Experimental and CFD Simulations of the Aerosol Flow in the Air Ventilating the Underground Excavation in Terms of SARS-CoV-2 Transmission

Tomasz Janoszek, Zbigniew Lubosik, Lucjan Świerczek, Andrzej Walentek and Jerzy Jaroszewicz
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Tomasz Janoszek: Department of Extraction Technologies, Rockburst and Mining Support, Central Mining Institute, Plac Gwarków 1, 40-166 Katowice, Poland
Zbigniew Lubosik: Geoengineering and Industrial Safety, Central Mining Institute, Plac Gwarków 1, 40-166 Katowice, Poland
Lucjan Świerczek: Department of Mining Aerology, Central Mining Institute, Plac Gwarków 1, 40-166 Katowice, Poland
Andrzej Walentek: Department of Extraction Technologies, Rockburst and Mining Support, Central Mining Institute, Plac Gwarków 1, 40-166 Katowice, Poland
Jerzy Jaroszewicz: Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Medical University of Silesia, Aleja Legionów 49, 41-902 Bytom, Poland

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 16, 1-23

Abstract: The paper presents the results of experimental and model tests of transport of dispersed fluid droplets forming a cloud of aerosol in a stream of air ventilating a selected section of the underground excavation. The excavation selected for testing is part of the ventilation network of the Experimental Mine Barbara of the Central Mining Institute. For given environmental conditions, such as temperature, pressure, relative humidity, and velocity of air, the distribution of aerosol droplet changes in the mixture of air and water vapor along the excavation at a distance was measured at 10 m, 25 m, and 50 m from the source of its emission. The source of aerosol emission in the excavation space was a water nozzle that was located 25 m from the inlet (inlet) of the excavation. The obtained results of in situ tests were related to the results of numerical calculations using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Numerical calculations were performed using Ansys-Fluent and Ansys-CFX software. The dimensions and geometry of the excavation under investigation are presented. The authors describe the adopted assumptions and conditions for the numerical model and discuss the results of the numerical solution.

Keywords: aerosol; underground mine; modelling; CFD (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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