Analysis of diffusion behavior of harmful emissions from trackless rubber-wheel diesel vehicles in underground coal minesOA

To define the diffusion behavior of harmful exhaust substances from diesel vehicles and support safety risk assessments of underground coal mines, we performed a multi-species coupling calculation of the emission and diffusion of harmful substances from a trackless rubber-wheel diesel vehicle. A computational fluid dynamics(CFD) model of the diffusion of harmful emissions was hence established and verified. From the perspective of risk analysis, the diffusion behavior and distribution of hazardo...     

Dust dispersion and management in underground mining faces

Presence of fine dust in air causes serious health hazard for mine operators resulting in such serious problems as coal workers’ pneumoconiosis and silicosis. Major sources of dust appear of course along the mining face where the minerals are extracted. Proper control and management are required to ensure safe working environment in the mine. Here, we utilize the computational fluid dynamic (CFD) approach to evaluate various methods used for mitigating dust dispersion from the mining face and for ensuring safe level of dust concentration in the mine tunnel for safety of the operators. The methods used include: application of blowing and exhaust fans, application of brattice and combination of both. The results suggest that among the examined methods, implementation of appropriately located brattice to direct the flow from the main shaft to the mining face is the most effective method to direct dust particles away from the mining face.     

Production analysis of functionally distributed machines for underground mining

Recent years, underground mining method is becoming popular because of its potentially high productivity and efficiency. In this method, a mining machinery; load haul dump(LHD), is used as both an excavator and a transporter of ore. This paper proposes a distributed system that realizes the excavation and transport functions with separated vehicles, an excavator and a transporter. In addition, this research proposes a mining map and configurations suitable for the proposed distributed system. To evaluate the productivity of the proposed system, a simulation environment has been developed. Analysis using the simulator reveals what performance factors of the excavator and the transporter have large impacts on the productivity. Simulation results also demonstrate the difference of potential between LHD system and the distributed system that can be explained based on their functions allocation.     

Energy optimal routing for long chain-type wireless sensor networks in underground mines

Wireless sensor networks are useful complements to existing monitoring systems in underground mines.They play an important role of enhancing and improving coverage and flexibility of safety monitoring systems. Regions prone to danger and enyironments after disasters in underground mines require saving and balancing energy consumption of nodes to prolong the lifespan of networks. Based on the structure of a tunnel, we present a Long Chain-type Wireless Sensor Network (LC-WSN) to monitor the safety of underground mine tunnels. We define the optimal transmission distance and the range of the key region and present an Energy Optimal Routing (EOR) algorithm for LC-WSN to balance the energy consumption of nodes and maximize the lifespan of networks. EOR constructs routing paths based on an optimal transmission distance and uses an energy balancing strategy in the key region. Simulation results show that the EOR algorithm extends the lifespan of a network, balances the energy consumption of nodes in the key region and effectively limits the length of routing paths, compared with similar algorithms.     

Diesel engine exhaust exposures in two underground mines

Exposure to diesel engine exhaust(DE) is a major concern in underground mines. It has been linked to cardiopulmonary diseases and is classified as a human carcinogen. The goal of this study is to assess DE exposures in workers at two underground gold mines, to compare exposure levels within and between the mines, and to compare different methods of measuring DE exposures, namely respirable combustible dust(RCD), elemental carbon(EC) and total carbon(TC). Ambient and personal breathing zone(PBZ) measurements were taken. Side-by-side monitoring of RCD and of the respirable fraction of EC and TC(EC_Rand TC_R) was carried out in the workers' breathing zone during full-shift work.Regarding ambient measurements, in addition to EC_R, TC_Rand RCD, a submicron aerosol fraction(less than 1 mm) of EC and TC was also sampled(EC_1and TC_1). Average ambient results of 240 mg/m~3 in RCD, 150 mg/m~3 in EC_Rand 210 mg/m~3 in TC_Rare obtained. Average PBZ results of 190 mg/m~3 in RCD,84 mg/m~3 in EC3Rand 150 mg/min TC_Rare obtained. Very good correlation is found between EC_Rand EC_1 with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.99(p 0.01) calculated between the two logtransformed concentrations. No differences are reported between EC_Rand EC_1, nor between TC_Rand TC_1, since ratios are equal to 1.04, close to 1, in both cases. Highest exposures are reported for loadhaul-dump(LHD) and jumbo drill operators and conventional miners. Significant exposure differences are reported between mines for truck and LHD operators(p 0.01). The average TC_R/EC_Rratio is 1.6 for PBZ results, and 1.3 for ambient results. The variability observed in the TC_R/EC_Rratio shows that interferences from non-diesel related organic carbon can skew the interpretation of results when relying only on TC data.     

The future of underground spatial planning and the resulting potential risks from the point of view of mining subsidence engineering

The topic of ground movements in Germany has been studied extensively in the past, especially in the field of active mines. The active hard coal mines in Germany were finally shut down in 2018 and lignite mining is expected to take place only until 2038. The so-called long-term liabilities of the mine operators in Germany include, among other things, the long-term guarantee of stability and thus the monitoring of ground motion. So far, the economic use of underground mining in Germany was mainly the supply of raw materials. In the future, the underground storage of compressed air, methane or hydrogen will play an important role in renewable energy supply and climate change. Therefore, the underground storage space will become more important and the spatial planning is essential to ensure availability of safe underground openings for the various options of environmentally friendly energy storage. However, this renewed usage of underground openings may also bring new and sometimes unknown challenges of geomechanical influence. The aftermath of hard coal and lignite mining will be an increasing challenge in mining subsidence engineering. On the other hand, new possibilities due to underground spatial planning may lead to subsidence and/or heaving of the upper surface.     

Long-term economic sensitivity analysis of light duty underground mining vehicles by power source

LHD's are expensive vehicles; therefore, it is important to accurately define the financial consequences associated with the investment of purchasing the mining equipment. This study concentrates on longterm incremental and sensitivity analysis to determine whether it is feasible to incorporate current battery technology into these machines. When revenue was taken into account, decreasing the amount of haulage in battery operated equipment by 5% or 200 kg per h amounts to a $4.0 × 10~4 loss of profit per year. On average it was found that using battery operated equipment generated $9.5 × 10~4 more in income annually, reducing the payback period from seven to two years to pay back the additional $1.0 × 10~5 investment of buying battery powered equipment over cheaper diesel equipment. Due to the estimated 5% increase in capital, it was observed that electric vehicles must possess a lifetime that is a minimum of one year longer than that of diesel equipment.     

Selected elements of rock burst state assessment in case studies from the Silesian hard coal mines

Exploitation of coal seams in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin is conducted in complex and difficult conditions. These difficulties are connected with the occurrence of many natural mining hazards and limitations resulting from the existing in this area surface infrastructure. One of the most important problems of Polish mining is the rock burst hazard and reliable evaluation of its condition. During long-years' mining practice in Poland a comprehensive system of evaluation and control of this hazard was de-veloped. In the paper the main aspects of rock burst hazard state evaluation will be presented, comprising: 1) rock mass inclination for rock bursts, I.e., rock strength properties investigation, comprehensive parametric evaluation of rock mass inclination for rock bursts, prognosis of seismic events induced by mining operations, methods of computer-aided modelling of stress and rock mass deformation parameters distribution, strategic rock mass classification under rock burst degrees; 2) immediate seismic and rock burst hazard state evaluation, I.e., low diameter test drilling method, seismologic and seismoacoustic method, comprehensive method of rock burst hazard state evaluation, non-standard methods of evaluation; 3) legal aspects of rock burst hazard state evaluation. Selected elements of the hazard state evaluation system are illustrated with specific practical examples of their applica-tion.     

Analysis of underground fires in Polish hard coal mines

In the period of the first twenty years after World War II the number of fires in Polish hard coal mines reached annually the value of several thousands of cases. About 80% of fires constituted spontaneous fires. Investigations into the development of new methods of fire hazard prediction and implementation of new methods and means of fire prevention as well as the introduction of prohibition concerning the use of products manufactured of combustible organic materials in underground mine workings re-duced considerably the hazard of underground fire rise. The worked out at the Central Mining Institute (GIG) new method of un-derground fire prediction allows the correct selection of fire prevention means. The introduction into common use of fire-resistant conveyor belts, the main factor giving rise to spontaneous fires, and methods of assessment of their fire resistance eliminated prac-tically the fire hazard. These activities contributed in an efficient way to the reduction of the number of underground fires to a sa-tisfactory level.     

Computer simulation of evacuation in underground coal mines

In order to study the evacuation behavior of miners during accidents,we analyzed the rational layout of a safe chamber,and improved evacuation efficiency.A visual model of evacuation was developed and used to simulate the evacuation process of mines,given their special underground environments.In our simulation,the working faces of a coal mine and nearby tunnels were divided into 0.5 m×0.5 m grids to reflect the location of occupants and obstacles.Based on a"flow potential of the occupant",we determined the direction of movement and routes of occupants.In the model,evacuation speed changed as a function of crowd density,with an average speed of 1.30 m/s.The model also takes into account detection time of the disaster and the personnel response time.Evacuation time,exit flow rate and evacuation path were obtained by simulation.The results indicate that using simulation technology can present a more visual evacuation process and show the behavior of occupants.Our establishment of a mine safety evacuation system has merit as reference value.     

Application of coal mine roof rating in Chinese coal mines

The coal mine roof rating(CMRR) is a measure of roof quality or structure competency for bedded roof types typically of underground coal mines. The CMRR has been used widely in the US, South Africa,Canada and Australia. In order to investigate the application of the CMRR system in Chinese coal mines,two coal mines in China located in Panjiang Coal Field in Guizhou Province were investigated. Field data were collected which is required to calculate the CMRR value based on underground exposure. The CMRR values of 11 locations in two coal mines were calculated. The investigations demonstrated that the chance of mine roof failure is very low if the CMRR value is more than 50, given adequate support is installed in mine. It was found that the CMRR guideline are useful to preliminarily investigate stability in Panjiang Coal Field mines.     

Modern experience of low-coal seams underground mining in Ukraine

Coal is the main energy resource in Ukraine. However geotechnological aspects of coal seams development and Ukrainian crisis have a negative influence on the mining industry. This article analyzes the experience in the development of very low and low-coal seams with 0.7–1.0 m thickness, as well as advanced technological solutions that allowed private coal enterprises, despite the difficult situation in the country, to maintain sufficient(more than 75% of all production) level of steam coal extraction for Ukrainian society. Given that Ukrainian's mining sector development is a huge task, we hope this review will add some discussions into the ongoing conversation.     

Location estimation of autonomous driving robot and 3D tunnel mapping in underground mines using pattern matched LiDAR sequential images

In this study, a machine vision-based pattern matching technique was applied to estimate the location of an autonomous driving robot and perform 3D tunnel mapping in an underground mine environment. The autonomous driving robot continuously detects the wall of the tunnel in the horizontal direction using the light detection and ranging(Li DAR) sensor and performs pattern matching by recognizing the shape of the tunnel wall. The proposed method was designed to measure the heading of the robot by fusion with the inertial measurement units sensor according to the pattern matching accuracy; it is combined with the encoder sensor to estimate the location of the robot. In addition, when the robot is driving, the vertical direction of the underground mine is scanned through the vertical Li DAR sensor and stacked to create a 3D map of the underground mine. The performance of the proposed method was superior to that of previous studies; the mean absolute error achieved was 0.08 m for the X-Y axes. A root mean square error of 0.05 m~2 was achieved by comparing the tunnel section maps that were created by the autonomous driving robot to those of manual surveying.     

Comparative study of mining methods for reserves beneath end slope in flat surface mines with ultra-thick coal seams

The paper aims to identify a reasonable method for mining ultra-thick coal seams in an end-slope in surface mine, With a case study of Heidaigou surface coal mine(HSCM), the paper conducted a comparative research on three mining methods, namely Underground Mining Method(UMM), Highwall Mining System(HMS) and Local Steep Slope Mining Method(LSSMM). A model was firstly established to simulate the impact that UMM and HMS exert on monitoring points and surface deformation. The way that stripping and excavation amount varies with different slope angle, and the corresponding end slope stability were analyzed in the mode of LSSMM. Then a TOPSIS model was established by taking into account six indicators such as recovery ratio, technical complexity and adaptability, the impact on surface mining production, production safety and economic benefits. Finally, LSSMM was determined as the best mining method for mining ultra-thick coal seams in end slope in HSCM.     

Illumination of parameter contributions on uneven break phenomenon in underground stoping mines

One of the most serious conundrum facing the stope production in underground metalliferous mining is uneven break(UB: unplanned dilution and ore-loss). Although the UB has a huge economic fallout to the entire mining process, it is practically unavoidable due to the complex causing mechanism. In this study,the contribution of ten major UB causative parameters has been scrutinised based on a published UB predicting artificial neuron network(ANN) model to put UB under the engineering management. Two typical ANN sensitivity analysis methods, i.e., connection weight algorithm(CWA) and profile method(PM) have been applied. As a result of CWA and PM applications, adjusted Q rate(AQ) revealed as the most influential parameter to UB with contribution of 22.40% in CWA and 20.48% in PM respectively. The findings of this study can be used as an important reference in stope design, production, and reconciliation stages on underground stoping mine.     

Numerical simulations of failure behavior around a circular opening in a non-persistently jointed rock mass under biaxial compression

Pre-existing discontinuities change the mechanical properties of rock masses,and further influence failure behavior around an underground opening.In present study,the failure behavior in both Inner and Outer zones around a circular opening in a non-persistently jointed rock mass under biaxial compression was investigated through numerical simulations.First,the micro parameters of the PFC^3D model were carefully calibrated using the macro mechanical properties determined in physical experiments implemented on jointed rock models.Then,a parametrical study was undertaken of the effect of stress condition,joint dip angle and joint persistency.Under low initial stress,the confining stress improves the mechanical behavior of the surrounding rock masses;while under high initial stress,the surrounding rock mass failed immediately following excavation.At small dip angles the cracks around the circular opening developed generally outwards in a step-path failure pattern;whereas,at high dip angles the surrounding rock mass failed in an instantaneous intact rock failure pattern.Moreover,the stability of the rock mass around the circular opening deteriorated significantly with increasing joint persistency.     

Spatial context in the calculation of gas emissions for underground coal mines

The prediction of gas emissions arising from underground coal mining has been the subject of extensive research for several decades, however calculation techniques remain empirically based and are hence limited to the origin of calculation in both application and resolution. Quantification and management of risk associated with sudden gas release during mining(outbursts) and accumulation of noxious or combustible gases within the mining environment is reliant on such predictions, and unexplained variation correctly requires conservative management practices in response to risk. Over 2500 gas core samples from two southern Sydney basin mines producing metallurgical coal from the Bulli seam have been analysed in various geospatial context including relationships to hydrological features and geological structures. The results suggest variability and limitations associated with the present traditional approaches to gas emission prediction and design of gas management practices may be addressed using predictions derived from improved spatial datasets, and analysis techniques incorporating fundamental physical and energy related principles.     

Settlement behavior of coal mine waste in different surrounding rock conditions

In order to investigate the influence of complex conditions of in-situ surrounding rocks on the settlement behavior of nubbly coal mine waste subjected to high gravity pressure,four kinds of loading chambers made of different similar materials with different elastic moduli in experiments were used to simulate the deformation features of in-site rocks,including soft,moderate hardness,hard and extra-hard rocks. The results show that all the settlement-axial load （or axial strain-stress） curves obtained under four different surrounding rock conditions present power-exponential function feature. The final settlement of coal mine waste under the same axial load is closely related to the lumpiness gradations and the deformation behavior of chamber materials used to simulate behaviors of different in-situ surrounding rocks. In the same surrounding rock condition,the final settlement under the same maximum axial load decreases with the decrease of the proportion of larger gradation of coal mine waste. While for the same lumpiness gradation case,the settlement increases with the decrease of elastic modulus of simulated surrounding rocks and the lateral pressure induced by axial load increases with the increase of elastic modulus of loading chambers that are used to simulate different surrounding rocks. The test results also reveal that both the compaction curve and lateral pressure curve show a three-stage behavior,and the duration of each stage,which is closely related to gradations and the deformation feature of loading chamber materials,decreases with the increase of the proportion of the small size of coal mine waste and elastic modulus of the simulated rock materials.     

矿井火灾燃烧区热阻力的研究

根据热流体学理论，结合矿井火灾特点研究了矿井火灾燃烧区产生的热阻力，得出了倾斜（或垂直）巷道及水平巷道内火灾燃烧区热阻力系数的表达式，还命同了两种井下固体可燃物在水平巷道内燃烧时热阻力系数随无因次加热准则变化的实验结果。     

Physiological responses of people in working faces of deep underground mines

The research studied the influences of high temperature, high pressure, high humidity, noise and other harmful factors in mining conditions on the people health and safety, and investigated the impacts of confined environmental on human physiology factors, including temperature, humidity, noise, pressure, toxic and harmful gases in terms of environmental characteristics in underground mines and an artificial intelligence system for simulation of the environment in a confined space of deep mines. Our results show that the systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, mean pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, typing test speed and memory level percentage are negatively correlated with temperature value, and positively correlated with humidity value; the human temperature and weight are positively correlated with temperature value, and negatively correlated with humidity value. This research lays the foundation for the study of interaction between the deep confined space environment and safety behavior.