Cooperation with Scientific Institutions

PONAR Wadowice S.A. cooperates with universities and research institutions:

• Central Mining Institute (GIG)
• AGH University of Krakow
• Wrocław University of Science and Technology
• Cracow University of Technology
• Silesian University of Technology
• Rzeszów University of Technology
• Gdańsk University of Technology
• CERN

Recently, we have jointly completed projects such as:

Marta and Baby Demo Project – CERN The task of these devices is to dissipate heat from electronic control elements in a controlled manner, using liquid CO2 at temperatures such as -40 °C. As it flows through carbon nanotubes placed in electronic systems, it absorbs the heat generated. Liquid CO2 absorbs the heat and returns in the form of vapour to the monoblock via a transfer line, and is then directed to a heat exchanger, where it is condensed by the R407 refrigerant. In liquid form, drawn in by a pump, it is injected back into the system via the electronics cooling connection box. Since CO2 is in liquid form, this is a closed-loop system.

The system uses throttling valves made of 1.4404 austenitic stainless steel manufactured in our company, which are used to regulate the flow of liquid CO2 at temperatures down to -600 °C.

“Marta” is a device that enables the dissipation of 400 W of thermal power using liquid CO2, and which will become a semi-serial product used by scientific institutes. The first presentation of the Marta project during a conference in Bonn met with great interest from many scientific institutes in Europe involved in particle decay research. The second device built for CERN is the so-called Baby Demo with a thermal power of 9200 W, which is currently in the design phase. Austenitic steel grade 1.4404 was used for the construction of the “Monoblock”, “Connection Box”, “Local Box” components, and pipework installation elements. Production and design cooperation with CERN has resulted in new products and technologies that will be used for future projects for this institute.

High-Pressure Nozzle for Drilling Holes in Hard Rocks – Central Mining Institute (GIG) The aim of the project was to design, perform FEA and CFD calculations, prepare technical documentation, and produce a prototype of special high-pressure nozzles. The first tests of the prototype took place at the R&D Centre in Łaziska Górne. Subsequently, testing was carried out at the Barbara Experimental Mine on specially designated rock blocks of dolomite and anhydrite. The blocks were sourced from one of the copper mines. Research conducted in cooperation with GIG scientists set further directions for R&D work in the field of rock and coal drilling and mining.

Hydraulic Coal Mining – Central Mining Institute (GIG) The Research and Development Centre is conducting advanced research into coal mining technology using high-pressure water. Our Company is participating in the HydroCoal Plus project, which involves developing and demonstrating hydro-borehole technology to improve the competitiveness of lignite extraction worldwide and reduce its environmental impact.

Multiple tests (running from August to October) conducted at the Łaziska Górne plant of PONAR Wadowice S.A. made it possible to determine the optimal parameters for water flow rate, water pressure, nozzle shape, and its distance from the coal block being mined. Most of the tests were carried out using a remotely controlled Aquacutter robot, which enabled precise and, above all, safe coal mining for the operator using a high-pressure jet of liquid. The robot is normally used for hydrodynamic hydrodemolition of concrete, but for the duration of the project, it was equipped with a specialized manipulator that made it possible to carry out this research project.

At the end of 2019, another—third—stage of research work for the HydroCoal Plus project took place, which involved developing and demonstrating hydro-borehole technology to improve the competitiveness of lignite extraction worldwide and reduce its environmental impact. Engineers from the Research and Development Centre and the High Pressure Department of PONAR Wadowice S.A., together with researchers from the Central Mining Institute, conducted tests under real conditions at the Bełchatów Lignite Mine. The tests were carried out using the remotely controlled Aquacutter robot. Using the following parameters, we achieved a hydro-mining reach of up to 5 m:

• water flow rate: 500 l/min
• water pressure: 300 bar
• pump unit power: 500 kW

We invite you to watch the video produced during the research work at the Bełchatów Lignite Mine.