CFD Applications in the Mining Industry. A short video by Dr Kevin Linfield, P.E.
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Extracting ore or minerals from the ground has become a complex procedure. Gone are the days of simply picking up gold nuggets in a stream. Different techniques are used for surface mines compared those underground. The mining process, from extraction to a final salable product touches upon transportation and processing – which may include smelting, crushing, mixing, and refining. Mines often include their own power plant or boiler, and these facilities often feature pollution control equipment such as ESPs, baghouses, and scrubbers. With many of these steps, computational fluid dynamics, or CFD modeling, plays an active role in process optimization.
Computer simulation of external flow fields help determine localized effects of the wind. High winds cause particles from operations or tailings to be dispersed in unwanted areas. Some external flow modeling may include areas of many square miles, as illustrated in the image on the right. The force of the wind may cause structural damage in and around buildings or equipment as shown in the model to the left.
Air quality dispersion modeling tracks gases and particulates emanating from stacks and vents. Plume behaviour depends on many environmental variables such as temperature, wind speed, and wind direction. Ensuring that the stack discharge avoids any air intakes is often part of a plume study analysis, as well as tracking combustible or toxic discharges. With diesel-powered mining equipment, the venting of exhaust is often analyzed with CFD modeling.
Ore is often transported long distances on conveyors and through transfer chutes. Modeling provides information to minimize dust and maximize employee safety. Excessive dust can cause respiratory problems, and certain particulates such as coal can form an explosive mixture in air.
Rail cars take the ore from the mine to a port for transportation overseas or to another facility for processing. Trains many miles long bring coal to power plants to provide electrical power for millions of people. Reducing the drag of empty ore cars can provide significant fuel savings.
Providing consistent flow to each branch of a duct network will help ensure proper heating, cooling, or combustion air supply. Duct balancing can be performed with handbook calculations or computer flow modeling.
Electrostatic precipitators remove particulate from a gas stream. Whether for pollution control from coal combustion or the gathering of material such as soda ash, ensuring a uniform flow through the collection region can maximize the amount of particulate captured. Modeling can help ensure that the ESP meets the ICAC EP-7 guidelines for optimum performance.
Fabric filters, often called baghouses, are also used to collect particulate. In order to help ensure a particle capture rate of over 99%, it’s best to perform flow modeling to ensure the baghouse meets the ICAC-F7 guidelines.
In addition to fabric filters and ESPs, mechanical separators or drop-out boxes remove particulate from a gas stream. Computer modeling of the flow can maximize capture efficiency.
The previous slides help show how flow modeling can be used in the mining industry – from the first stage of drilling and blasting to the delivery of the final product, CFD flow modeling can help reduce costs, improve performance, and increase throughput.
For more information on CFD modeling for the mining industry, please visit www.airflowsciences.com
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