Computerized Simulation of Mine Ventilation Networks for Sustainable Decision Making Process

Abstract

The simulation of different situations that may occur in the operation of the mine ventilation network is performed on its virtual model, developed and optimized using dedicated software. Depending on the chosen scenario, on the network model are applied a number of changes (addition of new ventilation workings, addition / removal of branches and nodes, changes in aerodynamic parameters: pressure, air flow driven by the fan etc.), the ultimate goals being: to assess how the new model obtained respond to anticipated requirements, diagnose of existing or potential problems, providing a quick feedback to the operator by making available all the data necessary for decision making process. The complexity of the simulation lies in the need to execute a number of operations due to changes of the network structure and symbolism carried out on the virtual model. This article aims to simplify this process through automation and efficiency using software subroutines, subroutines containing the entire chain of operations performed for each step of the simulation, in order to reduce the simulation time and the level of complexity required for understanding the phenomena that occur in the mine ventilation networks.

Conditions That Determine Changing the Function of Mine Shafts in a Gassy Coal Mine—A Case Study

“…The most popular commercial computer programs are VentSim [24], Vuma 3D [25], 3D-Canvent [26], VNetPC2007 [27], or Polish Ventgraph [28]. In underground mines, software is mainly used to optimize a mine ventilation network [23,[29][30][31].…”

Archives of Mining Sciences

“…the path method has the above advantages and is studied by scholars engaged in mine ventilation. the path matrix algorithm and search algorithm, the depth-first search algorithm, a greedy algorithm, and an interactive path regulation method of minimum power consumption et al were used to search the independent path and determine both the number and position of the regulator [33][34][35][36][37][38]. Despite the important accomplishments of prior research studies, several issues remain: (1) when the ventilation network contains one or more unidirectional circuits, the independent path searched may contain false paths; (2) the searching of all paths does not guarantee that the paths are independent of each other; (3) the position of the regulators does not consider the actual situation of the mine, and the number of the regulators is not optimized, resulting in difficulty in ventilation management and excessive energy consumption; and (4) for the regulation of a multi-fan ventilation network, the reference path is usually determined by all independent paths of the ventilation network, causing an increase in the number of regulators of the entire ventilation network and the other branches that have met the requirements of the air quantity before the regulation cannot be satisfied.…”

Study on fire smoke flow characteristics in the ventilation network and linkage control system in coal mines

“…17,18 ; The key technologies for remote emergency decision-making and automatic control of disaster smoke flow must be studied, and the technical equipment for linkage control of smoke flow due to fires should be developed. 19,20…”