Why Is Ventilation System Important For Underground Mining?

Why Is Ventilation System Important For Underground Mining?

Underground Mining operations are often fraught with a lot of dangers as tunnelling through the earth presents the miners with an unfamiliar environment and a number of issues which affect health as well as safety of the workers. A lack of ventilation is a huge obstacle.

In the process of strip mining where the miners work on surface of earth, oxygen is abundantly available in spite of air being too clouded with dust. Underground mining also churns the toxic gases up, a little breathable air and the newly introduced particles from the machinery. Ventilation solutions for creating a safe work environment are thus needed for preventing the health hazards.

How do the ventilation systems help?

The ventilation systems which are designed for the purpose of Ventchoke help in reducing the amount of gases like carbon dioxide and methane from the mines. The system work along with the ventilation shafts excavated for drawing oxygen from surface of the earth. These shafts are mainly created after a careful planning for determine the size, shape, location of the controlling devices as well as airflow.

The mining techniques may vary as per the requirement as well as the ventilation system needs to be adhered to.

In all the ventilation systems, 2 circuits exist for ensuring proper flow of air as well as removal of gases. The flow through ventilation is main circuit while the auxiliary circuits help in distributing the air to different mine workings. The use of brattices, fans, regulators as well as overcast help in facilitating the flow of air where needed and also controls its quantity.

Use of ventilation systems

The mines which are located in the areas which witness extreme weather conditions such as Arctic regions generally have more usage of the ventilation systems. Apart from filtering the gas and getting in clean air, shafts also invite cold and warm air for maintaining the temperatures not just for comfort of the miners but for equipment also. When correctly planned cold air helps in preventing the melting of the permafrost, which may prove to be dangerous for mining operations once liquefied.

Common ventilation controlling devices

The ventilation controlling devices direct the airflow as and when needed. Some of the devices are considered to be standard and they are used for most of the underground operations of mining.

Stoppings

Stopping is a wall which is set up for channelling the airflow into one direction. It could be permanent or vent temporary. As the risk of a fire hazard is quite high in mining, the material needs to be fire resistant.

Air lock and man door- the man door is a doorway which is mounted in a stopping for providing passage to the workers. Air lock is set of 2 doors constructed for maintaining air pressure as the workers cross the man doors.

With the New Mining Inventions underground mining has been made easy and safe. Otherwise underground mining used to be a very difficult process and the life of the miners used to be at risk.