Mining in focus
pose a health risk to workers. These
exhaust fumes also need to be regularly
measured by the environmental/
ventilation department of a mine. The
removal of diesel-driven equipment will
remove these risks and functions.
Aims of ventilation
The main aims of ventilation are to
firstly provide air for mine workers
and equipment, and to dilute the
concentration of explosive and
toxic gases, fumes, and radon to
environmentally safe levels, and
to remove these from the mine.
Furthermore, ventilation dilutes the
concentration of the airborne dust
to physiologically accepted levels
and removes it from the mine. It
also provides a thermally acceptable
environment in which people can
work without undue discomfort or any
Working at 3 000m
underground is not for the
faint-hearted. Underground
workers’ health depends
on sufficient oxygen and
ventilation to clear unwanted
particles, which affects the
productivity and the health of
mine workers.
danger or heat exhaustion and removes
heat from the mine as may be necessary.
“Basically, ventilation is important
for the health and safety of employees,
which translates into higher
productivity. Furthermore, ventilation is
important for the optimum utilisation
of machinery, as diesel machines need
oxygen in their combustion chamber
and electric equipment has to be
cooled,” says Mothusi Mochubele,
lecturer at the Wits School of Mining.
Mine ventilation has come a long way
since the early days in the eighteenth
century, when rudimentary systems
were introduced in the extremely
dangerous underground coal mines
of Europe. The challenges then were
insufficient knowledge and a lack of
research. In more recent times, the
major constraint has always been the
time it takes to plan for ventilation
when developing and constructing a
new mine, section, or shaft. Although
the basics of ventilation has remained
the same throughout the years (the
science of ventilation is to draw fresh,
clean, and cool air from the surface
into underground workings), the main
improvement in modern times has
come about as a result of the availability
of information and the increased use
of planning software. According to
Mochubele, software programs like
VUMA and VENTSIM have made
it possible to run several scenarios
in a short space of time, yielding
accurate results. “This has improved the
decision-making process substantially,”
he says.
Ventilation and modernisation
With the modernisation of mines high
on the agenda of the mining industry, a
JULY 2018 MINING MIRROR
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