Environmental control of the mine atmosphere

It is evident that miners and astronaut confront a hostile environment and that both
group depend on ventilation-air conditioning system to supply them adequate air for
breathing.

To the mining engineer , ventilation is the most versatile atmospheric control tool.

Mine ventilation is essentially the application of the principles of fluid dynamics to the flow of air
in mine openings.

As the primary means of quantity control, ventilation is responsible for the circulation of air, in
both amount and direction, throughout the mine.

In underground mining, environmental objectives require that we condition air to meet quality
and temperature-humidity standards as well as quantity criteria , which is known as total air –
conditioning system.

Worker productivity and job satisfaction correlate closely with environmental quality
Need for ventilation :

Miners confronted oxygen deficiency, toxic gases, harmful dusts, and debilitating heat.

Depth, the most serious natural constraint, sets the ultimate limit, specifically through rock pressure and rock
temperature.

Although heat generated by depth imposes the ultimate limit, the mine and its atmosphere have other
detrimental conditions to withstand. These consist usually of airborne contaminants such as gases and dusts
Control process :
Total air conditioning are (1) quality control, (2) quantity control, and (3) temperature-humidity control of the
atmosphere.

To accomplish these objectives, individual conditioning processes are employed; in mining, they consist of the
following:

1. Quality control (purifying air and removing contaminants) a. Gas control—vapours and gaseous matter,
including radiation b. Dust control—particulate matter
2. Quantity control (regulating magnitude and direction of airflow) a. Ventilation b. Auxiliary or face ventilation
c. Local exhaust
3. Temperature-humidity control (controlling latent and sensible heat) a. Cooling b. Heating c. Humidification d.
Dehumidification
In coping with atmospheric environmental hazards in mining, certain engineering principles are
fundamental and applicable to control of any contaminant.

In order of preference of their application, engineering control principles consist of the following

Prevention or avoidance 2. Removal or elimination 3. Suppression or absorption 4. Containment or

isolation 5. Dilution or reduction

FOUNDATIONS OF MINE VENTILATION AND AIR CONDITIONING

They apply basic concepts of physical chemistry, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and mechanical
design to control of the physical, chemical, and thermal properties of air.