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Ventilation & Working Environment: Content Mine Ventilation Basics Ventilation (Airflow) Fans Psychrometry & Heat Stress

Stress Hazards in the Underground Environment Mine Ventilation Planning

Mine Ventilation Planning: References McPherson Chapter 9 Le Rouxs Notes Chapter 18 MV for beginners Notes No 65
Other Resources on ELE
Papers on ELE Hard Rock Miners Handbook Chapter 18 Anglo Coal Mine Planning Guide

Mine Ventilation System Objectives

The Coal and Other Mines (Ventilation) Regulations, 1956

Traditional Method of Ventilation Planning


1. Determine air volume flows required in working areas to dilute and remove all pollutants. 2. Assess the airflow requirements for development areas, mechanical or electrical plant and workshops, and estimate the volume flows that pass through abandoned workings, stoppings and other leakage paths. 3. Indicate the estimated airflows on a mine plan and compound them to show air flow rates, through each major airway.

Traditional Method of Ventilation Planning


4. Using the given airflows and proposed size of airways, determine the corresponding air velocities. If these exceed limiting values, the need for larger or additional airways is required. 5. Assess the resistance, R, of each branch along the main ventilation routes, either from estimated friction factors and airway geometries or on the basis of local empirical data. 6. Using the square law, p = RQ2, or charts, determine the frictional pressure drop, p, for each main branch and indicate these on the mine plan.

Traditional Method of Ventilation Planning


7. Commencing from the top of a down flowing surface connection, trace a path along intake airways to the most distant workings, and back to the surface via return airways. 8. Sum the frictional pressure drops around the complete traverse. This exercise is repeated for a number of such traverses to incorporate various working areas. The loop showing the greatest summation of frictional pressure drops then gives an approximation of the main fan pressure to ventilate the mine. 9. Subsidiary circuits may be controlled by regulators or upgraded by booster fans. Pressure gradient diagrams may be employed to give a visual indication of the cumulative pressure drops.

Ventilation Rate = A x production + B A varies with mining method and complexity B about 50 m3/s for single hoist systems increases with size of mine and number of hoisting systems

Establishment of the Basic Network


A mine ventilation system simply consists of a network of airways, fans and regulators. In general, the correct quantity and quality fresh air distributions to all working places may be achieved by;
the optimal sizing of surface openings; the use of the proper shape, size and number of trunk airways; the correct location and sizing of control devices, and the optimal duties and locations of main and booster fan units.

Establishment of the Basic Network (New Mines)


For a new underground mine, the ventilation system should be flexible in order to service mining operation needs from the period of its initial sinking, through to its various projected development and production phases and to its final closure. The mining planning process may be conveniently scheduled across three time intervals, namely the short, medium and long term (typically 1, 5 and 10 years) periods. The objective of the mine ventilation design is to provide safe and comfortable working environment for each period in order to provide a safe environment and maintain the productivity levels.

Establishment of the Basic Network (existing mines)


For existing mines, ventilation planning should entail a regular revision process to mirror any changes in development and production plans. The modification and improvement of the ventilation systems are inevitable to maintain the quality and quantity of fresh airflow delivered to all working areas. Those effects may include the adjustment of the locations and duties of the fan units, an increase or reduction of regulation devices, and the construction of alternative surface openings and/or trunk airways.

Ventilation Design Methodology (Outline of Principle Stages)

Determine Method & Rate of Production


Diesel Equipment
Number of units, individual & fleet power

Define Acceptable Environmental Standards Dust/Gasess


Legal limits defined in TLVs/OELs Specific pollutant OELs

Auxiliary and Booster Fans


Number of units & capacity

Development Rate & Schedule


Number of faces & planned lengths

Stope Production
Number of & peak requirements

Depth of workings & climate


Consider annual temperature profile

Workshop & Fuel Bays


Additional capacity for nominal velocity

Dust OELs given in SIMRAC document on ELE

Define Acceptable Environmental Standards (ii)

Calculate Heat Increases, Gas emissions & Dust production Gases

Heat & Humidity


Air cooling power Ideally 0.5 m/s and 27C wet bulb

MAC = Max Allowable Concentration (ppm) N = Normal amount of that gas in air (ppm) Qgas = Rate of emission of gas

Calculate Heat Increases, Gas emissions & Dust production (ii)

Calculate Air Requirements (Metal) (i) Design Rules of Thumb for Quantity
Air Quantity for Stope Production Block Cave Large mines, long hole stopes Smaller mines Larger pillar recovery mines
m3/s per 000tpy

Dusts

0.05 to 0.1 0.2 to 0.4 0.4 to 0.5 0.6 to 0.9

Air Quantity for Diesel Equipment (per kW) Over the engine minimum > 0.035m3/s Design Ventilation for gross fleet requirements 0.06 to 0.08 m3/s Local regulations Quantities elsewhere required to provide: Ventilation of mine services (crushers, workshops etc) Clearence times for blasting fumes/Dilution of Strata Gas

Calculate Air Requirements (Metal) (ii) Design Rules of Thumb for Velocity
Intake Airways Intake Shaft velocities < 10 m/s for typical haulage guide methods Intake drift & decline velocities < 5 m/s to minimise dust pick up General airways between 2 and 4 m/s Working Places Working places >>0.5 m/s for dust clearance and gas layer prevention Hot working areas > 0.5 m/s for cooling effect Large workshops > 0.25 m/s Return Airways Return airway velocity < 12m/s for pedestrian access Main return shaft velocity < 7 m/s or > 12 m/s to avoid droplet suspension Ventilation shaft velocity typically 16 to 22 m/s for optimum cost

Calculate Air Requirements (Metal) (iii) Design Rules of Thumb for Temperature
Air Temperatures Design Possible short shift conditions Significant Lost Time likely Unacceptable for continuous loss Absoluatly no work C WB 26-28 28-29 29-31 31-32 32 +

Actual design limiting temperatures will be determines by heat stress index employed;

Calculate Air Requirements (Metal) (iv) Design Rules of Thumb for Pressure
Surface Fans Surface fans typically operate between 1 to 2.5 kPa Some fans operate 3 to 4 kPa Higher pressures required when shaft or development costs are high Economic & leakage issues associated with higher pressures Underground Pressure Differentials Frictional air losses in mine workings usually very much less than primary ventilation shafts

Calculate Air Requirements (Coal) Design Rules of Thumb


Velocities Intake shaft velocities < 10 m/s for typical haulage guide methods Intake shaft & decline velocities < 5 m/s to minimise dust pick up Work places >> 0.5 m/s for dust clearance & gas layer protection Return air velocity < 12 m/s for pedestrian access Main return shaft velocity < 7 m/s or > 12 m/s to avoid droplet suspension Ventilation shaft velocity typically 16 to 22 m/s for optimum cost Quantity (Regs Oz NSW) Continuous Miner -> 0.3 m3/s per m2 airway area Longwall 4 m3/s for each metre of extraction height Diesel 0.06 m3/s per rated KW or > 3.5 m/s Pressure Surface fans typically operate between 1 to 2.5 kPa Some fans operate 3 to 4 kPa Higher pressures required when shaft or development costs are high Economic & leakage issues associated with higher pressures Gate roadways run typically at 200 Pa to 400 Pa

Optimise Alternatives
There are a number of viable alternative ventilation system configurations a design engineer may employ to maintain the safety, integrity and efficiency of a main ventilation system. These may include,
the upgrade of existing main fan(s); the installation of new main surface fan(s); the maintenance and/or sealing of major leakage paths to reduce air leakage; the installation (or removal) of booster fans or regulating doors; the provision of additional surface connections and the development of new trunk airways.

Computer Software
There are many computer-based tools available today to assist mine ventilation engineers in design and planning of mine ventilation system,
VNETPC (MVS Inc. USA), Ventsim(Ventsim, Australia) VUMA (COMRO/BBE, South Africa).

VUMA: Data Entry

These tools may be used in conjunction with theoretical design and/or ventilation survey data to achieve safe and economic ventilation solutions.

VUMA: Analysis

Vuma: Visual Analysis

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