Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
May 2012
Foreword
A reliable technique or methodology developed through experience and research to
achieve the optimum or the desired result is termed as best practice. Coal is currently
the major source of energy for thermal power plants around the globe. It is obtained
from surface as well as underground mining. There are a lot of safety concerns in
association with underground mines e.g. explosion, mine collapse and health problems
due to dust inhalation causing serious respiratory diseases. Mine explosion occurs due
to the release of methane from the coal seam and surrounding rock and hence it
necessitates a well-designed ventilation system. Unless properly ventilated extended
work in mining environment can lead to respiratory diseases, lung cancer etc and
therefore a proper and cost-effective dust control strategy has to be in place to prevent
these illnesses and eliminate the potential for coal dust explosions. This technical
presentation provides an overview of the best practices to be followed for ventilation
and dust control in underground mines. It is compiled from the existing literature on
mining in the public domain. It is aimed as an introduction to those interested in
underground mine ventilation which is also a major consumer of electrical power in
mining operations. M3TC has an ongoing project which focuses on simulation of the
flow patterns and ventilation performance in underground mines with the goal of
minimizing energy consumption and carbon footprint while providing a safe and secure
work environment for the miners.
Director, Research
M3TC
Outline
Dust control
Monitoring dust
Controlling dust on the mining face
Summary
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/media/113913/Schematic-diagram-of-an-underground-coal-mine-showing-surface-facilities
http://accessscience.com/content/Coal%20mining/143500
Chemical hazards
Coal dust
Crystalline silica
Machinery/equipment hazards
Physiological hazards
METHANE CONTROL
Explossibility of methane
Lower explosion limit
of methane-air
mixtures, which under
normal conditions is
4.4% CH4
US law regulate
maximum methane
concentration of 3% or
greater than 20% with
oxygen concentration
less than 10%
In Germany, max allowable methane concentration
is 1%, UK 1.25%, France 2%, Spain 2.5%
K. Noack, International Journal of Coal Geology 35 (1998) 5782
Classification
Portable (methane
detectors)
Machine mounted
(methane monitors)
Flow meter
During excavation:
After excavation:
Inertisation,
Post-mining drainage
Pre-mining drainage
Horizontal in-seam
In-mine vertical or
inclined (crossmeasure) boreholes in
the roof and floor
Vertical wells that have
been hydraulically
fractured (so-called
frac wells)
Short-radius horizontal
boreholes drilled from
surface
Scrubber ventilation
Water spray
Post-mining drainage
The packed cavity
method and its
variants
The cross-measure
borehole method
The superjacent
method
The vertical gob well
method
DUST CONTROL
*Rider JP, Colinet JF [2007]. Current dust control practices on U.S. longwalls. In: Proceedings of Longwall USA (Pittsburgh, PA, June 57, 2007).
Face curtain
Shearer deflector
plate
Flooded-bed scrubbers
Summary
Overview of underground mine:
Mining methods
Mine structures
Hazards in underground mines
Methane control
Pre-mining
During mining/excavating
Post-mining
Dust control
Water spray
Ventilation
Further reading