adopted a simple philosophy: take every

phone call, pay attention to detail, meet

deadlines and honour commitments.

This philosophy prevails in the com-

pany, 25 years on, and has earned BBE

international recognition as a world

leader in mine ventilation and cooling

systems.

Today the BBE Group has well over

100 employees, the majority of whom

are professional consulting engineers

with vast and varied experience in mine

ventilation, refrigeration and cooling

practices across all mining methods, in

all types of ore bodies and in all climates

around the globe. BBE team members

have authored some 350 published tech-

nical and scientific papers, edited techni-

cal journals and co-authored a number of

standard textbooks on mine ventilation,

refrigeration and cooling. BBE engineers

have also received numerous awards for

engineering and scientific achievement

over the years and can boast five past

presidents and two honorary life fellows

of the Mine Ventilation Society of South

Africa.

Operating worldwide in all types of

mines, BBE’s comprehensive services

range from conceptual investigations

through technical feasibility studies and

the analysis of alternative ventilation and

cooling distribution systems; to the selec-

tion of the optimum system, preparation

of detailed engineering design specifica-

tions, estimating and project execution

Bluhm Burton Engineering (BBE), founded to provide specialist consulting services to the mining

industry in the fields of mine ventilation, refrigeration and cooling, celebrated its 25

anniversary on

October 7 in Morningside, Sandton.

At the BBE Group’s 25

anniversary celebration are founders, Frank von Glehn, Steven Bluhm and Rod

Burton; along with Wynand Marx, managing director of BBE Consulting; and Richard Gundersen, managing

director of BBE Projects.

BBE celebrates 25 years of HVAC innovation

and management for existing mines and

new projects.

Computer software is an essential

component of all planning and design

work in the mining industry and the

company prides itself on being up-to-

date with innovation and state-of-the-art

technologies.

Over the years, BBE has been a

major contributor in the development of

customised software for the analysis of

mine ventilation and refrigeration and

cooling networks. The most modern

package, VUMA, comprises a suite of

modules that determines air flows, pol-

lutant levels and temperature distribu-

tion throughout ventilation circuits and

cooling networks, all displayed in full

3D colour graphics with the capability

of real-time modelling.

The Group has many clients around

the world and is familiar with interna-

tional legislation. Its designs comply with

the relevant health and safety standards

stipulated by each particular country.

In response to client demand, BBE

has established various business units

over the past few years that offer profes-

sional services beyond system designs

and equipment specifications. Through

these units, BBE is able to offer a full

spectrum of services, with a focuss on

mine ventilation, refrigeration, cooling

and energy.

The company delivers turnkey projects

and has, to date, completed projects

worth more than R1-billion across the

African continent.

BBE Energy was launched in response

to a growing need to optimise energy

usage and management in ventilation

and refrigeration networks. Through

a combination of intelligent control

systems and sophisticated hardware,

the company has achieved success in

a relatively short time. It has reduced

demand by over 100 MW across the

mining industry and has made significant

contributions to alleviating the industry’s

energy challenges.

BBE Laboratory provides a special-

ist service for the analysis of respirable

dust samples, essential for air quality

assessment.

The Group aims to increase its foot-

print in the international arena and an

expansion initiative led to the opening

of an office in Perth to serve the greater

Asia-Pacific market. In other areas of

the globe, joint ventures have been es-

tablished with all the design capabilities

supported from the Johannesburg head

office. The company’s next satellite office

will open in Canada in 2016.

“We have an enviable track record of

consulting behind us, made possible by

the contribution of our loyal staff and the

support of our clients. We look forward to

another 25 years of delivering exceptional

and innovative professional services,”

says Steven Bluhm, CEO of the BBE

Group.