Realtime Diesel Particulate Matter Monitoring in U.S. Underground Mines

Abstract

Underground mine diesel equipment generally offers more flexibility as compared to electric powered systems. Diesel exhaust is an adverse agent which affects the health of underground miners. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) regard diesel exhaust as carcinogenic. The NIOSH 5040 method is an established technique for measuring Diesel Particulate Matter (DPM). This process inherently involve a lag time before an accurate exposure determination can be made during which miners are potentially overexposed to DPM. This issue can be addressed by using realtime DPM monitors. This paper presents underground mine shift average based and realtime monitored DPM values monitored in US mines. A FLIR Airtec instrument has been used for realtime measurement whereas shift average based DPM has been determined by the use of NIOSH 5040 method. A log of diesel equipment movement was kept. DPM concentrations versus time were plotted and analyzed. High DPM sources were identified and the FLIR Airtec was demonstrated to be satisfactory for realtime DPM measurements.

Department(s)

Mining Engineering

International Standard Book Number (ISBN)

978-151080124-0

Document Type

Article - Conference proceedings

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2024 Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (SME), All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Jan 2015

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