Analysis of 3D vortex structures in blind drifts with blowing ventilation

The article presents new methods for analyzing 3D vortex structures of turbulent flows in blind drifts with blowing ventilation. The difficulty of identification of a 3D flow structure, even on a large scale, can be greatly reduced by comparing 3D and 2D mathematical models of turbulent air flow. Such comparison helps reveal subtle features of turbulent transfer of impurity in complex 3D vortex structures. Thus, 2D modeling becomes a 3D flow research tool. For the more comprehensive analysis of mass exchange processes in long blind drifts, this study uses a system of integral indexes proposed earlier by the present authors. These integral indexes are the air coflow and the maximal air flow velocity in a cross-section. Aside from that, the vortex formation criterion λ is used for the first time ever for vortex flows. It is found that a large-scale vortex in a blind drift has a complex 3D structure, with medium-scale and smallscale vortexes forming at the face wall. This leads, despite a drop of the maximal axial velocity in the flow, to an increase in the air coflow rate and to an intensification of interflow processes which lead to a decrease in time of outflow of impurities from the most out-of-the-way places in the face area. The comparison of the vortex structures in 3D and 2D models allows arguing in favor of current standards set for the maximum allowable values for the gap size between the air duct and the face wall, and helps illustrate advantages of increase in these values.

Semin M. A., Faynburg G. Z. Analysis of 3D vortex structures in blind drifts with blowing ventilation. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2025;(8):71-91. [In Russ]. DOI: 10. 25018/0236_1493_2025_8_0_71.

The study was supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation within the framework of a state contract, R&D Project No. 122030100425-6.

M.A. Semin¹, Dr. Sci. (Eng.), Head of Laboratory, e-mail: seminma@inbox.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0001-5200-7931,
G.Z. Faynburg¹, Dr. Sci. (Eng.), Professor, Chief Researcher, e-mail: faynburg@mail.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0002-9599-7581,
¹ Mining Institute of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 614007 Perm, Russia.

M.A. Semin, e-mail: seminma@inbox.ru.

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