Field Test of a Canopy Air Curtain on a Ramcar for Dust Control in an Underground Coal Mine

Details

• Personal Author:
  Colinet, Jay F. ; Driscoll J ; Klima SS ; Mazzella A ; Morson T ; Reed, William R. ; Ross G ; Workman M
• Description:
  The canopy air curtain (CAC) has been proven to provide protection to roof bolter operators in underground coal mining. This technology is being adapted for use with shuttle/ramcars. The plenum is mounted on the shuttle car canopy over the operator's position. The blower providing clean air to the operator is plumbed into the shuttle car's existing hydraulic system. Once the system was installed and tested, field testing of the CAC ability to provide respirable dust control was conducted. Results showed that overall respirable dust reductions during the total time the operator was underneath the canopy ranged from 11% to 34%, demonstrating adequate performance. However, further analysis demonstrated that the CAC performance was exceptional when the ramcar was being loaded by the continuous miner in blowing face ventilation. At this location, a position where the shuttle car operator has their highest potential for respirable dust exposure, the CAC provided dust reductions ranging from 57% to 65%. These results, especially during ramcar loading at the CM, demonstrate that the CAC can be an important dust control device to protect ramcar operators from overexposure to respirable coal mine dust. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Movements Air Pollution Coal Dust Mining Occupational Health Safety Ventilation
• Keywords:
  Air Flow Air Quality Control Author Keywords: Respirable Dust Canopy Air Curtain Coal Mines Control Technology Dust Control Equipment Equipment Design Mobile Equipment Respirable Dust Shuttle Car Underground Mining

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• Series:
  Mining Publications
• Publisher:
  Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; Indiana ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 8 ; Pennsylvania ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  PMRD - Pittsburgh Mining Research Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-7
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20063512
• Citation:
  MineXchange: 2021 SME Annual Conference and Expo and CMA 123rd National Western Mining Conference, March 1-5, 2021, virtual event, preprint 21-009. Englewood, CO: Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration, 2021 Mar; :1-7
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• NORA Priority Area:
  Mining
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  MineXchange: 2021 SME Annual Conference and Expo and CMA 123rd National Western Mining Conference, March 1-5, 2021, virtual event, preprint 21-009
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:cd25dc7446672edf5ca760ec5da31da55559d4c101fbfff962b88a2615e6e9795de886b5e807b2d55bc0b93ee0592553d96e0ee7bc1837415af03981b0831ea3
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/215414/cdc_215414_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 511.86 KB ]