Subsurface Ventilation Planning

• Background/History (chapter 1)
• Basic Fluid Mechanics (chapter 2)
• Incompressible Flow in the Subsurface
(chapter 5)
• Airflow systems (chapter 4)
• Ventilation Surveys (chapter 6)
• Network Analysis (chapter 7)
• Fan Engineering (chapter 10)
• Ventilation Planning (chapter 9)
• Basic Thermodynamics (chapter 3)
• Mine Ventilation Thermodynamics
(chapter 8)
 Key Events in Mine Ventilation

1. Pre-history: Primitive digging for clays

2. 12,000 b.c.: Flint mining in Europe: Natural and fire induced
ventilation. Iron ore mining. Middle and Far East
Africa.
3. 600 b.c.: Laurium Silver mines, Greece. Circulation of Air. Shaft
fires. Divided shafts.
4. Roman Empire Pliny. Air movement by hand-held fans
5. 780 a.d.: Mining records in Europe
6. 12th Century: Documentation of coal mining in Britain.
7. Georgius (1494 – 1555) De Re Metallica
Agricola
th
8. 17 Century: Papers presented to the Royal Society (U.K.) on the
explosive and poisonous properties of mine
atmospheres.
9. 18th Century: Shaft fire buckets and pit bottom furnaces
10. John Buddle: (1773 – 1843) Dumb drifts and panel ventilation
11. 1812 – 1815: Invention of flame safety lamp (Davy, Stephenson)
12. J. J. Atkinson: (1820 – 1870) Establishment of the laws of airflow
13. 1840: First mechanical devices for producing airflow
14. 1860: Centrifugal fans with acceptable efficiencies
15. 1852: Formation of the first Mining Institute in N. England
16. 1920 – 1930: Accelerated research in mine ventilation. USA and UK
17. 1930: Introduction of axial flow fans
18. F. B. Hinsley Thermodynamics of Mine Ventilation, 1943
19. 1950: Analog computers for ventilation network analysis
20. 1964: Application of digital computers to mine environmental
problems.
 Role of Mine Ventilation System
• Ensure that worker’s health is not
adversely affected by the working
environment.
• Dilute contaminants such as dusts, gases,
heat and humidity
• Affected by a number of factors:
– What type of material is being mined.
– How deep are the workings.
– Climatic zone.
– Mine elevation.
– Plus many, many more
 Future of underground ventilation
systems
• Types of underground facilities:
– mines
– tunnels
– civil and military
• Designs must accommodate start-up
conditions, as well as long term role, with
smooth transitions.
• Moving towards “smart” mine monitoring
systems.
– Airflow
– Pressure losses
– Mine contaminants
• Expert systems
– Aid operators
– Learn from experiences