Optimization of Auxiliary Fan Placement for Large-Opening Underground Stone Mines

Details

• Personal Author:
  Gangrade V ; Watkins E
• Description:
  Large-opening stone mines often rely on natural ventilation and a network of auxiliary fans to produce adequate ventilation conditions in the mine instead of main mine fans, which are commonly utilized in coal mines. Large air volumes in underground stone mines, poor ventilation practices, and low operating budgets for mine ventilation potentially increase mine workers' risk for dust, silica, and diesel particulate matter (DPM) emissions exposure. To help improve mine ventilation practices, the optimal auxiliary fan location for maximum airflow production from a ventilated intersection was determined using a combination of field measurements and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling. In this study, conducted by researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), airflow quantity and fan data were collected at a partner mine to be applied as CFD model input parameters and comparison data for model validation. A six-foot diameter auxiliary propeller fan was introduced into the validated CFD model at three locations at a mine entry intersection with established ventilation flow perpendicular to the fan direction. Placing the fan on the opposite side of the intersection from the target active face area produced the highest ventilation flow rates at the downstream locations tested and produced the lowest amount of air re-circulation. The findings show that optimizing the placement of an auxiliary fan may increase the net effective ventilation flow rate by 70,000 cfm and reduce recirculation by 26%, which maximizes the potential effectiveness of large-opening stone mine ventilation systems and decreases mine worker exposures to airborne contaminants. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Dust Environmental Exposure Mining Occupational Health Particulate Matter Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Silicon Dioxide Vehicle Emissions Ventilation

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• Keywords:
  Airborne Particulates Coal Mines Diesel Emissions Diesel Exhausts Dust Exposure Emission Sources Exposure Levels Mine Workers Mining Industry Models Particulate Dust Particulates Risk Factors Silica Stone Mines Underground Mines

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• Series:
  Mining Publications
• ISBN:
  9781713845089
• Publisher:
  Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 8 ; Pennsylvania ; Utah
• 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:
  259-262
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20065262
• Citation:
  MineXchange: 2022 SME Annual Conference and Expo, February 27-March 2, 2022, Salt Lake City, Utah, preprint 22-050. Englewood, CO: Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration, 2022 Feb; :259-262
• Contact Point Address:
  E. Watkins, CDC NIOSH, Pittsburgh; PA, United States
• CAS Registry Number:
  Silica (CAS RN 7631-86-9)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• NORA Priority Area:
  Mining
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  MineXchange: 2022 SME Annual Conference and Expo, February 27-March 2, 2022, Salt Lake City, Utah, preprint 22-050
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:03b63d7dce14bfd64dec22e31478388319459d902e6a2e63360d822fee749410c190f686066d876347f53821c4b6565493d3a9ca63412093378523c7cc61ca12
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/215490/cdc_215490_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 184.04 KB ]