Optimized model-based control of main mine ventilation air flows with minimized energy consumption

In early 2018,the Boliden Garpenberg operation implemented an optimized control strategy as an addition to the existing ventilation on demand system.The purpose of the strategy is to further minimize energy use for main and booster fans,whilst also fulfilling airflow setpoints without violating constraints such as min/max differential pressure over fans and interaction of air between areas in mines.Using air flow measurements and a dynamical model of the ventilation system,a mine-wide coordination control of fans can be carried out.The numerical model is data driven and derived from historical operational data or step changes experiments.This makes both initial deployment and lifetime model maintenance,as the mine evolves,a comparably easy operation.The control has been proven to operate in a stable manner over long periods without having to re-calibrate the model.Results prove a 40%decrease in energy use for the fans involved and a greater controllability of air flow.Moreover,a 15%decrease of the total air flow into the mine will give additional proportional heating savings during winter periods.All in all,the multivariable controller shows a correlation between production in the mine and the ventilation system performance superior to all of its predecessors.

Numerical simulation to evaluate gas diffusion of turbulent flow in mine ventilation system

Tracer gas technique is a method to analyze the airflow path, measure the airflow quantity, and detect any recirculation or leakages in underground mine. In addition, it is also possible to evaluate the axial gas diffusion of gas in turbulent bulk flow by utilizing the tracer gas data. This paper discussed about the measurement using tracer gas technique in Cibaliung Underground Mine, Indonesia and the evaluation of effective axial diffusion coefficient, E, by numerical simulation. In addition, a scheme to treat network flow in mine ventilation system was also proposed. The effective axial diffusion coefficient for each airway was evaluated based on Taylor's theoretical equation. It is found that the evaluated diffusion coefficient agrees well with Taylor's equation by considering that the wall friction factor, f, is higher than those for smooth pipe flow. It also shows that the value of effective diffusion coefficient can be inherently determined and the value is constant when matching with other measurements. Furthermore, there are possibilities to utilize the tracer gas measurement data to evaluate the airway friction factors.

Stability of multiple fans in mine ventilation networks

In large mines,single fan is usually not enough to ventilate all the working areas.Single mine-fan approach cannot be directly applied to multiple-fan networks because the present of multiple pressures and air quantities associated with each fan in the network.Accordingly,each fan in a multiple-fan system has its own mine characteristic curve,or a subsystem curve.Under some consideration,the conventional concept of a mine characteristic curve of a single-fan system can be directly extended to that of a particular fan within a multiple-fan system.In this paper the mutual effect of the fans on each other and their effect on the stability of the ventilation network were investigated by Hardy Cross algorithm combined with a switching-parameters technique.To show the validity and reliability of this algorithm,the stability of the ventilation system of Abu-Tartur Mine(one of the largest underground mine in Egypt)has been studied.

GIS-Based Mine Ventilation Network and Safety Analysis

This paper constructed the mine ventilation network model using the powerful function of attribute management and display of GIS based on the study of GIS and mine ventilation network. In a mine ventilation network, a specified result can be obtained by defining weight values for attribute fields as the constraint condition. It is of great importance for mines to determine the best rescue and leaving route by the analyses of mine ventilation network routes, nodes and loops when a mine accident happens.

Application of ventilation management programs for improved mine safety

The purpose of ventilation management systems is to ensure the health and safety of underground workers by creating and incorporating structured plans, procedures and processes on the day-to-day operations of the mine ventilation system. The application of ventilation management programs consists of audit, verification, and corrective action procedures to:(1) ensure adherence to regulatory standards,or to(2) return to compliance and safety standards when an upset condition arises. This paper describes how a ventilation management program can be developed and implemented to ensure regulation compliance, to increase safety, to improve operational efficiency and to reduce the operating costs of an operating mine. Two case applications are presented in this paper. The first case is presented to demonstrate use of a ventilation management program in response to a site inspection and audit, with follow-up application of corrective actions. The second case application describes how air quality conditions has been substantially improved with the development and implementation of a ventilation management program for an operating underground hard rock mine.

A preliminary study on selected methods of modeling the effect of shearer operation on methane propagation and ventilation at longwalls

Underground coal mining frequently uses longwalls.The occurrence of a potentially explosive mixture of methane and air is one of the most serious hazards.A large number of papers have applied numerical modeling of methane propagation in research aimed at this problem.To date,none of the CFD simulations has considered the movement of the shearer in the analyses.This paper proposes an adaptation of a method used for the description of the movement of trains in tunnels to a specific geometry of a longwall district.The flow of the air-methane mixture was calculated using the finite volume method,in particular the k-w SST and SAS turbulence models.Due to the movement of the shearer,moving and deforming meshes were used for simulation of unsteady flows.Examples of solutions for two hypothetical cases are presented.Finally,the drawbacks and advantages of presented methods are discussed.Further development with the application of either local mesh variability or overset meshes is outlined.

Prediction of air flow, methane, and coal dust dispersion in a room and pillar mining face

In underground coal mines, uncontrolled accumulation of methane and fine coal dust often leads to serious incidents such as explosion. Therefore, methane and dust dispersion in underground mines is closely monitored and strictly regulated. Accordingly, significant efforts have been devoted to study methane and dust dispersion in underground mines. In this study, methane emission and dust concentration are numerically investigated using a computational fluid dynamics(CFD) approach. Various possible scenarios of underground mine configurations are evaluated. The results indicate that the presence of continuous miner adversely affects the air flow and leads to increased methane and dust concentrations.Nevertheless, it is found that such negative effect can be minimized or even neutralized by operating the scrubber fan in suction mode. In addition, it was found that the combination of scrubber fan in suction mode and brattice results in the best performance in terms of methane and dust removal from the mining face.

Computer simulation of the air flow distribution in goaf regarding the use of inert gases and chemical agents

This paper presents the use of a computer method of the ventilation process simulation for the analysis of the flow distribution of air and gases in the area of wall mining work and the adjacent goaf.In workings and goaf,the complex issue of the formation of a gaseous atmosphere under variable ventilation conditions and an existing fire hazard level,with the possibility of feeding goaf with an additional carbon dioxide flux as the inertizing agent is considered.Some examples of the simulation of feeding goaf with carbon dioxide illustrating the different patterns of the distribution of the goaf atmosphere gases concentration,said distribution patterns being gas supply place dependent,have been presented.In addition,the impact of the additional sealing of goaf on the distribution level of the concentration of gases,the said sealing made from the wall side with chemical agents has also been considered.The capabilities of the VentGoaf computer simulation program,being the basis for our calculations,enable consideration of the use of the inert gases supplied to the goaf depending on: the location of the gas feeding the pipe outlet,tightness of the fire field,fire centre location,and spatial situation of the mined wall.It has been found that fire prevention elements,such as chemical sealing agents,are of great impact on the effectiveness of fire prevention.

Use of booster fans in underground coal mining to advantage

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.