■pPS MMf JHBH H vBiiBP HI huh ■■■■' : ' - : hhmt hhsabMH B».illBI 4|fM INI nil Hi BUB ^M MJIII1IBI '''''SB ■■: :'i;-. ■ ■BB HHHP ■P BH g BBf ! ■PI i« <£~ & * €3K» e %C aV 'AwA' *V» 4* * fSliisS • <5. A^ *ttCCsgA ^ ,S^ * f=afllB& « ^ A »J ^ • a v -v v ^ ^ **o« ^t, V > o » s r< *W •■ .4* /i^Kfe!' X. C .•£••'*<>. *bV u .'. ^«< •'. *bv' , .^^ :f'*/ V^^\/ %^^/ V*3^\/ %^ f ^/ V*^\4 ^ % -: •« -* ^ A^ * >- ^ > 7 o5 Oe, :• V o* .'^fe-. ** *♦ .^te V^ .•'nk% \^ :' o. "•...•' ^o \s 1 '^9 ^.^ % 4 ^^/ V^y °^^^/ V-^\/ %^v ^ ' A* V< V s "■ A ^^ - • - *b? ^» "v^T* ' A 'bV 4 ' ^°* o_ * V "V 7. s * A <* *p . » * *■ - v - * - ^- *.( <^» 'o. » v % . • I «... ^ J? fc .i-/ # «> / % --si •it* * , AT ^ "°o ^yJ^./\ /.^%^o /\c^.\ ^°^ ^^ tjem?^ '++&' s^ms* ~*~& c mm>^\ '^^ *bV" 'v^O^ <-. ^°^ -^iiii^'o a v "^ -p. *" A <> '"• • ^. ^ .V » ^ 0" ,*VL'* V- «^ < *^^, A . < c ***** •' JC 9m Bureau of Mines Information Circular/1986 Dust Controls To Improve Quality of Longwall Intake Air By John A. Organ iscak, Robert A. Jankowski, and Jonathan S. Kelly UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE HMTERIOR V Information Circular 9114 Dust Controls To Improve Quality of Long wall Intake Air By John A. Organiscak, Robert A. Jankowski, and Jonathan S. Kelly UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Donald Paul Hodel, Secretary BUREAU OF MINES Robert C. Horton, Director t\6- VII Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data: Organiscak, John A Dust controls to improve quality of longwall intake air. (Bureau of Mines information circular ; 9114) Bibliography: p. 8. Supt. of Docs, no.: I 28.27: 9114 1. Coal mines and mining-Dust control. 2. Longwall mining. 3. Mine ventilation. I. Jankowski, Robert A. II. Kelly, Jonathan S. III. Title. IV. Series: Information circular (United States. Bureau of Mines) ; 9114. TN295.U4 [TN312] 622 s [622'.334] 86-600261 CONTENTS Page Abstract 1 Introduction 2 Homotropal ventilation 2 Types of outby dust sources and controls 3 Stageloader-crusher 3 Panel belt 5 Intake roadway 7 Summary 7 References 8 ILLUSTRATIONS 1. Typical homotropal ventilation of a longwall face 2 2. Typical intake dust concentrations for antitropal and homotropal ventila- tion systems 3 3. Ventilation curtain to keep headgate operator in clean air when headgate is restricted 3 4. Enclosed stageloader-crusher with strategic location of water sprays 4 5. Enclosed stageloader-crusher with a water-powered scrubber 5 6. Panel belt dust contamination at a two-entry longwall system 6 7. Rotary wire brush cleans conveying side of belt 7 8. Water spray and belt wiper clean nonconveying side of belt 7 TABLE 1. Dust concentrations and reductions for stageloader-crusher dust controls.... 4 UNIT OF MEASURE ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THIS REPORT cfm cubic foot per minute mg/m 3 milligram per cubic meter f pm foot per minute pet percent gpm gallon per minute psi pound per square inch gal/st gallon per short ton wt pet weight percent f DUST CONTROLS TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LONGWALL INTAKE AIR By John A. Organiscak, 1 Robert A. Jankowski, 2 and Jonathan S. Kelly 3 ABSTRACT The Bureau of Mines has recently completed a program to identify and evaluate various methods that address control of dust generated outby the longwall mining face. Dust generated by the stageloader-crusher, the panel belt, and the intake roadway can be long-term throughout the shift, contributing significantly to the dust exposure of all face workers. Dust control techniques were identified and tested at a number of longwall mining sections located in diverse geological conditions across the United States. Dust controls investigated include (1) meth- ods that eliminate the sources of intake dust contamination — homotropal ventilation; (2) methods to limit the amount of respirable dust released into the intake airstream — improved water application and the use of curtains and enclosures; and (3) methods to clean the contaminated air prior to delivery to the mining face — scrubber systems. Usually they can be implemented at a low cost and can be very effective. This report describes each technique and its application and presents the resulting conclusions. 'Mining engineer, Pittsburgh Research Center, Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh, PA. Supervisory physical scientist, Pittsburqh Research Center. 3 Project engineer, Foster-Miller, Inc., 350 Second Avenue, Walthan, MA. INTRODUCTION Many longwall mine operations are still experiencing difficulty maintaining con- sistent compliance with mandatory Federal dust standards that limit the personal dust exposure of longwall face workers. The predominant dust source is usually the shearer; however, several dust sources outby the mining face can also contribute significantly to personal ex- posure levels. Past surveys by the Bu- reau (1_)4 have shown that on a specific operation as much as 75 pet of the shearer operators' dust exposure came from contaminated intake air, while in many instances, approximately 25 pet of face workers' respirable dust exposure was generated outby the mining face. This study showed that these sources in- cluded the stageloader-crusher, panel belt, and intake roadway, with the stageloader-crusher being the most common and significant source. Outby dust sources can contribute sig- nificantly to worker dust exposure at a longwall face. Dust levels generated by these sources can be long-term throughout the shift and can affect all face workers. This report presents the ef- fects of homotropal ventilation, water application, and equipment design for re- ducing outby generated dust. Usually, these dust controls can be implemented at a low cost and can be very effective. HOMOTROPAL VENTILATION The most effective method for con- trolling intake dust is homotropal venti- lation, which routes air in the direction of coal transport along the face; i.e. , tailgate-to-headgate (fig. 1). This places the outby dust sources downstream of the face workers, eliminating their dust exposure from these sources. Intake dust levels are reduced in the walkway by as much as 90 pet (fig. 2) GO. More- over, the tailgate-to-headgate cutting cycle used in homotropal ventilation can increase productivity, since most of the coal does not have to pass through the shearer underframe. Homotropal ventilation has the drawback that the headgate operator works down- stream of the mining activities (shearer or plow), and tailgate entries must be kept in good condition. The headgate operator's dust exposure can be prevented by an auxiliary intake air split brought up the headgate entry next to the belt entry, with at least 100 fpm of airflow directed over the headgate operator (fig. 1). The gob at the headgate must remain open so that the dust-laden face air and the clean auxiliary air combine at the headgate end of the face and flow through ^Underlined numbers in parentheses refer to items in the list of references at the end of this report. the corner of the gob into the return or directly into the return crosscut. This may require additional cribbing in the crosscut, and between the last headgate shield and pillar. It is also recom- mended that the headgate operator con- trols be located as far outby the face < Return air Stopping I Curtain i — b — i Belt ii i ' iiii Stageloader FIGURE 1.— Typical homotropal ventilation of a longwall face. < E E rr UJ o o CO Q d.UU 1 KEY i 1 • 1.60 - •- - Headgate to tailgate - ■ - - Tailgate to neadgate 1.20 - • • • • - 0.80 • m • • • • - 0.40 _ __■ f ■ m~~ i ■ l ■ I Curtain 20 40 60 FACE LOCATION, support number 80 FIGURE 2.— Typical intake dust concentrations for anti- tropal and homotropal ventilation systems. as practical. This helps to keep the operator clear of contaminated air if the headgate gob should be closed up or seri- ously restricted, thus temporarily forc- ing the face air through the headgate to the return. A brattice curtain may have to be installed to insure clean intake air over the headgate operator when the face air is directed through the headgate to the return (fig. 3). On homotropal ventilated faces, the tailgate entries must be kept in good condition. Intake air travels up these entries, which are under additional roof loading from the adjacent mined-out panel. Some additional cribbing may be required, but this should not be regarded FIGURE 3.— Ventilation curtain to keep headgate operator in clean air when headgate gob is restricted. as an additional task, since both head- gate and tailgate entries are considered escapeways and must remain passable ac- cording to Federal regulations. TYPES OF 0UTBY DUST SOURCES AND CONTROLS STAGELOADER-CRUSHER Although homotropal ventilation is the most effective dust control method for all outby dust sources, it can be diffi- cult and expensive to implement. Many other dust source controls can be imple- mented at a lower cost and be very ef- fective in reducing outby generated dust. The stageloader-crusher is usually the most significant outby dust source on most longwalls. At several longwalls surveyed by the Bureau, more than 50 pet of the shearer operators' dust expo- sure came from the stageloader-crusher ( 1_) . Significant dust reduction can be achieved with water sprays lo- cated strategically on an enclosed manufacturers ' not enclosed, in the crusher stageloader-crusher, or with a water- powered scrubber that cleans the air inside it (3). Enclosing a stageloader-crusher and locating water sprays for optimum dust knockdown was evaluated at an underground longwall where a stageloader-crusher gen- erated a significant amount of respirable dust. Four different dust control sys- tems (3) were investigated as follows: 1. Baseline condition, stageloader- crusher not enclosed and four hollow cone sprays in the crusher (waterflow, 10 gpm). This is typical dust controls. 2. Stageloader-crusher four hollow cone sprays (waterflow, 10 gpm), spray bar with two hollow cone sprays directed at the intake of the crusher (waterflow, 2 gpm), spray bar with three hollow cone sprays di- rected down on the chain conveyor on the discharge side of the crusher (waterflow, 5 gpm), and a spray bar with three hollow cone sprays directed on and with coal movement on the conveyor belt immediately after the stageloader dump point (water- flow, 3 gpm). Total system waterflow was 20 gpm. 3. Enclosed stageloader-crusher (brat- tice enclosure) with only crusher sprays operating (10 gpm total waterflow). 4. Enclosed stageloader-crusher (brat- tice enclosure) with all sprays operating (20 gpm total waterflow (fig. 4)). As can be seen from table 1, the over- all highest dust concentration occurred with the baseline dust control system: TABLE 1. - Dust concentrations and reductions for stageloader-crusher dust controls Conveyor belt Crusher sprays Brattice hood Control system Av dust cone, RAM units: Belt entry Stageloader Headgate operator Support 20 2 Reduction in dust cone, pet: Belt entry Stageloader Headgate operator Support 20 2 1 1.2 2.7 2.4 1.7 BL BL BL BL 0.9 2.4 1.0 1.4 25 11 58 18 1.5 2.8 0.9 1.3 -25 -4 63 24 1.0 0.7 0.5 1.0 17 74 79 41 FIGURE 4.— Enclosed stageloader-crusher with strategic location of water sprays. BL Baseline. 'As defined in Stageloader-Crusher sec- tion of text: 1 — Stageloader-crusher open, crusher sprays only. 2 — Stageloader-crusher open, all sprays. 3 — Stageloader-crusher enclosed, crusher sprays only. 4 — Stageloader-crusher enclosed, all sprays. 2 This face location chosen for compari- son because the airflow had ample face distance to stabilize from a directional change. An open stageloader-crusher with crusher sprays, representing a typical manufac- turers' dust control system. The overall lowest dust concentration occurred for the enclosed stageloader-crusher with all the water sprays operating. The combina- tion of additional water sprays and enclosing the stageloader-crusher reduced dust concentrations considerably at the headgate operator (79 pet), stageloader (74 pet), and at support 20 (41 pet); modest dust reductions were observed in the belt entry (17 pet). In further limited testing of the en- closed stageloader-crusher with addi- tional water sprays, the waterflow was increased from 20 gpm to 30 gpm, with most of the additional water applied through the crusher-sprays. A 30-pct additional improvement in dust levels was achieved at the headgate operator's ** position and at support 20. No addi- tional improvement was recorded at the belt entry, indicating that the belt spray bar was responsible for most of the panel belt dust reduction. With all the sprays turned off, regard- less of whether the stageloader-crusher was open or enclosed, conditions deterio- rated, particularly in the belt entry, with a 100-pct increase in dust concen- tration at support 20. An enclosed stageloader-crusher with additional water sprays placed in stra- tegic locations is one of the most cost effective headgate dust control systems. The materials and labor-hours needed to build and maintain the system are minus- cule compared with the benefits gained. Another means of control is a water- powered scrubber (4^ (Jet Spray Air Mover, JSAM) that cleans the air inside an enclosed stageloader-crusher and dis- charges the clean air into the mine en- vironment (fig. 5). In this case, the stageloader-crusher is enclosed, but with an opening or ducting for the scrubber intake located as close as practical to the crusher discharge. Water sprays should again be added under the brattice hood on the intake side of the crusher, to knock down or contain the dust gener- ated by the crusher and prevent it from boiling out of the crusher intake. The scrubber should be installed on the stageloader to draw the air from the duct or opening on the discharge side of the crusher. The scrubber exhaust should discharge air in the direction of coal movement. This type of system was tested at an underground coal mine where the scrubber was supplied with approximately 9 gpm Water-powered scrubber Crusher intake f (with brattice hood and water spray) I — r Crusher FIGURE 5.— Enclosed stageloader-crusher with a water- powered scrubber. water at 500 psi for an airflow of ap- proximately 2,000 cfm through the unit. With all controls operating, dust re- ductions of approximately 75 pet were ob- served at the headgate operator's position, with a 50-pct reduction in in- take dust along the longwall face. The water pressure should be maintained at ~500 psi for most effective results. PANEL BELT For three- and four-entry longwall systems, there should be no dust contami- nation at the face from the longwall panel belt, unless immense quantities of ventilation air are needed for methane control. The belt entry at most of these systems should be on a neutral split of air with perceptible airflow directed away from the face, and into the air re- turn. A properly isolated and regulated belt entry with a check curtain just outby the stageloader can provide this neutral split. It is not unusual to find longwalls with an inadequately regulated belt entry and a poorly maintained or nonexistent check curtain where the belt entry air- flow is towards the face, contaminating the intake air. On some two-entry long- walls, where a portion of the intake air is brought up the belt entry to ventilate the face (under an MSHA variance), dust contamination can be significant. The significance of belt panel dust contamination of the intake air to the face can be shown by some data from a Bu- reau study of stageloader-crusher dust controls ( 3) ■ The longwall was a two- entry system and brought 20 pet of its intake air up the belt entry. Figure 6 shows the longwall headgate area includ- ing measured dust concentrations and air quantities. As a result of panel belt dust contamination (2.4 mg/m 3 in 13,500 cfm air) , the face intake dust concen- tration was 0.5 mg/m 3 , based on intake air dilution [(13,500 cfm/70,000 cfm) x 2.4 mg/m 3 ] . Although the stageloader-crusher was the dominant dust source, the 0.5 mg/m 3 dust from the panel belt is significant because it is usually constant throughout (Dust cone at support 20 = 1.6 mg/m 3 ) ( Dust cone = 0.3 mg/m 3 ) FIGURE 6.— Panel belt dust contamination at a two-entry longwall system. the shift and represents 25 pet of the Federal compliance limit. If the belt entry could be isolated and the belt entry air could be routed into a return, the panel belt contamination of the face intake air would be eliminated. When the belt entry air is needed at the face or a neutral belt entry is hard to maintain, panel belt dust controls are required. Even if a neutral belt entry can be maintained, panel belt dust should be controlled to keep float dust to a mini- mum and reduce the panel belt workers ' dust exposure. To prevent the fine dust particles from becoming airborne during transport, the coal should be wetted initially at the face by drum sprays (shearer face) or by sequential face sprays (plow face). A useful guide for water application is 2 to 4 wt pet (4.5 to 9.5 gal/st) (_5). Water should be sufficient to wet the coal, but should not accumulate on the floor. A Bureau study (6) of double-drum shearers showed significant reductions in shearer-generated dust, in addition to a 25-pct reduction in the face intake dust at support 8, when the total water applied to the coal, through the drums, was increased from 34 gpm to 48 gpm. The reduction in dust generated by the outby sources, stageloader-crusher and panel belt, could not clearly be established but the increase in water application was felt to have had a positive effect on both crushing and transport. During outby transport, the water on the coal may evaporate, making rewetting necessary at intervals along the belt. This is accomplished by spraying water onto the coal, far enough inby the trans- fer point to allow the coal and water to mix, applying between 1 and 4 gpm water at operating pressures of 50 psi or more (7_). Flat fan sprays and full-cone noz- zles are typically used for coal wetting underground. Rewetting of the coal can reduce the amount of dust generated during trans- port. In the above two-entry panel belt dust contamination case, belt entry dust concentration was reduced by 83 pet when the coal was rewetted at the stageloader (3). A spray bar with three hollow cone sprays installed in an enclosed stage- loader downstream of the crusher, knocked down the dust in the stageloader and re- wetted the coal, thus significantly reducing panel belt dust generation. Belt maintenance and belt cleaning also control panel belt dust. Missing rol- lers, belt slippage, and worn belts can cause belt misalignment and create spil- lage that gets pulverized by the drive pulley on the nonconveying side of the returning belt. The top and bottom of the return belt should be cleaned with spring-loaded or counter-weighted scrapers, to prevent material adhering to the return belt from being pulverized by the tail-end pulley. A low-quantity water spray can also be used to moisten the belt slightly. Other means of clean- ing the return belt are a motor-driven rotary wire brush that cleans the convey- ing side by rotating opposite belt travel (fig. 7), and a full-cone water spray, directed at the nonconveying side, fol- lowed by a piece of carpeting (belt wiper) positioned across the belt width (fig. 8). The water spray wets the fines and the carpeting removes them from the nonconveying side. This system yielded more than a 90-pct reduction of airborne respirable and float dust, compared with a dry operation (8). Conveyor belt FIGURE 7.— Rotary wire brush cleans conveying side of belt. INTAKE ROADWAY Respirable dust concentrations in the intake air at the last open crosscut are usually very low, with no significant ef- fect on face personnel. On a typical longwall, background respirable dust con- centrations in the intake air are usually less than 0.3 mg/m- 5 . However, if the dust concentration in the intake is higher, it will contribute significantly to the dust exposure of face personnel. Measures to control dust sources up- stream of the last open crosscut can be as simple as limiting construction, haulage of supplies, and roadway grading FIGURE 8.— Water spray and belt wiper clean nonconveying side of belt. in the intake air during the production shift. If haulage activities must take place during a production shift, the moisture content of the dust on the haul- ageway floor should be about 10 pet to insure that it remains bound (J)* Plain water dries out rapidly in the venti- lation air, making repeated applications necessary. Addition of calcium chloride (CaCl 2 ) or another hygroscopic salt main- tains the moisture content at the desired level. SUMMARY Outby dust sources at a longwall face can contribute significantly to face workers' dust exposure. They include the stageloader-crusher, the panel belt, and the intake roadways. By using recom- mended dust control practices, the dust at these sources can be adequately con- trolled. Sometimes several controls must be utilized as a system to control dust from many sources. The most effective method for elimi- nating the exposure of face workers to all outby dust sources is homotropal ven- tilation (tailgate-to-headgate), which places all outby sources downwind of the face workers. However, an auxilliary air split must be maintained for the head- gate operator, downwind of the mining activity, and the tailgate entries must be kept in good condition to ensure that intake air reaches the face. If homotropal ventilation is too dif- ficult or expensive to implement, other effective dust controls can be used on the outby sources. Stageloader-crusher dust controls include adding water sprays or utilizing a scrubber to clean the air inside an enclosed stageloader-crusher. Practices to control panel belt dust are proper belt entry ventilation, water ap- plication, belt maintenance, and belt cleaning. Control of intake roadway dust involves reducing the amount of activity in the roadway during the production shift or wetting the roadway to allay dust * 10287 102 REFERENCES 1. Jankowski, R. A., and J. A. Organiscak. Dust Sources and Controls on the Six U.S. Longwall Faces Having the Most Difficulty Complying With Dust Stan- dards. BuMines IC 8957, 1983, 20 pp. 2. . Longwall Ventilation From Tailgate-to-Headgate Reduces Intake Dust. Technol. News, No. 145, 1982. 3. Foster-Miller, Inc. Evaluate Fun- damental Approach to Longwall Dust Control. Ongoing BuMines contract J0318097; for inf., contact R. A. Jankowski, TPO, Pittsburgh Res. Center, BuMines, Pittsburgh, PA. 4. Grigal, D. , G. Ufken, J. Sandstedt, M. Blom, and D. Johnson. Development of Improved Scrubbers for Coal Mine Applica- tions (contract HO199055). BuMines OFR 91-83, 1982, 124 pp.; NTIS PB 83-205385. 5. Goddard, B., K. Bower, and D. Mitchell. Control of Harmful Dust in Coal Mines. National Coal Board, United Kingdom, 1973, 85 pp. 6. Pimentel, R. A., R. F. J. Adam, and R. A. Jankowski. Improving Dust Control on Longwall Shearers. Soc. Min. Eng. AIME preprint 84-113, 1984, 8 pp. 7. Bituminous Coal Research, Inc. Guidebook for Dust Control in Under- ground Mining (contract JO199046). Bu- mines OFR 145-82, 1981, 206 pp; NTIS PB 83-109207. 8. Courtney, W. G. Single Spray Re- duces Dust 90 pet. Coal Min. & Proc- ess., v. 20, No. 6, 1983, pp. 75-77. * U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1986—605-017/40,093 INT.-BUJ3F MINES,PGH.,PA . 28368 U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Mines— Prod, and Distr. Cochrans Mill Road P.O. Box 18070 Pittsburgh. Pa. 15236 AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER OFFICIAL BUSINESS PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE, $300 I I Do not wish to receive this material, please remove from your mailing list* I | Address change* Please correct as indicated. r ^y' \;^/ \J^y\o^ V'^Py ^V^^V^^V^^V^ * ^ V? ** v %. o o^ ♦ . • » • v » %» o « o <. ** v \ ^ " , ' o^ • • • i- v- * • " " \* < ^^, *o, "^ ^rf .0 1 ~ -^ ,o s * v0 .