Mining Institute of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Perm, Russia

A. G. Isaevich, Leading Researcher, Candidate of Engineering Sciences, aero_alex@mail.ru
A. E. Sukhanov, Junior Researcher

Institute of Continuum Mechanics, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Perm, Russia
M. S. Zhelnin, Researcher, Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences

EuroChem-VolgaKali, Kotelnikovo, Volgograd Region, Russia
I. V. Polyakov, Chief Engineer, Candidate of Engineering Sciences

Potassium mining process is accompanied with emission of salt dust in large quantities in mine air. High concentrations of dust obstruct the operator’s view in the working areas, which complicates operation of shearing machines and worsens their productivity. The difficulty of salt dust control consists in the fact that the effective approaches to normalization of dust conditions based on the stimulation of aggregation of dust particles and their further sedimentation using water are inapplicable in potassium mines. In this connection, this article discusses improvement of ventilation air use efficiency by transiting from single-zone to multi-zone ventilation diagram with suctioning in blind shearing faces. Efficiency of ventilation alternatives is evaluated by the numerical modeling in this study. For the model setting and verification, the experimental investigation of dusting in working area of a test mine was carried out. The numerical modeling results show that the potential of the blowing ventilation is limited. The increase in the air supply (in the blowing ventilation) ensures no material improvement in dust conditions. The suction ventilation enables forcing dust away from locations of miners. The dust concentration dependence on the air supply quantity is almost linear, which points at the efficiency of ventilation by suction.
The study was supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, Registration No. 122012000396-6, and by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, Grant No. 20-45-596020.

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