Temporal and Spatial Distribution of Respirable Dust After Blasting of Coal Roadway Driving Faces: A Case Study

Coal roadway driving is an important part of the underground mining system, and very common in Chinese coal mines. However, the high concentration of respirable dust produced in the blasting operation poses a great hazard to miners’ health as well as the underground environment. In this paper, based on the direct simulation Monte Carlo method, the gas–solid two-phase flow model of particle movement is established to study the respirable dust distribution in blasting driving face. The results show that there is an obvious vortex region in which airflow velocity is lower than that close to the roadway wall and driving face. After blasting, respirable dust in the front of the dust group jet from the driving face cannot be discharged timely, with the result that its concentration is higher than the critical value until it is expelled from the roadway, whereas respirable dust concentration at the back of the dust group is gradually diluted and exhibits an alternate thin dense phase distribution. Meanwhile, respirable dust concentration in the breathing zone is relatively higher than that at the top and bottom of roadway. The accuracy of numerical simulation results is verified by field measurements. The research results are helpful for further understanding the evolution of respirable dust distribution after blasting, and are good for providing guidance for efficient controlling of respirable dust and improving the working environment for underground miners.