Analysis and Forecasting of PM2.5, PM4, and PM10 Dust Concentrations, Based on In Situ Tests in Hard Coal Mines

Dominik Bałaga,Piotr Dobrzaniecki,Krzysztof Kotwica,Iwona Jonczy,Sebastian Jendrysik,Krzysztof Kaczmarczyk,Marek Kalita

doi:10.3390/en14175527

Dominik Bałaga, Piotr Dobrzaniecki + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/en14175527

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Abstract

The method of analyzing the results of dust concentration measurements in mine workings that was conducted within the ROCD (Reducing risks from Occupational exposure to Coal Dust) European project using the developed dust prediction algorithm is presented. The analysis was based on the measurements of average dust concentration with the use of the CIP-10R gravimetric dust meters, for the respirable PM4 dust concentration, and IPSQ analyzer for instantaneous concentration measurements (including PM2.5 dust) and with the use of Pł-2 optical dust meters for instantaneous concentration measurements of PM10 dust. Based on the analyses of the measurement results, the characteristics of the distribution of PM10, PM4, and PM2.5 dust particles were developed for the tested dust sources. Then, functional models based on power functions were developed. The determined models (functions) allow predicting the dust distribution in such conditions (and places) for which we do not have empirical data. The developed models were implemented in a specially developed online tool, which enables predicting the concentration of PM10, PM4, and PM2.5 dust (on the basis of dust concentration of one source) at any distance from the dust source.

Highlights

The concentration of coal mining production worldwide and the winning of thinner and thinner coal seams means that the mining personnel are exposed to a number of hazards
Pneumoconiosis resulting from long-term inhalation of free silica, manifested by chronic bronchitis and emphysema, and sometimes by heart failure and cardiac hypertrophy, is the most common occupational disease caused by mine dust [4,5]
The situation is similar in China, where pneumoconiosis accounts for more than 90% of occupational diseases, where more than 85% of them are reported in the coal mining industry [20]

Summary

Introduction

The concentration of coal mining production worldwide and the winning of thinner and thinner coal seams means that the mining personnel are exposed to a number of hazards. Energies 2021, 14, 5527 analyses were focused on one type of workings, and their main objective was not to predict dust concentration but to assess the effectiveness of the dust removal equipment used. Exposure to dust and work in the hard coal mining industry caused over 4.5 thousand cases of pneumoconiosis in the last decade only in Poland [7,8]. The algorithm for the prevention of excessive dust concentration is based on a much larger number of results and a broader spectrum of dust particle sizes compared to the previous methods, including coal mining technologies and the mine ventilation network system. These functions make it possible to predict the propagation of dust concentration in the places for which we have no empirical data

Test Methodology

In Situ Tests

Findings

Analysis of the Results