Fire Scenarios Inside a Room-and-Pillar Underground Quarry Using Numerical Modeling to Define Emergency Plans

Underground fires are still one of the most significant risks in mines today. In order to manage this risk, it is necessary to know the potential evolution of a fire and the effects it can have on people and other objects. Ventilation plays an essential role in the development of a fire; it also influences the propagation of toxic fumes and the variation of temperatures in all other areas of a mine. Currently, it is possible to jointly analyze, through numerical modeling, the ventilation circuit and a fire for different possible scenarios in order to define, in detail, the emergency plans that need to be adopted. In this paper, a numerical study was conducted via the use of Ventsim Software (an integrated mine and tunnel ventilation numerical package that is able to analyze airflows, pressures, heat, gases, and fires along all of a defined circuit over time using an iterative procedure to solve Kirchhoff’s current law). Furthermore, in this study, it is illustrated how the joint numerical modeling of the ventilation circuit and fire, when applied to an underground gypsum mine in the northwest of Italy, provides all the elements necessary to define the safety procedures that should be adopted in standard conditions as well as during an emergency due to a fire. More specifically, it was possible to identify suitable escape routes depending on the location of the possible fire and the time available for the staff to be able to evacuate safely

Improving environmental conditions of a Room and Pillar underground quarry using numerical modelling of the ventilation system

Natural ventilation can play a significant role, which requires careful evaluation. It is necessary to adopt numerical calculation methods to study the ventilation circuit. This paper illustrates a numerical study of an underground gypsum quarry in Italy using the Ventsim computer program. Through this study, it was possible to determine the improvement interventions necessary to optimize the airflow that reaches the active sites of the mine, avoiding the risk of air recirculation in the deepest zones. A detailed analysis made it possible to detect how the planned interventions were also able to significantly improve the environmental conditions, considerably lowering the concentration of harmful gases emitted by diesel engines