ABSTRACT:
 Over
the last three decades there has been significant
technological change in both coal mine monitoring
and ventilation modelling capabilities in the
underground coal industry. During this time there
have been substantial changes in statutory
ventilation monitoring requirements to reflect such
changes in our industry’s monitoring capability.
Somewhat
contrastingly, there has been very little change in
the mandatory regulatory requirements relating to
ventilation quantity and gas contamination readings
that need to be taken on a monthly basis. On top of
that there has been no official mention made of any
requirements to model or predict ventilation circuit
changes in the mine office, before attempting such
procedures underground.
Using the NSW coal
mines regulations as the basis for the opinion it is
the writer’s belief that whilst the skill level
requirements of minesite ventilation officers has
been substantially elevated over the last quarter of
a century there has been no step change in the
mandatory output requirement of the monthly
statutory ventilation survey and accompanying
report.
 In
the 20th century it was not uncommon for the mine
ventilation survey to comprise a handful of readings
which were then entered into a pro-forma book and
then hidden away until the next survey. The data
measured was insufficient to accurately delineate
the circuit and little or no thought was given to
utilising the data to build a mimicked model of the
ventilation circuit. Unfortunately in the 21st
century there has been insufficient regulatory
change to date to ensure such basic practices are
elevated to a higher level.
Current ventilation
modelling software programs are very user friendly
and relatively simple to maintain and update but
even the most recent changes in the regulations have
all but ignored the value of such tools.
With some careful
planning the ventilation surveyor should set up both
his quantity and pressure survey stations in a
manner which will afford not only statutory
compliance but allow him to accurately define the
ventilation circuit to a level that will allow him
to maintain an accurate ventilation model of the
circuit. The maintenance of such a tool will afford
far safer change procedures relating to ongoing
circuit adjustments.
The final
ventilation report that is assembled should be a
useful tool and ideally communicated to the
frontline supervisors to assist them with their
ongoing understanding of the circuit in which they
work. It is hoped that some of the tips contained in
this paper relating to report inclusions and
representation of such data may help at least some
ventilation officers streamline their monthly data
collection/collation process and with a minimum
amount of work. The output is an accurate snapshot
of the circuit to utilise for model validation that
should double as a useful training tool.
The Australian coal
industry has an outstanding safety reputation and we
must ensure we properly
utilise all available technologies to keep it that
way. |
0407 283 510
MOVING
THE VENTILATION REPORT INTO THE 21st CENTURY