Strategic Mine Planning: Determining Mine Ventilation Solutions Using Isight®, Minesched®, Excel® and Ventsim® Software
Mr Jason Allen (Manager - Entech Mining Ltd.), Mr Tim Stokes (Senior Mining Specialist - Entech Mining Ltd.), Mr Donald Tolfree (Senior Mine Engineer - Entech Mining Ltd.)
Mine ventilation can be complex with some systems having many 100’s or 1000’s of connections within a network. As the operation matures or new production locations are discovered, delivery of airflow to the required locations can govern production activities. The ventilation engineer is often required to quickly identify a solution that may address flow requirements, but may not be cost effective nor consider future mine expansion ventilation needs, potentially restricting future production. Entech, in partnership with Ventsim, 3DS-Geovia and our clients, have developed a method of evaluation, which links the mine plan and ventilation models to the financial model. Using Isight® to control and track key parameters, many evaluations can be rapidly completed. On a recent project, more than 800 scenarios were produced to develop a well-supported solution. This paper discusses the benefits of a rigorous approach to complex system analysis in ventilation modelling that can be expanded to mine planning.
