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 reduce the respirable dust exposure of roof bolter operators in underground coal mining. This technology is being adapted for use with shuttle cars and ramcars. The plenum is mounted on the underside of the shuttle car canopy over the operator's position. The blower providing filtered air to the operator is plumbed into the shuttle car's existing hydraulic system. After the system was installed on a ramcar, field testing of the CAC's ability to provide respirable dust control was conducted on a section using blowing face ventilation. 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. 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 reduce shuttle car and ramcar operators' exposure 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: Canopy Air Curtain Coal Dust Coal Mines Control Technology Dust Control Dust Control Equipment Environmental Control Equipment Equipment Design Equipment Operation Equipment Operators Equipment Testing Exposure Assessment Hydraulic Equipment Mobile Equipment Performance Capability Performance Tests Respirable Dust Shuttle Car Underground Mines

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• Series:
  Mining Publications
• ISSN:
  2524-3462
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Indiana ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5 ; 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:
  251-261
• Volume:
  39
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20064658
• Citation:
  Min Metall Explor 2022 Apr; 39(2):251-261
• Contact Point Address:
  W. R. Reed, CDC NIOSH, Pittsburgh; PA, United States
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• NORA Priority Area:
  Mining
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b3ffd7889568fd0ac5b15fb0095d29ea2e77ef283e91ac630b15fcddf10fdc70ab61b7c6468d472f9bec9854f5d84ab05c17a217c7ca5041117ed6d11cfb3fbf
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/215520/cdc_215520_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.28 MB ]