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14th USNorth American Mine Vent Symp Final Paper by G Arpa K Sasaki
14th USNorth American Mine Vent Symp Final Paper by G Arpa K Sasaki
14th USNorth American Mine Vent Symp Final Paper by G Arpa K Sasaki
G. Arpa
Mining Engineering Department, PNG University of Technology, Papua New Guinea
N. P. Widodo
Department of Mining and Petroleum Engineering, Institute of Technology, Bandung, Indonesia
ABSTRACT: Studies on airflow through a mine ventilation network using tracer gas have revealed that quality of
air is affected by the presence of dead spaces along the mine airways. To further study the effect of dead spaces
on quality of air in dead space, studies were conducted in both laboratory model and underground mine
measurement at the Pongkor underground mine in Indonesia. Dead spaces of varying L/W, (L=Length of dead
space from entrance to end of dead space, W= width of dead space opening) ratio with constant W and increasing
L were constructed on the shrinkage stope model. Tracer gas was released inside the end of dead space and the
gas concentration against elapsed time was measured at the entrance of the dead space for the various L/W ratios.
The mine measurement involves releasing tracer gas in the dead space and measuring the concentration against
elapsed time at the entrance of the opening. The two mine measurements include an open cripp room and an open
stope. The mine stope was ventilated by a 22 kW auxiliary fan. The air exchange rate, N obtained from the
gradient of decay curve is, N = 5.1 h-1 and the effective ventilation flow was evaluated as 20% of the fan flow
rate. Airflow is affected by the stope geometry. An air exchange rate, N = 3.5 h-1 was obtained for the mine crip
room. Unlike the stope, the crib room is ventilated by circulated flow created by the turbulent separation by the
dead space opening. Further more, based on the measurement results, the ventilation rate or air exchange rate of
dead space can be given as, N = 0.018(Um/L), where, Um is the average velocity of the main drive way. Based on
the laboratory model, an empirical equation is given has N = 0.01Um/L.
1 Introduction along the mine airways. Dead spaces include open stopes,
dead end drives, underground storage and stations,
Despite advances in research to improve underground mine
development headings and so on. Arpa et al (2008)
air quality and quantity, there is no clear definition to
conducted numerical simulations to obtain a best matching
determine the quality of mine air. There are numerous
literatures and research on mine ventilation efficiency. with measured concentration time curve and discovered the
McPherson, (1993) defines ventilation efficiency as air that that presence of these dead spaces greatly affect the quality
is usefully employed as the sum of airflows reaching the mine air, by increasing the residence time, as well as
working faces and those used to ventilate equipment such recirculation of air in the dead spaces along the airways.
as electrical gear, pumps or battery charging stations. Based on the literatures reviewed above and the absence of
Hartman (1997) defines ventilation efficiency as usefully appropriate literatures on calculating the qualitative
employed ventilation air to be the sum of air at the last ventilation efficiency for mine ventilation applications, in
open crosscut and belt air. Generally, these literatures terms of air exchange efficiency and the age of air, in this
discuss about ventilation efficiency as the ratio of airflow study an attempt is made to relate calculations and
usefully employed to the total airflow. However all of analytical methods used for building and room ventilation
these researches primarily discuss on mine ventilation to underground mine ventilation. The initial phase is
volumetric efficiency rather then the qualitative efficiency derived from single room ventilation of a building, which
in terms of air quality, dilution, air exchange efficiency and represents ventilation in dead spaces in underground mine
age of air. air ways.
Widodo et al (2007) and Arpa et al (2008) conducted mine
measurement on airflow through a mine ventilation
network, using tracer gas and have discovered that quality
of air is greatly affected by the presence of dead spaces
view of the Ciurug mine and the ventilation lay out.
700
m L- 700
P CENTRAL
Dead space SOUTH
BLOCK
BLOCK-1
Sill Drift L-600
600
m
z W SOUTH RAMP
RC IV
H RC V RC IIA
500
m
Conc. (ppm)
qi Stope
(12m x 8m x 5m) Suction RS232C
Time
SF6 pulsed Out let Port - +12V
SF6 monitoring Suction pump
released into fan Laptop computer
DX6100 Gas monitor CO2
Raise 2
Raise 1
Working face
(Stope)
Sampling Exhaust
Dead Lower level Fan, 60 Hz
space point
W
(b) Stope entrance, SF6 sampling
Gas sampling
to CO2 monitor
L
Uo qi , CO2
(c) SF6 monitoring system Q Injection
Figure 3. Schematic stope arrangements, SF6 release and
measurement system. (c) Dead space CO2 injection and monitoring
Figure 5. Laboratory model, measurement system and
dead space model measurement system.
40.0
Figures 6 and 8 show linear plots and Figures 7 and 9
shows semi-log plots on the concentration after the peak. 30.0
The SF6 concentration increases in the first few minutes 20.0
and reaches its peak. After the peak, SF 6 concentration
reduces at a constant rate, before reducing exponentially. 10.0
0.0
5.3 Concentration-time curve of laboratory dead space 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
model Time (min)
Curves of concentration against elapsed time for the Figure 8. Concentration-time curve at Crib room with
laboratory dead space model are given in Figures 10 to 13 SF6 Monitor
where Figures 10 and 12 show linear plots and Figures 11
and 13 shows semi-log plots on the concentration after the 100.0
peak. C = 51·exp(-0.059·tmin), N= 3.5 h-1
R2 = 0.9651
The CO2 concentration increases in the first few
Log(SF6 conc.) ppm
150
The air-exchange rate, N (h-1) is expressed as,
100
Q
50 N x 3600 (h-1) (1)
V
0 where, Q(m3/s) is ventilation air flow rate, and
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
V(=LW2) m3 is volume of space (cavity or room). The air
Time (sec)
flow rate can be measured from age of air, τ (s), which is
Figure 10. Concentration-time curve for laboratory evaluated based on the concentration-time curve with,
model V
Q (m3/sec) (2)
1000 The gradient of the decay represent the air exchange
rate. Figures 14 and 15 shows the relationship between the
100 air exchange rate, ventilation efficiency, dead space
Conc CO2, ppm
100
0.008
NW/Uo
0.006
50
0.004
Model Calculation
0.002
Mine Measurement
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 0
0 1 2 3 4 5
Time (sec) L/W
Figure 12. Concentration - time curve for Laboratory Figure 14. Air exchange rate, N/(Uo/W) Versus aspect ratio,
Model L/W
1.0
10
0.5
C= 225.86·exp(-0.0853 tsec), N =201 h-1
1 R2 = 0.9965 0.0
0 1 2 L/W 3 4 5
0.1
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 Figure 15. Ventilation efficiency ε, against aspect ratio
Time (sec) Figure 15 shows the non-dimensional value of the
ventilation efficiency against the aspect ratio. From this
Figure 13 Semi-Log plot of concentration - time curve curve, efficiency can be defined as,
for laboratory Model
W The main parameters were mainly based on the aspect
1.46 (5) ration (L/W) and the airflow rate in the main drive, as they
L
affect the slope of the decay of concentration time curve,
which is taken as the air exchange rate N, (h-1). Although
there is a slight difference in the two mine measurements,
the crib room measurement shows the exact layout of the
laboratory model measurement conditions. All parameters
in the laboratory model measurement are same and static
except the change of the length (L) of the dead space to
increase the dead space volume.
L/W = 1.5 From the concentration time curves of both the mine and
L/W = 1
model measurements, a semi-log concentration time curve
was obtained from the decay part of the curve. The
gradient of the curve gives the air exchange rate, N (h-1) In
order compare and relate the mine and the model
measurements, a non-dimensional value of air exchange
rate (N/W/Uo) against the aspect ratio L/W of the dead
space was obtained as shown in figure 14. From this graph
equation 4 was obtained. It gives a rough estimate to relate
air exchange rate to the main drive airflow (Uo) and the
length (L) of the dead space. Also the relationship between
L/W = 2 L/W = 3 ventilation efficiency and the aspect ration can be in
equation 5. It is inversely proportional to the aspect ratio.
Figures 16 and 17 shows the visualization of flow in
the cavity and ventilation profile in dead spaces. Sasaki et
Figure 16. Flow visualization of gases in cavity
al. (1989) did laboratory experiment with different W/L
area (Sasaki et al. 1989)
aspect ratio and found that for aspect ratio greater then 2,
there is very small or stagnation at the end of the dead
Uo space. This can also be confirmed by this research based
W on mine measurements and laboratory experiments on dead
spaces.
L/W > 2 Q
Airflow 8 Conclusion
Circulations
This is a first comparative study conducted in a mine dead
space and dead spaces created in a laboratory model to
L study the age of air and ventilation efficiency in localized
mining zones. Air exchange rate N, and ventilation
Stagnant area. efficiency ε, decreases exponentially as the length of the
Small to no dead space L increase under a constant cross sectional area
airflow and main drive airflow velocity.
Ventilation in dead spaces along mine airways depends
on main drive airflow, and the length of the dead space.
Figure 17. Airflow circulation area and stagnant flow in Ventilation is not very good in dead spaces with W/L ratio
dead space for L/W > 2. Main drive airflow Uo and dead greater then 2 as confirmed by this research and other
space airflow Q. previous researchers. The Measurement conducted in the
stope for the mine measurement is arguable because of the
auxiliary fan. Finally, there is a further need for more field
7 Discussions measurement for various dead space volumes and main
This research was carried out to investigate the effect of drive airflow velocity.
dead spaces along the mine airways on quality of air in
terms of air exchange rate and ventilation efficiency. The
measurement procedure is different to that of the 9 Acknowledgement
conventional room or building ventilation studies. The The authors would like to acknowledge the kind financial
procedure and the settings of the current measurement is assistance from Glodal Centre of Excellence in Novel
similar to that of Sasaki at al. (1995) and Telbany et al. Carbon Research (G-COE) Kyushu University for the
(1985) but measurements were conducted in both under financial grant and support for this research. The authors
ground mine and laboratory model. would also like to thank the Ministry of Education,
Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan
(MEXT), and Kyushu University, Department of Earth
Resources Engineering for the continued assistance and
support. We are also thankful the Papua New Guinea
University of Technology for the undivided support.
10 Nomenclature 11 Reference
H = Height of the airway, and dead space, (m, cm) Sandberg, M., and Sjöberg, M., 1983. The use of
L = Length of dead space from the entrance. (m, cm) moments for assessing air quality in ventilated rooms.
W = Width of dead space opening. (m, cm) Building and Environment, 18(4): 181-197
N = Air exchange rate (h-1) Telbany, M.M.M., El., Mokhtarzadeh-Dehghan, M. R., and
Q = Air flow rate in main drive. (m3/min, cm3/sec) Reynolds, A. J., 1985. Single-sided ventilation Part I.
qi = Amount of tracer gas released into the dead space The flow between a cavity and external air stream.
U0 = Air average velocity in main drive (m/s). Building and Environment. 20 (1): 15-24
V = Total volume of dead space (m3 , cm3). Telbany, M.M.M., El., Mokhtarzadeh-Dehghan, M. R., and
τ = Age of air (sec , min) Reynolds, A. J., 1985. Single-sided ventilation Part II.
Further Consideration. Building and Environment.
20(1): 25-32
Breum N.O., 1988. Air exchange efficiency of
displacement ventilation in a printing plant. Ann.
occup. Hyg., 32(4):. 481- 488
Breum N.O., Skotte J., 1991. Displacement airflow in a
printing plant measured with a rapid response tracer gas
system. Build.Serv.Eng.Res. & Technol. 12: 39-43
Sasaki K., Miyakoshi H., Kano N., and Kawamura S.,
1995. Experimental study on single-sided ventilation
characteristics in rectangular spaces with various
shapes. Ventilation Safety Engineering. 56: 83-90
Sasaki, K. and Dindiwe, C., 2002. An intergrated mine
ventilation simulator “MIVENA Ver. 6” with
application, in Proceedings of the 9th U.S/North
American Mine Ventilation Symposium 2002, pp. 243-
251
Widodo, N.P., Sasaki, K., Gautama, R.S. and Risono,.
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method and evaluations of turbulent diffusion
coefficient, Int. J. of Mining, Reclamation and
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Arpa, G., Sasaki, K., and Sugai, Y., 2008. Narrow vein
shrinkage stope ventilation measurement using tracer
gas and numerical simulation, in Proceedings of the
12th U.S/North American Mine Ventilation Symposium
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