Investigation of airflow through porous zones: Integrating computational fluid dynamics modeling into mine ventilation network simulation

Using mine ventilation network (MVN) software to model airflow through porous zones in underground mining operations is arduous due to its complex and dynamic nature. However, accurately measuring airflow is essential to control underground mine air quantity and quality. This study integrated the computationally expensive conjugate porous media model into versatile MVN software to efficiently analyze airflow through the porous zone. In MVN software, a novel friction factor coefficient was compiled into the broken rock-filled drawpoint model, which was later verified against the three-dimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamics model. Several simulations were conducted to ensure model reliability by varying the porosity and broken rock diameter of the porous zone. Results demonstrate that the novel friction factor coefficient can accurately predict airflow through porous media using MVN software and reduce computation time by > 99% compared to the 3D solver. In addition, sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess the effects of various factors on the system. This method enables mine ventilation engineers to effectively plan the rapidly changing underground MVN.