Longwall Respirable Dust Simulator

ROBERT A. HANEY Mine Safety and Health Administration, Pittsburgh Health Technology Center The effectiveness of these dust control techniques has been evaluated primarily through the use of instantaneous dust measurements. These instantaneous dust measurements give a relative indication of whether dust control and -------------------~ employee exposure improve or deteriorate. Because the instantaneous measurements are a relative indication of conA systematic approach for correlating dust generated on a longwall face to personal employee exposure has been developed. The correlation is made through the use of a mathematical model that takes into consideration the magnitude of dust generation sourees, exposure time to the source and the relative position of the worker with respect to the source. The correlation is facilitated through the use of an interal!tive computer program. The use and application of the program is demonstrated from several field studies conducted on longwall mining sections. The effect of various longwall dust control techniques such as dilution with airflow, internal and external spray systems on the shearer and remote control on the shearer are presented.