Model-based tests on the time of crew evacuation from the danger area in an excavated underground mine heading

Abstract

When ventilation hazards become active in an underground mine heading, it is very often necessary to evacuate the crew from the danger area. This evacuation is carried out along emergency escape (evacuation) routes to a heading which is not affected by a given incident. Such a heading must provide access to fresh air and guarantee that there is no smoke. In this context, an important role is played by the time in which the crew leaves the danger area and gets into the safety zone. The time needed by the crew to cover the length of an escape route depends on a number of factors. In hard coal mines, the time necessary to evacuate the crew is most commonly determined on the basis of analytical methods developed in the second half of the 20th century. In recent years, however, the development of numerical methods has made it possible to determine these times using model-based tests supported by numerical simulations. The article presents the results of such tests with regard to the evacuation of a crew from an excavated dog heading. The objective of the tests was to analyse how the movement speed of the miners being evacuated from the danger area affects the time of their evacuation. The analysis was carried out for four different movement speeds of a crew and for 26 miners working in the heading under analysis. Their distribution in the heading reflected the actual location of their work stations. The results obtained made it possible to determine the times and intensity of their evacuation, and they should also serve as a valuable source of information for the emergency rescue teams in underground mines.