Dispersion and migration characteristics of multisource respirable dust in development panels during tunnelling processes

Underground miners in Australia are facing continued threats from dust-related diseases. To address these issues, improved knowledge of airflow migration patterns and respirable dust dispersion characteristics within a continuous-miner-driven heading under an exhausting ventilation system is required. Based on site-specific conditions of a development heading in New South Wales, a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was constructed and validated with onsite dust monitoring data, where a good agreement was achieved. Three scenarios of coal cutting at the middle, floor and roof positions were considered and simulated, with dust generated at four different sources. The simulation results indicated that the operators on the left-hand-side (LHS) with the extraction duct should be equipped with fit-for-purpose personal protective equipment and stay behind the ventilation duct inlet during coal cutting process, while miners standing at the right-hand-side (RHS) of the continuous miner for roof and rib bolting and machine operating should stay immediately behind the roof and rib bolting rig where dust concentration is relatively low. In addition, an increase in airflow rate through the exhausting ventilation duct or a reduction in the distance from the duct inlet to the heading face assisted in reducing dust levels within the heading, particularly at the LHS of the continuous miners. Finally, compared to the scenario of the current ventilation scheme, an on-board exhausting ventilation system could improve dust removal performance, with dust concentration at the breathing level reducing by approximately 43.6%. This modelling study can advance the understanding of multi-source dust diffusion characteristics in the heading face and provide guidance on dust mitigation, thus improving the health and safety of miners and creating a cleaner underground working environment.