Mathematical Modeling of Air Distribution in Mines Considering Different Ventilation Modes

Abstract

The calculation of air distribution in large mine ventilation networks is usually carried out by numerically solving a system of equations representing Kirchhoff’s circuit laws. This formulation of the problem traditionally only considers the frictional air resistance of straight sections of mine airways. However, when analyzing the changing ventilation modes, it is also important to correctly consider the shock losses, which sufficiently affect the redistribution of airflows. The reason is that the shock loss factor strongly depends on the airflow rates at the junctions of mine airways. This paper presents a mathematical model of a ventilation network that considers shock losses. The model considers steady-state air distribution as well as natural draft. The significance of the shock was confirmed with a practical example; we describe the application of the proposed mathematical model for the analysis of air distribution in the ventilation network of a potash mine during planned airflow reversal.