The practice of mine ventilation engineering

The practice of ventilation is continually evolving with new technological advances developed in the mining industry. In recent years the advances in diesel engine technologies, ventilation modeling software, and ventilation management capacities have redefined the historical methods used to evaluate systems. The advances re-evaluate previous methods used to calculate the airflow requirements for the dilution of diesel exhaust fumes. Modeling software has become an integral part of planning and developing ventilation systems in partnership with graphical mine design software packages to generate realistic representations of the mine. Significant advances in ventilation control strategies through remote sensors and monitoring capabilities have been developed to results in cost savings. Though there has been much advancement in mine ventilation technology, the practices and basic ventilation principals enacted through the ventilation engineer cannot be placated with technological advances only.