Numerical Study of simultaneous methane and coal dust dispersion in a room and pillar mining face

In underground coal mines, uncontrolled accumulation of methane and fine coal dust often leads to serious accidents such as explosions. Therefore, methane and dust dispersion in underground mines is closely monitored and strictly regulated. Accordingly, significant efforts have been devoted to study methane and dust dispersion in underground mines. In this study, methane emission and dust concentration are numerically investigated using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach. Various possible scenarios of underground mine configurations are evaluated. The results indicate that solitary existence of a continuous miner adversely affects the airflow and leads to increases in both methane and dust concentrations. Nevertheless, it is found that the negative effects of a continuous miner presence on concentrations can be minimized or even neutralized by operating the scrubber fan on suction mode. In addition, it was found that the combination of scrubber fan on suction mode and brattice results in the best performance of methane and dust removal from the mining face.