CFD Analysis on Gas Distribution for Different Scrubber Redirection Configurations in Sump Cut

Details

• Personal Author:
  Beck, Timothy W. ; Organiscak, John A. ; Rider, James P. ; Zheng Y ; Zhou L
• Description:
  The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Office of Mine Safety and Health Research (OMSHR) has recently developed a series of models utilizing Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to study gas distribution around a continuous mining machine with various fan-powered flooded bed scrubber discharge configurations. CFD models utilizing Species Transport Model without reactions in FLUENT were constructed to evaluate the redirection of scrubber discharge toward the mining face rather than behind the return curtain. The following scenarios are considered in this study: 100% of the discharge redirected back towards the face on the off-curtain side of the continuous miner; 100% of the discharge redirected back towards the face, but divided equally to both sides of the machine; and 15% of the discharge redirected toward the face on the off-curtain side of the machine, with 85% directed into the return. These models were compared to a model with a conventional scrubber discharge where air is directed away from the face into the return. The CFD models were calibrated and validated based on experimental data and accurately predicted sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) gas levels at four gas monitoring locations. One additional prediction model was simulated to consider a different scrubber discharge angle for the 100% redirected, equally divided case. These models identified relatively high gassy areas around the continuous miner which may not warrant their use in coal mines with medium to high methane liberation rates. This paper describes the methodology used to develop the CFD models, and the validation of the models based on experimental data. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Coal Coal Mining Mining Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Coal-mining Gases Health-hazards Health-protection Ionization Machine-operation Miners Mining-industry Models Safety-measures Safety-practices Safety-programs Underground-mining

  More +
• Series:
  Mining Publications
• ISBN:
  9781510801240
• Publisher:
  Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc.
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 8 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OMSHR - Office of Mine Safety and Health Research
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  136-142
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20046816
• Citation:
  2015 SME Annual Conference and Expo and CMA 117th National Western Mining Conference - Mining: Navigating the Global Waters, February 15-18, 2015, Denver, Colorado. Littleton, CO: Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc., 2015 Jul; :136-142
• CAS Registry Number:
  Quartz (SiO2) (CAS RN 14808-60-7)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• NORA Priority Area:
  Mining
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  2015 SME Annual Conference and Expo and CMA 117th National Western Mining Conference - Mining: Navigating the Global Waters, February 15-18, 2015, Denver, Colorado
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7a55b16360bfb87839bd50341149cd682cceb1cdc4dbd869b08e852bc6ce58933d4fec669a96573537e2b31d719f6ccc017939de8ff9daa95dc1b761c5d7cb2c
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/228169/cdc_228169_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 629.39 KB ]