Study on the influence of combined utilization of air-fog curtain on fully mechanized face

Abstract

To address the ambiguous regulations for dust control and removal in the joint use of air curtain and fog curtain, this study developed a multi-field coupling model of airflow, dust, and droplets. By incorporating the spraying method into both traditional ventilation technology and air curtain technology, this study comparatively analyzed the dust control and removal efficiencies of these two methods under various ventilation conditions in tunnels. The spray experiment and simulated result indicated a maximum relative error of 19.9%. The simulation results demonstrated that the use of traditional ventilation technology resulted in significant dust contamination in the rear and top regions of the tunnel. Although the dust pollution was ameliorated when the pressure-suction ratio was 1.25, the dust control effect remained unsatisfactory, with the pollution distance extending 37.0m. After implementing air curtain technology, the airflow generated a spiral air curtain due to the wall attachment effect, effectively confining the majority of dust to the heading face area. When the axial flow ratio was 45%, the dust concentration at exceeding 13.0m from the heading face dropped to blow 1.0mg/m3, significantly reducing health risks for operators.