• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2017

Most of the local limestone mines are developed as large-opening underground mines, while mine ventilation is heavily dependent on the natural ventilation and auxiliary systems, rather than the mechanical ventilation system using main fans. The current auxiliary ventilation system with fan and ducting requires optimization since enhanced deployment of diesel equipment demands higher airflow rate and the associated cost is expected to be too excessive for the local mine operators. This paper aims at optimizing the fan capacity for the working site ventilation through comparing the fan pressure in the mine airway and the ventilation efficiency of an axial-flow fan and a propeller fan developed in this study.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.288-296
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• 2013

In this study, a total of 13 mines were finally selected as study subjects and field measurements were conducted. Thereafter, calculations of thermodynamic natural ventilation were attempted using spread sheets and solutions for natural ventilation of mine types with multiple vertical shafts were obtained. Based on the results, natural ventilation of each mine was quantified. In addition, changes in natural ventilation energy (NVE) and natural ventilation pressure (NVP) were estimated assuming mine deepening and the resultant values were applied to mine conditions to observe changes in flow rates. Natural ventilation pressure in domestic mines is generally calculated to be in a range of 5 Pa~300 Pa. Although NVP increases as the depth increases, resistance also increases. Therefore, as the depth increases, flow rates show a tendency of converging on a certain value because of the relationship between NVP and mine resistance. Natural ventilation using shafts with depth differences is effective up to depths of 200~300 m. However, flow rate change rates resulting from NVP are small at depths deeper than approximately 200~300 m. Therefore, if a mine is deepened over 300 m, NVP will become insufficient and thus additional pressure obtained through mechanical ventilation will be necessary.

• Clean Technology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.168-174
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• 2016

The working environment is deteriorated due to a rise in temperature of a coal mine caused by increase of its depth and carriage tunnels. To improve the environment, the temperature distribution resulted by using the fan type ventilation system aiming for the temperature drop is calculated by using a fluid dynamic analysis program. The analysis shows that A coal mine needs 6,152 m³ min^-1 for in-flow ventilation rate but the total input air flowrate is 4,710 m³ min^-1, 1,442 m³ min^-1 of in-flow ventilation rate shortage and the temperature between the carriage tunnel openings and the workings with exhausting ventilation system type is 2~3 ℃ less than that with blowing ventilation system type. The exhausting ventilation system type would be more effective than blowing ventilation system when the distance between the carriage tunnel openings and the workings is relatively far.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.609-619
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• 2018

This study was carried out at a local limestone mine to analyze the ventilation efficiency of the shaft equipped with a main fan. The results show that its ventilation efficiency is clearly verified for the natural as well as the mechanical ventilation. The airflow rate of $11.7m^3/s$ was induced by the natural ventilation force and the maximum quantity is almost same as the airflow rate estimated by monitoring the average temperatures in the upcast and downcast air columns. Meanwhile, the airflow rate exhausted by the main fan through the shaft was $20.3{\sim}24.8m^3/s$; variation of the quantity was caused by the upward shift of the mine ventilation characteristic curve due to the frequent movement of the equipment. This indicates efforts are required to reduce the ventilation resistance and raise the quantity supplied by the main fan. The turbulent diffusion coefficients along the 1912 m long airway from the portal to the shaft bottom was estimated to be $15m^2/s$ and $18m^2/s$. Since these higher coefficients imply that contaminants will be dispersed at a faster velocity than the airflow, prompt exhaust method should be planned for the effective air quality control. The ventilation shaft and main fan are definitely what local limestone mines inevitably need for better working environment and sustainable development.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.108-123
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• 2019

In recent years, as safety management in underground mines has become more important in the worldwide, mine safety management technologies combining information communication technology such as real-time worker position tracking, monitoring system and equipment remote control have been developed. Wireless communication system is mainly applied to these technologies for the flexibility of network configuration. There are some cases the monitoring system was installed in domestic underground mines, but, it is necessary to develop the technology more suitable for domestic mining standard. In this study, we developed the real-time environmental monitoring system using ZigBee technology and examined the result of application to domestic limestone mine. Furthermore, applicability of the developed environment monitoring system to $VentSim^{TM}$ LiveView was checked. This study is expected to contribute to the related studies like the optimization of the ventilation system in underground mines.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.12-25
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• 2017

In local underground mines heavily depending on the natural ventilation, ducted fan auxiliary ventilation system is strongly recommended instead of the total mine ventilation system requiring large capital and operating costs. Optimizing the installation of ducted fans in series in long large-opening mines is required to assure the economy and efficiency of the ventilation system. The two most critical design parameters for optimization are the wall separation distance and gap length between adjoining ducts. This study aims at deriving the optimal values for those two parameters concerning the economic and environmental aspects through the extensive CFD analysis, which minimizes pressure loss, leakage and entrainment of the contaminated air in the gap space. The ranges of the wall separation distance and gap length for study are selected by taking into consideration the existing recommendations and guidelines. The ultimate goal is to optimize the auxiliary ventilation system using ducted fans in series to provide a reliable and efficient solution to maintain clean and safe workplace environment in local long underground mines.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.209-231
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• 2018

Severe mine disasters have continued to occur around the world. To ensure worker's health and safety and enhance the productivity, a number of studies have been conducted for the development of wireless sensor network (WSN), environmental monitoring, and communication system in underground mines. An increase in development and application of these systems has just begun with the introduction of information and communication technology into the mining industry in Korea, and yet there have been only a few studies that considered the underground mine ventilation system. This study presented the literature review on the development of WSN and environmental monitoring in underground mines, and especially, on 7 subjects in terms of underground mine ventilation. Moreover, studies that especially conducted real-time environmental monitoring were reviewed and categorized by each commercial software commonly utilized for the ventilation network analysis. For the application in domestic underground mines, further issues were discussed regarding research subjects that may be needed in the future and domestic environmental standards that has been used in the underground mine operation. This paper is expected to be useful for the development of WSN-based environmental monitoring and communication system, as well as for related studies in the future.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.372-386
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• 2018

The air quality near the backfilled site area is significantly deteriorated during and even after the curing period of the backfill materials. Hazardous gases such as NH3 and CO2 may leak out prolongedly from the mined-out sites backfilled with the composite carbonate-based material; leakage can be observed at the underground working sites as well as on the surface. At operating mines, underground gas leakage will severely aggravate the workplace environment. The ventilation schemes should supply sufficient air to dilute the contaminated air, and control the toxic gas leakage and dispersion. This study shows the applicability of pressurization ventilation system to control gas leakage and dispersion at the backfilled underground mine site.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.480-507
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• 2019

This paper aims at optimizing the auxiliary ventilation system in large-opening limestone mines with unducted fans. An extensive CFD and also site study were carried out for optimization at the blind entries. The fan location, operating mode, and layout are the parameters for optimization. Since the jet stream discharged from the auxiliary fan is flowing faster than 15 m/s in most of the cases, the stream collides with floor, sides or roof and even with the jet stream generated from the other fan placed upstream. Then, it is likely to lose a large portion of its inertial force and then its ventilation efficiency drops considerably. Therefore, the optimal fan installation interval is defined in this study as an interval that maximizes the uninterrupted flowing distance of the jet stream, while the cross-sectional installation location can be optimized to minimize the energy loss due to possible collision with the entry sides. Consequently, the optimization of the fan location will improve ventilation efficiency and subsequently the energy cost. A number of different three-dimensional computational domains representing a full-scale underground space were developed for the CFD study. The velocity profiles and the CO concentrations were studied to design and optimize the auxiliary ventilation system without duct and at the same time mine site experiments were carried out for comparison purposes. The ultimate goal is to optimize the auxiliary ventilation system without tubing to provide a reliable, low-cost and efficient solution to maintain the clean and safe work environment in local large-opening underground limestone mines.

• Explosives and Blasting
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.15-23
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• 2021

Ventilation shafts are pathways in mines and tunnels for the removal of dust or smoke during underground space construction and operation. In mines, blasting with long blast holes is preferred for the excavation of a ventilation shaft in the 10~20m long crown pillar section. In this case, the bottom part of the blast hole is completely drilled in order to determine the drilling error, and this causes a problem of lowering the explosive charge and blasting efficiency. It is possible to solve the problem of explosive loading and to increase the blast efficiency by covering the curb of the blasthole by using stemming material. In this study, simulations for the blasting of a ventilation shaft were performed with various stemming lengths and the blasthole diameters(45, 76mm) using AUTODYN 2D SPH(Smooth particle hydrodynamics) analysis technique. Also the optimal bottom stemming column was derived by checking the size of the boulder and burden line according to blasting. Analysis result, blasting efficiency is lessened in case of stemming length less than 30cm and the optimal length of the stemming material should be 30cm or higher to achieve high efficiency of blasting.