Análise do sistema de ventilação de uma carbonífera brasileira

Ventilation in underground mining is paramount for a good mine operation. Inadequate or insufficient ventilation compromises workers’ health and safety, especially in coal mining that normally must deal with flammable gases and coal dust that can cause explosions. This paper aims to analyse the current ventilation system of an underground coal mine in southern Brazil by measuring the air velocity, determining the airflow in its airways, and simulating the mine ventilation system using a ventilation software. A visit was made to the coal mine to carry out the measurements and others essential characteristics of the mine to construct the model. The analysis of the results of the measured and simulated parameters allows it to be possible to use the model and adopt the proposed methodology with satisfactory accuracy. It is also concluded that the company meets the requirements of regulatory standards due to the periodic monitoring and because they provide a higher airflow than necessary. Nevertheless, there could be benefits with a ventilation model so that the ventilation could be optimized according to the mine’s evolution. However, for this, more air velocities sampling points are advisable, as well as the determination of the head loss between branches.