MINING

IN

METALLURGY
_______________

iNACAP

PROFESSIONAL INSTITUTE INACAP

MINING AND METALLURGY

VENTILATION IN THE CONDOR MINE

Authors

Miss. Claudia Zicri Ceballo Barriga

Mr. Felipe Andrés Parra Morgado

Subject: English IV (IDEN04)

Section: 401

Professor(a)

Ms. Tamara Vargas

November 14th, 2018

Renca, Chile

NUÑEZ, FRANCO

VERA, NICOLAS
Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................... 1
BODY ....................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
MAIN VENTILATION ........................................................................................... 2
AUXILIARY VENTILATION ................................................................................. 3
TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE VENTILATION OF
UNDERGROUND MINES .................................................................................... 4
GLOSSARY ............................................................................................................ 5
CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................ 6
INTRODUCTION

Adequate ventilation in underground mining operations is a process of vital

importance to ensure a breathable and safe atmosphere for the benefit of workers
and for an optimal development of its functions, it is mainly due to the influence on
people's health and productivity to the point that without ventilation systems it is
impossible to have underground mining.

The Condor Mining Company does not have a ventilation system, so we decided to
install a tunnel of 80 meters, which is why create an adequate ventilation system
using the Ventsim Software, which as you know is the program designed to carry out
these labors and thus solve the problem, providing a better work environment.

1
MAIN VENTILATION

All underground mines must have ventilation circuits, natural or forced, to maintain
a permanent supply of fresh air and return of stale air.

The flow of air circulating through the mine will depend on the number of workers,
the extension and section of the work, the type of internal combustion machinery
and the emanations of natural gases from the mine.

2
AUXILIARY VENTILATION

As auxiliary ventilation, it is defined those systems that using ducts and auxiliary
fans, ventilate restricted areas of underground mines. In our case, because it is a
low-tonnage mining operation, this system is associated as a Primary Ventilation
System for the Mine.

The objective of the ventilation is to maintain the galleries in development and fronts
of exploitation, with an adequate environment for the good performance of men and
machines, with a level of environmental contamination under the maximum
concentrations allowed.

The fronts of exploitation or development that are distant from the current and the
aeration of said site become slow, ducts or other suitable auxiliary means must be
used in order to produce the continuous renewal of the air.

3
TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE VENTILATION

 In all areas of the mine where personnel enter, the environment shall be
ventilated by means of a fresh air current, of not less than 3 cubic meters per
minute and per person, in any part of the mine, and the average speed may
not be greater than 150 [m / min], nor less than 15 meters per minute.
 In all underground mines, natural or forced ventilation circuits must be
available in order to maintain a permanent supply of fresh air and return of
stale air.
 At the mine, a ventilation gauge should be made every six months at the main
entrances and exits of the mine, and annually a general control of the entire
mine. The results obtained at these surveys must be recorded and kept
available for the service.
 In the mine where auxiliary ventilation is used in the development of the
galleries, the end of the ventilation sleeve should not be more than thirty
meters from the front.
 The main fans of the mine will be installed in fireproof locations.
 Ventilation regulators should not be in the access or transport galleries.
 Ventilation regulators should not be in the access or transport galleries.
Ventilation ducts and fans must have a ground discharge.

4
GLOSSARY

1. Flow: Airspeed.
2. Air Flow: Amount of air that enters.
3. Ventilation: Let enter an air flow.
4. Fan: Artifact that allows to drive predetermined air, this allows to regulate the
amount of air.
5. Ventsim: Mining software that simulates the underground ventilation system
6. Explosive: Is that substance that by some external cause (friction, heat,
percussion, etc.) is transformed into gases; releasing heat, pressure or
radiation on the closest surface.
7. Tunnel: A tunnel is an underground work of linear character that
communicates two points for the transport of people or materials.
8. Sinkhole: Rock excavation with a single entrance from the surface, a low
slope and a geometry that allows the free movement of people or machines.
9. Chimney: It is a vertical work between two galleries excavated in ascending
direction, which allows to ventilate the tunnel.
10. Natural Ventilation: Is when the air coming from the surface is used to vent
directly.
11. Artificial Ventilation: Is when support fans are used to increase the amount
of air coming from outside.
12. Blasting: Is the action of fracturing or fragmenting the rock, the hard ground,
the concrete or of detaching some metallic element, by means of the use of
explosives.

5
CONCLUSION

The analysis was satisfactory, with the support of the Ventsim Software, it was
possible to calculate the number of fans needed to work optimally inside the mine
that forms the Condor Mine. We could appreciate that the air flow was not necessary
to work properly with the fleet of mining equipment that worked in the sump, this
product that most of the equipment is diesel and emits a large amount of carbon
dioxide into the environment, in addition to the suspension of dust they emit, could
generate a large amount of silica that could cause silicosis in workers.

The relationship between the amount of money spent to buy new ventilation sleeves
and the benefits this brings is very insignificant. Because it is only a pirquinera (ASM-
Artisanal and small-scale Mining) and not a large mining. It will be recommended
that after each blasting, a long time is allowed to ventilate the tunnel in which it is
being worked, thus avoiding direct contact with the gas that emits the explosives.
The production of a chimney is not necessary in this case, the optimum flow can be
achieved only with auxiliary ventilation.

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