Location
Rolla, Missouri
Session Dates
11 Jun 1999 - 17 Jun 1999
Keywords and Phrases
Dust Suppression; Sprays; Half-Curtain; Force/Jet Fan; Continuous Miner; Underground
Abstract
The issues of public health and safety in the mining industry have been dealt with around the world through the intervention of governments. In 1997 the South African Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) sent out a directive to reduce the dust concentration level to /m3 at the operator's position for the sampling period. The reasons for the difficulty with compliance are: long headings up to 35m, inherently high dust generation rates of coal, and the increased use of highly mechanized equipment. A project was formulated under SIMRAC auspices with the title of "Underground Mechanical Miner Environmental Control" to address the dust problem. The project was planned in two phases. The first phase involved laboratory tests on a continuous miner model for different ventilation and spray systems at the newly built ventilation simulation tunnel at the Kloppersbos research center. In the second phase of the project, tests were carried out underground, based on the findings and recommendations from the simulated tests. This paper focuses on the results and findings for the half-curtain system which has been encouraging. The average dust concentration for the sampling period at the operator's position for the half-curtain system was 3.20 mg/m3. On the other hand, the equivalent average dust concentration (TWA-CONC) for the half-curtain system for an 8-h period was 2.04 mg/m3. The outcome of this project has shown that the regulatory dust level of /m3 can be achieved through close collaboration with all the interested parties.
Department(s)
Mining Engineering
Meeting Name
8th U.S. Mine Ventilation Symposium
Publisher
University of Missouri--Rolla
Document Version
Final Version
Document Type
Article - Conference proceedings
File Type
text
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Belle, Bharath K. and du Plessis, J. J. L., "Evaluation of a Continuous Miner Half-Curtain Dust Control System in a South African Underground Coal Mine" (1999). U.S. Mine Ventilation Symposium. 1.
https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/usmvs/8usmvs/8usmvs-theme6/1
Evaluation of a Continuous Miner Half-Curtain Dust Control System in a South African Underground Coal Mine
Rolla, Missouri
The issues of public health and safety in the mining industry have been dealt with around the world through the intervention of governments. In 1997 the South African Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) sent out a directive to reduce the dust concentration level to /m3 at the operator's position for the sampling period. The reasons for the difficulty with compliance are: long headings up to 35m, inherently high dust generation rates of coal, and the increased use of highly mechanized equipment. A project was formulated under SIMRAC auspices with the title of "Underground Mechanical Miner Environmental Control" to address the dust problem. The project was planned in two phases. The first phase involved laboratory tests on a continuous miner model for different ventilation and spray systems at the newly built ventilation simulation tunnel at the Kloppersbos research center. In the second phase of the project, tests were carried out underground, based on the findings and recommendations from the simulated tests. This paper focuses on the results and findings for the half-curtain system which has been encouraging. The average dust concentration for the sampling period at the operator's position for the half-curtain system was 3.20 mg/m3. On the other hand, the equivalent average dust concentration (TWA-CONC) for the half-curtain system for an 8-h period was 2.04 mg/m3. The outcome of this project has shown that the regulatory dust level of /m3 can be achieved through close collaboration with all the interested parties.
