Mine ventilation aims at providing fresh air for all working faces at an adequate flow to assure an appropriate atmosphere to the miners. The design and efficiency analysis in a ventilation circuit can be carried out using Hardy Cross algorithm and Kirchhoff law. In a complex ventilation layout these techniques proved to be extreme laborious. For a more detailed analysis or checking the effect in the ventilation circuit due to mining changes, computational simulation can be used. These simulation methods were used to construct models for Esperança Mine (Brazil). The model construct by simulation aim at checking the adequacy of the ventilation circuit to the NR22 (Brazilian regulation). Also a scenario providing 2000 m³/min for each panel was studied. Information necessary to the model include: static pressure, openings dimensions and geometry, and fans operational characteristics. The output from the model includes air flow and pressure along the circuit. Differences between the values predicted by the model and true values are less than 20%. The model was accepted as valid and therefore used for simulating the ventilation at various mining layouts. Computational ventilation models demonstrate their usefulness in planning and improving underground atmosphere.
ventilation; simulation; underground mining
