Evaluation of Diesel Equipment Deployment in Underground Coal Mines. Volume III: Analysis of Diesel Deployment Schemes

摘要

Procedures have been developed that permit determining in either existing or new mines the optimum diesel equipment deployment schemes and the effect of diesel exhaust on mine air quality. Specifically, the following areas are covered in the report: (1) Description of diesel deployment schemes in four underground coal mines that were visited. (2) Description of the analysis procedure to determine the number of shuttle cars required to maintain maximum theoretical continuous miner (or loader) production rates in typical room-and-pillar mining systems and the exhaust contamination resulting from the deployment of diesel-powered shuttle cars. (3) Sensitivity analyses to determine the effect of changes in input variables on production and contaminant concentrations are discussed. (4) Description of the analysis procedure to develop locomotive operating parameters and to assess production and the magnitude of diesel exhaust contamination. (5) Recommendations for extensions of this research to determine equipment duty cycles for diesel equipment, and to study the exhaust contamination of mine air on the basis of these duty cycles.