Removal of dust produced in the roadway of coal mine using a mining dust filtration system

Dust particles, which are produced both on the ground and in underground workspaces, significantly affect the human body and the atmosphere. In fact, underground dust hazards are more serious, especially in the heading face of coal mines. People who work in the heading face are exposed to a high concentration of fine particulate matter. Traditional methods such as water sprays, dust removal by ventilation and foam technology, cannot completely solve the problem of dust pollution. Therefore, a mining dust filtration system was designed for removing dust produced in the roadway of coal mines. The study on eight frequently used air duct arrangements indicates that the mining dust filter achieved the best dust collection efficiency when the inlet of the extraction air duct and the outlet of the forced air duct were 3 m and 13 m away from the heading face, respectively. Under the optimum condition, the dust concentration can be significantly reduced in the rear of the dust exhaust hood and gradually decreased along the direction of the roadway. The system proposed in the study reduced the dust concentration to below 3 mg/m(3) in the rear of the extraction fan and greatly improved the environment in the roadway of coal mines. (C) 2019 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of The Society of Powder Technology Japan. All rights reserved.