Improved approach to determination of relative gas content in operating spaces in mines at the Upper Kama potassium and magnesium salt deposit

The article proposes a new approach to determining gas content in operating spaces in mines at the Upper Kama deposit of potassium and magnesium salts. The approach takes into account various effects of process flows and equipment in underground mineral mining. It is proposed to determine the gas emission irregularity ratio by a few ways, including the methods of statistical processing. In-situ measurements are performed in potassium mine roadways to determine the irregularity value of gas emission from rock mass. The relative gas contents are determined during gas surveying and are calculated using the existing techniques and the new approach. The applicability of the proposed approach is estimated as a case-study of a real mine. The main concept of the new approach to the relative gas content calculation is the reduction of the possible error in sampling and subsequent calculation of gas content using the time-average concentration and gas emission rate under conditions of cyclic operation of cutting–loading machine systems. The new approach can improve accuracy in determination of the required amount of air to ventilate operating spaces in mines of the Upper Kama potassium and magnesium salt deposit.

Starikov A. N., Maltsev S. V., Isaevich A. G. Improved approach to determination of relative gas content in operating spaces in mines at the Upper Kama potassium and magnesium salt deposit. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2023;(9):99-113. [In Russ]. DOI: 10. 25018/0236_1493_2023_9_0_99.

The study was supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation under State Contract No. 075-03-2021-374 dated 29 December 2020, Registration Number 122012000396-6.

A.N. Starikov¹, Junior Researcher, e-mail: starikov4488@mail.ru,
S.V. Maltsev¹, Cand. Sci. (Eng.), Head of Mine Ventilation Sector, e-mail: stasmalcev32@gmail.com,
A.G. Isaevich¹, Cand. Sci. (Eng.), Senior Researcher, e-mail: aero_alex@mail.ru,
¹ Mining Institute of Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 614000, Perm, Russia.

A.N. Starikov, e-mail: starikov4488@mail.ru.

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