A booster fan is an underground main fan which is installed in series with a main surface fan and used to boost the air pressure of the ventilation to overcome mine resistance.Currently booster fans are used in severa...A booster fan is an underground main fan which is installed in series with a main surface fan and used to boost the air pressure of the ventilation to overcome mine resistance.Currently booster fans are used in several major coal mining countries including the United Kingdom,Australia,Poland and China.In the United States booster fans are prohibited in coal mines although they are used in several metal and non-metal mines.A study has been undertaken to examine alternatives for ventilating an underground room and pillar coal mine system.A feasibility study of a hypothetical situation has shown that current ventilation facilities are incapable of fulfilling mine air requirements in the future due to increased seam methane levels.A current ventilation network model has been prepared and projected to a mine five years plan."Ventsim visual" software simulations of different possible ventilation options have been conducted in which varying methane levels are found at working faces.The software can also undertake financial simulations and project present value total costs for the options under study.Several scenarios for improving the ventilation situation such as improving main surface fans,adding intake shafts,adding exhaust shafts and utilizing booster fans have been examined.After taking into account the total capital and operating costs for the five years mine plan the booster fan scenarios are recommended as being the best alternatives for further serious consideration by the mine.The optimum option is a properly sized and installed booster fan system that can be used to create safe work conditions,maintain adequate air quantity with lowest cost,generate a reduction in energy consumption and decrease mine system air leakage.展开更多
Recirculation is prohibited in many coal mining countries because of the fear that the re-use of return air would allow the build-up of air contaminants at the workings. The incorrect design and location of a booster ...Recirculation is prohibited in many coal mining countries because of the fear that the re-use of return air would allow the build-up of air contaminants at the workings. The incorrect design and location of a booster fan in any ventilation network can create unsafe condition due to recirculation. The current approach to investigating recirculation using simulation software requires manual effort which becomes tedious in a complex and a large network. An algorithm-based C++ program was designed to detect the recirculation in a booster fan ventilation networks. This program needed an input file prepared from output file generated by any ventilation simulator. This program created an output file for recirculation. This program demonstrated the strong capability to detect the recirculation in a sample network and a coal mine ventilation network. The outcomes of this program were documented in this paper.展开更多
基金Supported by National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of USA(200-2009-30328)
文摘A booster fan is an underground main fan which is installed in series with a main surface fan and used to boost the air pressure of the ventilation to overcome mine resistance.Currently booster fans are used in several major coal mining countries including the United Kingdom,Australia,Poland and China.In the United States booster fans are prohibited in coal mines although they are used in several metal and non-metal mines.A study has been undertaken to examine alternatives for ventilating an underground room and pillar coal mine system.A feasibility study of a hypothetical situation has shown that current ventilation facilities are incapable of fulfilling mine air requirements in the future due to increased seam methane levels.A current ventilation network model has been prepared and projected to a mine five years plan."Ventsim visual" software simulations of different possible ventilation options have been conducted in which varying methane levels are found at working faces.The software can also undertake financial simulations and project present value total costs for the options under study.Several scenarios for improving the ventilation situation such as improving main surface fans,adding intake shafts,adding exhaust shafts and utilizing booster fans have been examined.After taking into account the total capital and operating costs for the five years mine plan the booster fan scenarios are recommended as being the best alternatives for further serious consideration by the mine.The optimum option is a properly sized and installed booster fan system that can be used to create safe work conditions,maintain adequate air quantity with lowest cost,generate a reduction in energy consumption and decrease mine system air leakage.
基金the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of USA for providing financial support for this project
文摘Recirculation is prohibited in many coal mining countries because of the fear that the re-use of return air would allow the build-up of air contaminants at the workings. The incorrect design and location of a booster fan in any ventilation network can create unsafe condition due to recirculation. The current approach to investigating recirculation using simulation software requires manual effort which becomes tedious in a complex and a large network. An algorithm-based C++ program was designed to detect the recirculation in a booster fan ventilation networks. This program needed an input file prepared from output file generated by any ventilation simulator. This program created an output file for recirculation. This program demonstrated the strong capability to detect the recirculation in a sample network and a coal mine ventilation network. The outcomes of this program were documented in this paper.