Underground Fire Rollback Simulation in Large Scale Ventilation Models

A feasible solution is to create a single network model to simulate both the large scale ventilation model and the smaller scale rollback behavior. This can potentially be achieved by creating a detailed high density three-dimensional mesh of pathways bounded by the airway around a fire which then feeds into the simpler network of a large scale ventilation model. The high density mesh allows a transient mass balanced Hardy Cross method to simulate air currents independently in three dimensions within the fire region, based on heat and natural buoyancy within each pathway. This paper explores the method, compares with empirical methods, and demonstrates the potential of full integration into conventional whole mine network analysis simulation without the complexity of CFD analysis or empirical equation assumptions.