74 MINE GASES

longwalling in very deep and very gassy mines, all three methods are em-
ployed: vertical degas holes several years ahead of mining, horizontal holes
from the mine development sections, and gob wells drilled just prior to
mining.

PROBLEMS

3.1 Gas adsorption curves in Fig. 3.1 are described by Eq. 3.3, but a
simpler representation is Y = Ycp". Plot each curve on log-log paper,
and determine Yc and n for each coal seam. Does the rank of coal
have any influence on Yc and n?
3.2 Crank's solution for Eq. 3.5, when the surface concentration is as-
sumed to vary as $ (T) = kj, is given as

3MT / a2 \ 6a2 ' 1 /-nVDr\

4ira3k \ 15D) + Z4K
4
TT D 2 , 3»exp -5 (3.16)

where MT is volume of gas desorbed in time T, k is a constant, and T

is time in days. The left-hand-side (LHS) term is the fraction of original
gas content desorbed. Determine the time taken to desorb 80% of the
original gas content for lumps of Pocahontas and Pittsburgh seam coal.
Assume Dla2 for Pocahontas as 10~ 6 s ~ ' and for Pittsburgh coal as
10-8s-'.
3.3 A development section is stopped because of high methane emissions,
(a) Plot the pressure profile against distance into the solid coal at
time intervals of 1, 15, 30, and 180 day s, assuming an approximate
solution for Eq. 3.6 as

p2(x, T) - p 2 e a m 1 , , ._,
—3. -2 = erfc , /2 (3.17)
Patm — Pseam A^J)

where p(x, T) is pressure at a distance x from the face at time T,

and the term erfc is the complementary error function. Assume
Pseam = 275 psia (lb/in.2 absolute) (1.90 MPa) and p a t m = 15 psia
(103 kPa); then

k Tp
Trf = ^ - (3.18)
(j> |xx2
T T

Assume k/$ = 0.5; p = (l/2)(p s e a m + p a t m ).

(b) Plot the same pressures profiles, assume k/$ = 0.2, 0.7, and 0.9.
What influence do permeability and gas content have on the gas-
pressure gradient?
 3.7 METHANE DRAINAGE 75

Nitrogen is liberated at the rate of 8.5 cfm (0.004012 m3/s) as a strata

gas in a workplace. What quantity of intake air must be delivered to
the face to maintain the nitrogen content at a concentration of not
more than 80%?
How many hours, theoretically, could a miner remain alive after a fall
of ground that caved the heading where that miner worked to within
30 ft (9.144 m) of the face? The heading is 5 x 8 ft (1.524 x 2.438
m). Assume a respiratory quotient of 0.9, and investigate from the
standpoints of (a) oxygen depletion and (b) suffocation from carbon
dioxide. Which governs?
(a) Calculate the quantity of ventilating air needed to dilute the toxic
fumes of a 100-bhp (74.57-kW) diesel engine. Sufficient air should
be provided to ensure that no constituent concentration exceeds
its TLV-TWA. An analysis of the exhaust reveals the following
production of gases per engine bhp (kW):

Nitrogen oxides 0.0015 cfm (0.19493 x 10~6 m3/s)

Carbon monoxide 0.0006 cfm (0.3797 x 10" 6 m3/s)
Carbon dioxide 0.2670 cfm (168.983 x 10 6 m3/s)

(b) Assuming that this engine were left running in a dead-end entry
with 5000 cfm (2.36 m3/s) of intake air provided by an auxiliary
ventilation system, calculate the time required for each of the
gases to exceed its TLV-TWA. Assume the same exhaust gases
as part (a) and uncontaminated intake air. The entry dimensions
are 10 x 25 x 500 ft (1.83 x 5.49 x 76.20 m).
Blasting in a raise liberates 200 ft3 (5.664 m3) of toxic fumes and smoke.
The raise is 4 x 6 ft (1.219 x 1.829 m) in cross section and 40 ft
(12.192 m) above the level. If auxiliary ventilation supplies 800 cfm
(0.3776 m3/s) of fresh air to the face, how long will it take to dilute
the fumes to a safe concentration of 100 ppm so the miners can return
to work?
An inflow of 1.2 cfm of strata gas occurs whenever cutting and loading
operations are conducted in a stope. The following data are provided
for the stope:

Stope volume 100,000 ft3

Intake-air volume 2000 cfm
Concentration of the strata gas in intake air 50 ppm
Concentration of the strata gas in stope 75 ppm
prior to start of work

(a) The cycle times are normally distributed with a mean of 34 min
76 MINE GASES

and a standard deviation of 3.5 min. Calculate the probability of

being gassed out during a particular cycle given that the maximum
allowable concentration for the strata gas is 400 ppm.
(b) A remotely operated cutting and loading machine is being consid-
ered. Assume that no miners will be in the stope return where
the concentration may be higher than the MAC, calculate the
steady-state concentration in the stope. Calculate the time at
which 95% of this concentration will be reached.
3.9 The instantaneous liberation rate of methane in a room being advanced
by a continuous miner varies from 50 cfm (0.0236 m3/s) to 250 cfm
(0.1180 m3/s). Calculate the quantity of fresh intake air containing no
methane that must be delivered to the workplace to maintain continu-
ously the methane concentration at the face at less than 1%.
3.10 A section in a coal mine is ventilated with 15,000 cfm (7.079 m3/s).
The methane concentrations measured in the intake airway and at the
working face are 0.14 and 0.98%, respectively. Assuming no fluctua-
tion in the methane content of the intake air, and neglecting air leakage
in the section, calculate the intake-air quantity that is required to main-
tain the methane concentration at 0.65% at the working face.
3.11 A rock drill liberates dust at the rate of 1 lb/min (0.00756 kg/s). Given
that the explosive concentration for that particular dust is 4 grains/ft3
(9153 mg/m3), calculate the required quantity of ventilation to dilute
the dust to that level. The dust concentration in the intake ventilating
air is 0.5 grains/ft3 (1144 mg/m3).