Applications of computational fluid dynamics modelling in underground coal mines

Coal mine gas, spontaneous combustion and dust encountered in underground coal mines have long been recognised as safety and health hazards to mine operators. Current solutions to these issues may involve extensive pre- and post gas drainage practice, goaf inertisation strategies, dust suppression with water sprays or scrubbers. However, the effect of these control measures varies significantly from site to site owing to the lack of a fundamental understanding of the flow characteristics of the hazardous gases and dust particles under various mining conditions. With the development of computer technology, numerical solutions to the governing equations of fluid flow and its related processes can be obtained approximately by means of the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling technique, which has been accepted as an indispensable predictive and design tool in almost every branch of fluid dynamics and engineering fields. A comprehensive literature review of the CFD applications in understanding the gas, spontaneous heating and dust issues for underground coal mines has been carried out, indicating the necessity of further exploring the CFD technique in solving these issues faced by underground coal mines.