Digital simulation of gaseous pollutants transfer during ventilation by diffusion of mining blind headings

Authors: A. Piotrowski, M. Branny

The paper presents a mathematical model of mass transfer during ventilation of blind headings such as cavities or necks without the use of an auxiliary system.

The two-dimensional problem of the gas medium flow field, which occurs in the domain enclosing cavity space together with segments of the gallery supplying air and carrying air off, was considered.

Due to turbulent character of the fluid motion the low-Reynolds-number k-e model proposed by Abe at al. (1994) was employed to obtain the time-independent velocity field of the air.

In the second part of the simulation the transient field of pollutants concentration was calculated based on the numerical results of the flow field calculations.

To simulate transfer by convection and diffusion the Control Volume Method was used and UPWIND technique was applied to guarantee the numerical stability of the calculations.

The simulation was carried out for three versions of geometrical location of the cavity in relation to gallery, in which the main stream of air flows.