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Maintaining Auxilary Ventilation PDF
Maintaining Auxilary Ventilation PDF
Submitted to :
Submitted by :
2017-MIN-12 2017-MIN-13
2017-MIN-20 2017-MIN-38
Dated :
10th -December-2019
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Mine Ventilation Dr. Muhammad Usman Khan CEP
AKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all we are thankful to ALLAH ALMIGHTY for the completion of our report. We would
like to convey our sincere gratitude to our teacher, all the guidelines regarding this Complex
Engineering Problem were given by Dr. Muhammad Usman Khan, that led us to complete the
CEP. The rubrics assigned by him, were really helpful to search for our specific problem and to
solve it. His kindness is greatly appreciated. It was a great experience to work for this assignment
under the his supervision. We also owe our thankfulness to our Mining Engineering Department,
because it is providing us the platform to perform beyond our limits.
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Mine Ventilation Dr. Muhammad Usman Khan CEP
ABSTRACT
The main purpose of the report is to maintain an auxiliary ventilation in a Room and Pillar Copper
mine located at Red mountain(California) U.S. Cross-sectional area of mine is 20m2. Advancing
away form mine shaft with deteriorated return airways and leakage had negative effect on
ventilation airflows to the face area. No additional capacity is available at main surface.
The major points documented in this report are Introduction( Problem statement, general
problems), Cause(specific and general), and Solution techniques(specific(primary and secondary)
and general).
After research, it is concluded that underground mine Auxiliary ventilation plays a vital role in
production and safety of workers. As booster fans are not allowed in U.S. so, its use and regulation
should be monitored regularly. For all sort of mines Ventilation can be ensured by adaptation of
general principle of underground mine ventilation and specifically for our Copper Mine, line
brattice should be installed in mine to direct the air to face area and to avoid leakage along
periphery, line brattice should be installed along walls
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Mine Ventilation Dr. Muhammad Usman Khan CEP
Table of Contents
ABSTRACT.................................................................................................................................... 3
1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 6
1.1 Problem Statement ................................................................................................................ 6
1.2 General Mine Ventilation Problems ...................................................................................... 7
2 Literature review .......................................................................................................................... 7
2.1 General Principle of underground ventilation ....................................................................... 7
2.1.1 Booster or Auxiliary fans ............................................................................................... 8
2.1.2 Stoppings or seals ........................................................................................................... 8
2.1.3 Doors and air locks ......................................................................................................... 9
2.1.4 Regulators ....................................................................................................................... 9
2.1.5 Air crossings ................................................................................................................. 10
3 Causes of deterioration and leakage .......................................................................................... 10
3.1 Specific causes of leakage and deterioration of airways ..................................................... 10
3.2 General causes of leakage and deterioration of airways ..................................................... 11
4 Solutions .................................................................................................................................... 11
4.1 Specific Primary Solution ................................................................................................... 11
4.2 Specific Secondary Solution ............................................................................................... 11
4.3 General solution .................................................................................................................. 12
5 Ventilation Planning and Design Parameters at Homestake – A Case Study............................ 12
6 Summary .................................................................................................................................... 13
7 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 14
References ..................................................................................................................................... 15
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Mine Ventilation Dr. Muhammad Usman Khan CEP
List of Figures
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Mine Ventilation Dr. Muhammad Usman Khan CEP
1 Introduction
ventilation systems are often subject to high leakage rates. As a result, changes in airflow resistance
will strongly affect the efficiency with which air is delivered to the working face. A method of
supplementing the main ventilating current in a mine by using a small fan to draw air from the
main current and force it through canvas or metal pipe to some particular place, such as the ends
of drifts, crosscuts, raises, entries, or other workings, driven in a mine.
The most common mining system is room-and-pillar. In this system a series of parallel drifts are
driven, with connections made between these drifts at regular intervals. When the distance between
connecting drifts is the same as that between the parallel drifts, then a checkerboard pattern of
rooms and pillars is created. The pillars of ore are left to support the overlying rock, but in some
mines, after mining has reached the deposit’s boundary, some or all of the pillars may be removed.
Maintain an auxiliary ventilation in a Room and Pillar Copper mine located at Red
mountain(California) U.S. Cross-sectional area of mine is 20m2. Operating at the depth of
approximately 1200m. Advancing away form mine shaft with deteriorated return airways and
leakage had negative effect on ventilation airflows to the face area. No additional capacity is
available at main surface.
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Mine Ventilation Dr. Muhammad Usman Khan CEP
As the mining depth increases, the temperature of the rock increases, and the heat damage caused
by the ground temperatures and other factors is amplified. The world’s deepest underground mine
is South Africa’s Carletonville gold deposit: the mining depth is 4000 m and the ground
temperatures is 70°C. The high-temperature, high-humidity, and low-velocity work environment
on the working surface in deep mines will cause the central nervous system to be inhibited by
workers working underground for a long period of time.
2 Literature review
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Mine Ventilation Dr. Muhammad Usman Khan CEP
Fresh air enters the system through one or more downcast shafts, or other connections to surface.
The air flows along intake airways to the working area or places where the majority of pollutants
are added to the air. Contaminated air passes back through the system along return airways. The
return air eventually passes back to the surface via one or more upcast shafts, or through inclined
or level drifts.
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Mine Ventilation Dr. Muhammad Usman Khan CEP
2.1.4 Regulators
Regulators are commonly used to reduce the airflow to a desired value in a given airway or section
of the mine. Depending on its permanency and the pressure differential to be experienced across
the regulator, materials used in the construction of regulators range from a simple brattice sheet
blocking the airway to a sliding shutter in a stopping.
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Mine Ventilation Dr. Muhammad Usman Khan CEP
Booster fans affect the behavior of leakage and recirculation. The locations of the booster fan and
the blade angle setting have the most effect on leakage and recirculation. To limit the potential for
system leakage and recirculation, the location and size of a booster fan in a ventilation system
should be thoroughly evaluated. According to the United States Federal Register (1992), booster
fans are permitted in metal and non-metal mining, as well as in anthracite coal mines.
The leakage of air does not serve an advantage to the mine ventilation system as leaked airflow
does not ventilate the working areas. Fugitive air losses as a result of poorly maintained stoppings
and overcasts will cause shortage of fresh air at working sections where workers need more fresh
air and where the major job of diluting and carrying away gases and dusts is conducted.
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Mine Ventilation Dr. Muhammad Usman Khan CEP
Hartman et al. (1997) points out that leakage through stoppings, doors, and regulators depend not
only on the pressure across the control device but also on the condition of the device itself. All
control devices are subject to natural deterioration over time. This may be due to the convergence
of strata, blasting underground or by vehicles running into stoppings and overcasts. Hartman et al.
(1997) continues to make an observation that the majority of air leakages in underground coal
mines are happening at or near the bottom of the slope where the pressure differential is the highest
and the control devices are the oldest.
4 Solutions
Figure 7 Room and pillar development with line brattices to regulate airflow in conveyor
belt entry: (a) bi-directional system; (b) uni-directional system.
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Mine Ventilation Dr. Muhammad Usman Khan CEP
• Hang a continuous brattice line along the pillars, it will stops most of the leakage around
the peripherals.
The goal of a ventilation system is to provide a work environment that contains minimal safety
and health risks and is conducive to hard work. Since ventilation is a cost function, this goal should
be met as inexpensively as possible. Homestake is the largest underground gold mine in the U.S.,
currently operating at the 8,000- foot level. The mine is ventilated by 1,069,000 cfm (504 m3 /sec)
of air measured at mid-exhaust circuit density. Its air conditioning system includes a 2,300 ton (8.1
MWR) controlled recirculation plant, a 580 ton (2.0 MWR) chilled water plant, a 290 ton (1.0
MWR) drite exploration plant, 28 spot-coolers totaling 960 tons (3.4 MWR), and 35 spray coolers
totaling 420 tons (1.5 MWR).
The mine employs 117 diesel units with a total nameplate rating of 10,672 hp (7,961 kW), plus
other mining equipment (Marks and Shaffner, 1993). Faced with these challenges, the mine
management formulated a ventilation planning method called Requirements and Resources
Analysis (Marks and Justus, 1993).
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Mine Ventilation Dr. Muhammad Usman Khan CEP
A requirement is defined as the air quantity or the amount of refrigeration necessary to meet the
goal stated above. A resource is a tangible thing: a fan, cooler, or an airway. A properly designed
system has the resources to meet the requirements. If not, work areas will be excessively warm or
cold, or will suffer from high contaminant concentrations. Requirements and Resources Analysis
has four basic components:
The 85° to 91°F wet-bulb increment is considered the safety-factor range where only temporary
work is permitted. Above 91°F wet-bulb, ingress is for short duration only. For dust, toxic and
dangerous gases, the guidelines set forth by Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and
the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) are followed.
For diesel equipment, a minimum 110 cfm per rated horsepower (0.07 m3/sec per kW) is specified
for ramp systems and general work areas. Dead and auxiliary fans can get by with less air if diesel
vehicles are only in the heading part-time. Scrams under 100 ft in length usually are well enough
ventilated by convection currents and the reciprocating action of the loader.
6 Summary
Problem was to maintain an auxiliary ventilation in a Room and Pillar Copper mine located at Red
mountain(California) U.S. In which leakage and deterioration was the significant problem. The
high-temperature, high-humidity, and low-velocity are the general problems which a mine faces.
General principle of underground mine ventilation was discussed. General cause of leakage and
deterioration, was the convergence of strata, underground-blasting or by vehicles running into
stoppings and overcasts. Solution includes the adaptation of general principle and specifically line
brattice should be installed in mine to direct the air to face area and to avoid leakage along
periphery, line brattice should be installed along walls.
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Mine Ventilation Dr. Muhammad Usman Khan CEP
7 Conclusion
After this brief discussion and documentation it is concluded that underground mine Auxiliary
ventilation plays a vital role in production and safety of workers. As booster fans are not allowed
in U.S. so, its use and regulation should be monitored regularly. For all sort of mines Ventilation
can be ensured by adaptation of general principle of underground mine ventilation and specifically
for our Copper Mine, line brattice should be installed in mine to direct the air to face area and to
avoid leakage along periphery, line brattice should be installed along walls.
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Mine Ventilation Dr. Muhammad Usman Khan CEP
References
• https://www.britannica.com/technology/mining/Ventilation-and-lighting#ref622467
• https://www.mindat.org/glossary/auxiliary_ventilation
• https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ace/2018/1529490/
• http://web.mst.edu/~tien/218/lab8-systems.pdf
• https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=8326&context=masters_theses
• https://www.eolss.net/Sample-Chapters/C05/E6-37-06-02.pdf
• http://web.mst.edu/~tien/218/218-LabSystem.pdf
• https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/userfiles/works/pdfs/mtimv.pdf
• https://books.google.com.pk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=mpQHCAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP
11&dq=Subsurface+Ventilation+and+Environmental+Engineering&ots=G1xjRvOakq&s
ig=ekc7OESLKeomwUbTxXH46qOb5QA#v=onepage&q&f=true
[Retrieval Date: 1st-December-2019]
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