The Importance of Mining Ventilation

The Importance of Mining Ventilation

The Importance of Mining Ventilation

Miningis a dangerous industry. Every day of their lives miners take incredible risks to pull valuable ores and minerals from the crust of the earth. To keep these brave souls safe deep beneath the earth, adequatemining ventilationis required to ensure that they are supplied with fresh, clean air. Combining massive ventilation shaftsand kilometres ofducting,mining ventilationis a specialised area of themining industrywhere there is no room for mistakes.

Mining ventilationis primarily there to provide oxygen to the miners and to dilute and remove dangerous and volatile gasses and dust.Miningproduces a host of dangerous gasses like NO2, SO2, CO2, CO and methane that can poison the miners or replace the oxygen in the air slowly asphyxiating miners working deep underground. Other gasses like methane and coal dust are highly explosive needing only a tiny spark to set of a cataclysmic explosion that could bring down an entire tunnel in seconds.Mining ventilationhelps to keep these dangers to a minimum.

Mining ventilationis based on keeping a stream of air circulating through the mine. This is done by maintaining a pressure difference between the inside of the mine and the surface withlarge fans. Stale, dirty air and gasses are expelled from the mine using massiveextraction fans. The resulting vacuum sucks in fresh air from the surface, aided by morefans, to clean and dilute the air inside the mine.

There are two types ofmining ventilationthat is commonly used in most mines. The main type is known asflow-through ventilation. This is the main circuit of air that travels through the mine. It enters a largeventilation shaftand travels throughout the mine before leaving by anotherventilation shaft. The air is moved and controlled by a series of fans and regulators that ensure the air keeps moving.

To get the fresh air to where the miners are, the second type of mining ventilation is used:auxiliary ventilation. Thisventilation systemtakes air from the main circuit and directs it to where the miners are.Fans,ductingand specialventilation shaftsare used to transport the air to where it is most needed and out again. These twomining ventilationstreams work together and keeping the balance between the two is a full-time job for the ventilation engineers of the mine.

For mines located in inhospitable areas like the arctic or some of the bigger deserts,mining ventilationplays an additional role. Man and machine cannot work under all extreme conditions.Mining ventilationcan warm or cool down the air that enters the mine to make the conditions more favourable to both the miners and their equipment. Some mines in the arctic actively keep the air cold in the mine to ensure that the permafrost does not melt due to the mining activities taking place in the area.

With massiveventilation shafts, kilometres of ducting and an array of fans both big and small, mining ventilation ensures that miners get the fresh air they need to keep doing their job underground.

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