Dilution Ventilation Calculation The amount of diluting air required for dilution ventilation is a function of three factors: (1) the maximum allowable concentration (MAC) for the con- taminant, (2) the rate at which the contaminant is flowing into the mine, and (3) the concentration of the contaminant in the incoming air. While TLVs may be the maximum allowable concentrations from a legal point of view, mine management may set values for maximum allowable concentrations for certain contaminants below the corresponding TLVs to provide additional margins of safety. Permissible exposure limit (PEL) is yet another term that is commonly used in place of TLV and has legal connotation.Steady-State Dilution The quantity of dilution air required for a steady- state situation is calculated as follows: MAC = maximum allowable concentration, fraction B = concentration of the gas in the incoming air, fraction Q, = inflow rate of the gas into the mine atmosphere, cfm (m/s) Q = inflow rate of the incoming air, cfm (m/s) To be in compliance, the following volumetric relationship should hold: (= MAC) O > Qe — By G8)Example 3.4 A strata gas flows into a workplace at a rate of 90 cfm (0.04247 ‘m’ls); its concent that the TLV for the gas is 1%, compute the quantity of intake air required to dilute the gas, Solution: Use Eq. 3.8: 9001 @ .01 = 0. 1 7 25 = 11,800 cfm (5.606 m"/s) Example 3.5 Slow oxidation of a sulfide ore in a stope liberates 0.015 cfm (7.079 x 10-* mvs) of a gascous contaminant. Given a TLV of 5 ppm, approximate the quantity of fresh air required for Solution: Use Eq. 3.9: (0.015) 3) 2 = pau; = 3000 cfm (1.415 m5)