Computational Fluid Dynamic Simulation of Inhaled Radon Dilution by Auxiliary Ventilation in a Stone-Coal Mine Laneway and Dosage Assessment of Miners
Inhaled radon status in the laneways of some Chinese stone-coal mines is a cause of concern. In this study, computational fluid dynamics simulations were employed to investigate three flowrates of the dilution gas (2.5, 5, and 7.5 m<sup>3</sup>/s) and radon distributions at realistic bre...
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doaj-6c9c5e1c49f343c3aa1ac232315311772020-11-25T02:09:31ZengMDPI AGProcesses2227-97172019-08-017851510.3390/pr7080515pr7080515Computational Fluid Dynamic Simulation of Inhaled Radon Dilution by Auxiliary Ventilation in a Stone-Coal Mine Laneway and Dosage Assessment of MinersBin Zhou0Ping Chang1Guang Xu2College of Safety and Emergency Management Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, ChinaDepartment of Mining Engineering and Metallurgical Engineering, WA School of Mines: Minerals, Energy and Chemical Engineering, Curtin University, Kalgoorlie, WA 6430, AustraliaDepartment of Mining Engineering and Metallurgical Engineering, WA School of Mines: Minerals, Energy and Chemical Engineering, Curtin University, Kalgoorlie, WA 6430, AustraliaInhaled radon status in the laneways of some Chinese stone-coal mines is a cause of concern. In this study, computational fluid dynamics simulations were employed to investigate three flowrates of the dilution gas (2.5, 5, and 7.5 m<sup>3</sup>/s) and radon distributions at realistic breathing levels (1.6, 1.75, and 1.9 m). The results showed that there are obvious jet-flow, backflow, and vortex zones near the heading face, and a circulation flow at the rear of the laneway. A high radon concentration area was found to be caused by the mining machinery. As the ventilation rate increased, the radon concentrations dropped significantly. An airflow of 7.5 m<sup>3</sup>/s showed the best dilution performance: The maximum radon concentration decreased to 541.62 Bq/m<sup>3</sup>, which is within the safe range recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection. Annual effective doses for the three air flowrates were 8.61, 5.50, and 4.12 mSv.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9717/7/8/515coal miningradon concentrationventilationcomputational fluid dynamicsoccupational exposure assessment |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Bin Zhou Ping Chang Guang Xu |
spellingShingle |
Bin Zhou Ping Chang Guang Xu Computational Fluid Dynamic Simulation of Inhaled Radon Dilution by Auxiliary Ventilation in a Stone-Coal Mine Laneway and Dosage Assessment of Miners Processes coal mining radon concentration ventilation computational fluid dynamics occupational exposure assessment |
author_facet |
Bin Zhou Ping Chang Guang Xu |
author_sort |
Bin Zhou |
title |
Computational Fluid Dynamic Simulation of Inhaled Radon Dilution by Auxiliary Ventilation in a Stone-Coal Mine Laneway and Dosage Assessment of Miners |
title_short |
Computational Fluid Dynamic Simulation of Inhaled Radon Dilution by Auxiliary Ventilation in a Stone-Coal Mine Laneway and Dosage Assessment of Miners |
title_full |
Computational Fluid Dynamic Simulation of Inhaled Radon Dilution by Auxiliary Ventilation in a Stone-Coal Mine Laneway and Dosage Assessment of Miners |
title_fullStr |
Computational Fluid Dynamic Simulation of Inhaled Radon Dilution by Auxiliary Ventilation in a Stone-Coal Mine Laneway and Dosage Assessment of Miners |
title_full_unstemmed |
Computational Fluid Dynamic Simulation of Inhaled Radon Dilution by Auxiliary Ventilation in a Stone-Coal Mine Laneway and Dosage Assessment of Miners |
title_sort |
computational fluid dynamic simulation of inhaled radon dilution by auxiliary ventilation in a stone-coal mine laneway and dosage assessment of miners |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Processes |
issn |
2227-9717 |
publishDate |
2019-08-01 |
description |
Inhaled radon status in the laneways of some Chinese stone-coal mines is a cause of concern. In this study, computational fluid dynamics simulations were employed to investigate three flowrates of the dilution gas (2.5, 5, and 7.5 m<sup>3</sup>/s) and radon distributions at realistic breathing levels (1.6, 1.75, and 1.9 m). The results showed that there are obvious jet-flow, backflow, and vortex zones near the heading face, and a circulation flow at the rear of the laneway. A high radon concentration area was found to be caused by the mining machinery. As the ventilation rate increased, the radon concentrations dropped significantly. An airflow of 7.5 m<sup>3</sup>/s showed the best dilution performance: The maximum radon concentration decreased to 541.62 Bq/m<sup>3</sup>, which is within the safe range recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection. Annual effective doses for the three air flowrates were 8.61, 5.50, and 4.12 mSv. |
topic |
coal mining radon concentration ventilation computational fluid dynamics occupational exposure assessment |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9717/7/8/515 |
work_keys_str_mv |
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