Page 220 - Advances In Productive, Safe, and Responsible Coal Mining

Diesel particulate matter: 11

Monitoring and control improves
safety and air quality

†
Muhammad Usman Khan*, Argyle Douglas Stewart Gillies
†
*University of Engineering & Technology (UET), Lahore, Pakistan, Missouri University of
Science & Technology, Rolla, MO, United States

11.1 Diesel use in mining

Nearly all mine workers are exposed to aerosols—both mechanically generated
and from combustion [1–4]. Diesel engine exhaust is a primary source of submicron
(particles with diameter <1μm) mine aerosols [5]. Diesel is an efficient fossil fuel and
the energy efficiency of diesel makes it an attractive fuel choice for many industrial
and domestic applications [6]. The use of diesel equipment in the mining industry is an
attractive option not only because of the ability to convert a large fraction of available
energy into useable work, but also because diesel engines are fuel efficient, rugged,
and dependable. It is very common for diesel engines in heavy-duty trucks to have a
life of 1,600,000km [7]. Generally, in underground mines, diesel equipment provides
more flexibility and maneuverability as compared to electric-powered systems. In the
United States (US), it is estimated that diesel-powered equipment is used in
14,000 mining operations [6]. Considering the pace of developments in other energy
alternatives, it can be assumed that the underground mining industry will maintain its
reliance on diesel-powered equipment for the near future [8].
Because diesel vehicles are one of the primary components of underground mining
systems, they are the main source of miners’ exposure to diesel exhaust aerosols and
gases [9]. Diesel engines produce submicrometer-sized carbonaceous aerosols that
become part of the respirable and total particulate mass in the mine air [10]. Diesel
equipment operators and other miners spend most of their working time within close
proximity to this equipment causing their exposure to harmful diesel exhaust
mixtures. In view of the large population of workers who are exposed to DPM in
underground mines, DPM has become a subject of increased concern. Documents,
which support Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) regulations, clearly
demonstrate that underground miners and other personnel who work in confined
spaces are exposed to higher DPM than any other occupation [11,12]. Underground
miners’ exposure to diesel exhaust can be 100 times more than its normal environmen-
tal concentrations and 10 times more than concentrations present in other diesel
engine work environments [13,14].

Advances in Productive, Safe, and Responsible Coal Mining. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-101288-8.00009-2
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