Investigation of airflow through porous zones: Integrating computational fluid dynamics modeling into mine ventilation network simulation

ABSTRACT

Using mine ventilation network (MVN) software to model airflow through porous zones in underground mining operations is arduous due to its complex and dynamic nature. However, accurately measuring airflow is essential to control underground mine air quantity and quality. This study integrated the computationally expensive conjugate porous media model into versatile MVN software to efficiently analyze airflow through the porous zone. In MVN software, a novel friction factor coefficient was compiled into the broken rock-filled drawpoint model, which was later verified against the three-dimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamics model. Several simulations were conducted to ensure model reliability by varying the porosity and broken rock diameter of the porous zone. Results demonstrate that the novel friction factor coefficient can accurately predict airflow through porous media using MVN software and reduce computation time by > 99% compared to the 3D solver. In addition, sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess the effects of various factors on the system. This method enables mine ventilation engineers to effectively plan the rapidly changing underground MVN.

RÉSUMÉ

L’utilisation d’un logiciel de réseau de ventilation des mines (MVN, de l’anglais mine ventilation network) pour modéliser l’écoulement de l’air à travers les zones poreuses dans les opérations minières souterraines est ardue en raison de sa nature complexe et dynamique. Cependant, il est essentiel de mesurer avec précision le débit d’air pour contrôler la quantité et la qualité de l’air dans les mines souterraines. Cette étude a intégré le modèle de milieu poreux conjugué, coûteux en calcul, dans le logiciel polyvalent MVN afin d’analyser efficacement le flux d’air à travers la zone poreuse. Dans le logiciel MVN, un nouveau coefficient de friction a été compilé dans le modèle de point de tirage rempli de roches brisées, qui a ensuite été vérifié par rapport au modèle tridimensionnel (3D) de dynamique computationelle des fluides. Plusieurs simulations ont été effectuées pour assurer la fiabilité du modèle en faisant varier la porosité et le diamètre de la roche brisée de la zone poreuse. Les résultats démontrent que le nouveau coefficient de friction peut prédire avec précision l’écoulement de l’air à travers les milieux poreux à l’aide du logiciel MVN et réduire le temps de calcul de > 99 % par rapport au solveur 3D. En outre, des analyses de sensibilité ont été menées pour évaluer les effets de divers facteurs sur le système. Cette méthode permet aux ingénieurs en ventilation des mines de planifier efficacement les MVN souterraines qui évoluent rapidement.

KEYWORDS:

• Broken rocks, Computational fluid dynamics (CFD), Mine ventilation network (MVN), Porous media, Underground mines

MOTS-CLÉS:

• dynamique computationelle des fluides (CFD), milieux poreux, mines souterraines, réseau de ventilation des mines (MVN), roches brisées

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The simulations were conducted at McGill High Performance Computing Facility. Leyla Amiri acknowledges the Claire Deschênes Fellowship and Fonds de recherche du Québec-Nature et technologies (FRQNT) for supporting this research. Putra H. Agson-Gani would like to thank the Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education for supporting this work.

REVIEW STATEMENT

Paper reviewed and approved for publication by the Maintenance, Engineering and Reliability Society of CIM.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

P. H. Agson-Gani

Putra Hanif Agson-Gani is currently a renewable energy solutions consultant at an environmental consulting firm. He obtained his master’s degree in mining engineering from McGill University, where he belongs to Mine Multiphysics research group. In this group, he has a strong interest in numerical investigations on conjugate porous media, where he applies this method to mine ventilation and geothermal heat exchanger applications.

L. Amiri

Leyla Amiri, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Université de Sherbrooke (UdS). She obtained her PhD in Mining Engineering from McGill University in 2019. She received the prestigious Izaak Walton Killam Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Dalhousie University in 2020. She joined UdS as the inaugural recipient of the Claire Deschênes Fellowship in 2021. The focus of her research is the development of advanced energy technologies for heating and cooling purposes.

S. Poncet

Sébastien Poncet (Eng., PhD, HDR) is full professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Université de Sherbrooke and holds the NSERC chair on industrial energy efficiency. He received his PhD degree on complex systems in 2005 from Université d’Aix-Marseille I (France) and was associate professor there from 2006 to 2014. He is co-author of more than 350 publications.

F. P. Hassani

Ferri Hassani, PhD, is the current holder of the Webster Chair in Mining Engineering at McGill University. He is a graduate in Mining Engineering from Nottingham University, UK (BSc and PhD). His teaching and research relate principally to mine design, rock mechanics, renewable energy from mines, geo-sensing, and mine backfill.

A. P. Sasmito

Agus Sasmito, PhD, is Associate Professor at McGill Mining Engineering. His research has spanned a wide range of scientific and technological development for mine ventilation, heating, cooling, freezing and drying, geo-energy, thermal energy storage, artificial ground freezing, slurry, paste, and particulate flow, rock-microwave and other multiphysics modeling in mining and energy extraction engineering.