Experimental research into time course of salt aerosol fraction composition in potash borer miner longwall faces

Potash longwall mining induces much dusting. Dust concentration at the borer miner operator’s workplace can vary within wide ranges and reach 2000 mg/m3, which greatly exceeds the maximum allowable concentration of 5 mg/m3. Such overshoot governs the harmful effect of potash dust on miners’ health. Statistical data prove the increasing rate of respiratory diseases of borer miner operators. Thus, it is important to implement potash (sylvinite and salt) dust control. New methods of dust mass concentration reduction in the working environment air to be developed require experimental research into dynamics of aerosols in mines. This article describes the experimental results of change in fraction composition of dust particle in air flow. In particular, it is found that the content of fines increases with growing distance from a dusting source while percentage of the coarse fraction decreases. For example, per cent of fine particles up to 10 µm in size grows from 43% to 73.14% with increasing distance from a dusting source. At the same time, percentage of coarse particles (21–30 µm and larger than 31 µm) reduces from 9% to 5.3% and from 15% to 0.81%, respectively. The obtained data make it possible to calculate the dust precipitation factor, which is necessary for the network modeling of salt aerosol concentration history. Furthermore, the experimental relationship is determined between the mass concentration of dust in the working zone air and the borer miner productivity. The experimental research was carried out in the working environment of borer miner model Ural 20 R.

Isaevich A. G., Fainburg G. Z., Maltsev S. V. Experimental research into time course of salt aerosol fraction composition in potash borer miner longwall faces. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2022;(1):60-71. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236_1493_2022_1_0_60.

The study was supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, Project No. 0422–2019–0145-S-01, and by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, Project No. 20–45-596020.

A.G. Isaevich¹, Cand. Sci. (Eng.), Head of Sector, Scopus ID: 56671263900,
G.Z. Fainburg¹, Dr. Sci. (Eng.), Professor, Chief Researcher, Scopus ID: 57191526131,
S.V. Maltsev¹, Cand. Sci. (Eng.), Researcher, e-mail: stasmalcev32@gmail.com, Scopus ID: 57215839650,
¹ Mining Institute of Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 614007, Perm, Russia.

S.V. Maltsev, e-mail: stasmalcev32@gmail.com.

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