12 th u.s./north american mine ventilation symposium june 9 – 11, 2008, reno, nevada, usa...

12th U.S./North American Mine Ventilation SymposiumJune 9 – 11, 2008, Reno, Nevada, USA

DEVELOPMENT AND INTEGRATION OF VENTILATION SIMULATION TOOLS

FOR COLLIERY VENTILATION PRACTICE

Leon van den Berg, Kobus van Zyl, Wynand MarxBBE Consulting, South Africa

Andrew ThomsonAnglo Coal Operations Limited - Anglo Coal, South Africa

12th U.S./North American Mine Ventilation SymposiumJune 9 – 11, 2008, Reno, Nevada, USA

Presentation Overview

• Background • Mine ventilation software developed• Mine ventilation simulation integration

– Current practices– Typical design and modeling approach – Simulation as part of the planning process

• Case study• Questions

12th U.S./North American Mine Ventilation SymposiumJune 9 – 11, 2008, Reno, Nevada, USA

Background

• Mine ventilation simulation software not new • Faster and improved mine vent assessment• Improved health and safety• Mine vent optimization and LoM planning

– Energy efficient– Cost effective ventilation design

12th U.S./North American Mine Ventilation SymposiumJune 9 – 11, 2008, Reno, Nevada, USA

VUMA-Network

• Windows based software• Network graphically constructed• Consist of branches and nodes• Input data for branches and nodes• Steady state environmental conditions• Aero, contaminant and thermo solutions• Results:

– Reporter– 3D Viewer

12th U.S./North American Mine Ventilation SymposiumJune 9 – 11, 2008, Reno, Nevada, USA

VUMA-Coal

• Coal mine specific terminology• Vent wall leakage control• New graphic model construction methods

– Main development branch – Integrated leakage components– Air crossing

• No thermo solution• Maximum depth of 500 m

12th U.S./North American Mine Ventilation SymposiumJune 9 – 11, 2008, Reno, Nevada, USA

VUMA-Coal Leakage Calculation

• Based on work done by Martinson in 1985– Modeling of parallel leakage paths– Use fixed resistance factor per wall [ΔP based]

• Cannot model every vent wall in a coal mine• Equivalent leakage for “path length”• Based on

– Combined cross sectional wall area for path length – Wall resistance

• Path length specified by user• Calibrated and verified in the field

12th U.S./North American Mine Ventilation SymposiumJune 9 – 11, 2008, Reno, Nevada, USA

Field Trials - Leakage

12th U.S./North American Mine Ventilation SymposiumJune 9 – 11, 2008, Reno, Nevada, USA

VUMA-Coal Main Development Branch

12th U.S./North American Mine Ventilation SymposiumJune 9 – 11, 2008, Reno, Nevada, USA

VUMA-Coal Main Development Branch

12th U.S./North American Mine Ventilation SymposiumJune 9 – 11, 2008, Reno, Nevada, USA

VUMA-Coal Main Development Branch

12th U.S./North American Mine Ventilation SymposiumJune 9 – 11, 2008, Reno, Nevada, USA

VUMA-Coal Main Development Branch

12th U.S./North American Mine Ventilation SymposiumJune 9 – 11, 2008, Reno, Nevada, USA

VUMA-Coal Main Development Branch

12th U.S./North American Mine Ventilation SymposiumJune 9 – 11, 2008, Reno, Nevada, USA

VUMA-Coal Air Crossing

• Added resistance in system• Use control manager to add resistance into

system• Field verified• Air Crossing graphic input component

12th U.S./North American Mine Ventilation SymposiumJune 9 – 11, 2008, Reno, Nevada, USA

VUMA-Coal Air Crossing

12th U.S./North American Mine Ventilation SymposiumJune 9 – 11, 2008, Reno, Nevada, USA

Simulation as Part of The Planning Process

OPERATIONAL

LoM PLANNING

SIM

ULA

TIO

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12th U.S./North American Mine Ventilation SymposiumJune 9 – 11, 2008, Reno, Nevada, USA

Mine Ventilation System and Design Process

– Obtain mine ventilation network layout and standards

– Construct an operational simulation model– Calibrate operational model with actual vent

data– Determine critical “snap-shots” over LoM– Solve and optimize airflow – Determine airflow profiles over LoM– Liaise with mine planning team– Document inputs and results

12th U.S./North American Mine Ventilation SymposiumJune 9 – 11, 2008, Reno, Nevada, USA

Case Study

• Anglo Coal Greenside Colliery• 3 sections in the north and 1 in the south• North mining far away from infra-structure• Need to move all sections north• This will require 45 m3/s more air in the north• Proposed actions

– Seal off abandoned areas in the South– Seal off workings of old section in the south

12th U.S./North American Mine Ventilation SymposiumJune 9 – 11, 2008, Reno, Nevada, USA

Case Study

Sealing Area 1 10 m3/s

Sealing Area 2 20 m3/s

Sealing Area 3 25 m3/s

Section to be moved 50 m3/s

Total 110 m3/s

12th U.S./North American Mine Ventilation SymposiumJune 9 – 11, 2008, Reno, Nevada, USA

Case Study Results

Sealingstrategy

Cumulative Air Available

for North [m3/s]

Total Up Cast Volume

[m3/s]

Cumulative Leakage [m3/s]

Base 0 515 125

Area 1 15 510 125

Area 2 25 505 135

Area 3 30 495 142

Move Section

45 475 150

40 m3/s 25 m3/s65 m3/s =110 m3/s

12th U.S./North American Mine Ventilation SymposiumJune 9 – 11, 2008, Reno, Nevada, USA

General Benefits Using Mine Vent Simulation

• Benefits achieved by Anglo Coal– A number of considered RBH with fan stations not

required [$ 3 million saving in 2006].– Improved LoM vent capital scheduling– Indicated new ventilation infrastructure requirements

[and scheduling]. Production losses avoided– VUMA-coal models specified all future fan station

aerodynamic design criteria– Documented reviews allow continuity in future as LoM

OPEX and CAPEX schedules

12th U.S./North American Mine Ventilation SymposiumJune 9 – 11, 2008, Reno, Nevada, USA

Conclusions

• VUMA-coal proven to be necessary design tool• VUMA-coal successfully integrated into mine

planning process

12th U.S./North American Mine Ventilation SymposiumJune 9 – 11, 2008, Reno, Nevada, USA

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Anglo Coal for their support of VUMA-coal and for allowing the examples and case study to be published in this paper.

12th U.S./North American Mine Ventilation SymposiumJune 9 – 11, 2008, Reno, Nevada, USA

Questions ?