Development of Air Quantity Estimator (AQE 2.0) Software for Estimating Airflow Requirements for Diluting Diesel Particulate Matter

Details

• Personal Author:
  Ajayi KM ; Briton J ; Cole G ; Fritz J ; Gangrade V ; Harris, Marcia L. ; Young M
• Description:
  Mine workers using diesel-powered equipment experience the highest occupational exposure to diesel particulate matter (DPM). This problem could be aggravated in underground stone mines due to their unique ventilation challenges with the large openings for airflow. Hence, adequate ventilation in these mines requires a combination of effective ventilation planning and delivering needed air quantities using auxiliary fans and stoppings. To meet this challenge, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) developed the Air Quantity Estimator (AQE) software as a mine planning tool to help underground mine operators estimate the air requirements necessary to dilute DPM in the main air stream to statutory levels. The major parameters required for the calculations are the engine's horsepower, DPM emission rate, the percentage operating time, catalytic converter efficiency, and filter efficiency. In efforts to provide major updates to this software, this study describes the recent development of a revised version of the Air Quantity Estimator (AQE 2.0). With the revised version, users have access to a comprehensive database of over 40,000 pieces of equipment, can define their specific target DPM level, and can create specific equipment for a customized database, in addition to having an improved easy-to-use interface. The software output provides an estimated total airflow necessary to dilute DPM based on the projected emissions, and the user can generate a related results report. The results also provide the mine personnel with a tool to identify vehicles that are high DPM contributors and could further be used to optimize the ventilation requirement by making changes to the percentage operating time of the engine. This software provides the mine with a user-friendly tool that could help reduce the DPM exposure of workers. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Movements Mining Occupational Health Particulate Matter Safety Software Vehicle Emissions Ventilation
• Keywords:
  Air Flow Computer Software Diesel Emissions Diesel Exhausts Mine Workers Mining Industry Particulates Stone Mines Underground Mines
• Series:
  Mining Publications
• ISBN:
  9781713872368
• Publisher:
  Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; 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:
  1-4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20067857
• Citation:
  MineXchange: 2023 SME Annual Conference and Expo, February 26-March 1, 2023, Denver, Colorado, preprint 23-041. Englewood, CO: Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration, 2023 Feb; :1-4
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• NORA Priority Area:
  Mining
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  MineXchange: 2023 SME Annual Conference and Expo, February 26-March 1, 2023, Denver, Colorado, preprint 23-041
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4be5b0a10f8cd3102e6e0c76c48c3d086dfa8f06c96c6e639813837a61c669a1944364e9540599e2c60913776d989284845b51f7a8217f564f7c57cb74823433
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/215605/cdc_215605_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 297.68 KB ]