Mining Publication: Evaluation of the Wet Head Continuous Miner to Reduce Respirable Dust
Original creation date: February 2010
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted field tests to evaluate the effectiveness of a wet head continuous mining machine for reducing dust exposure for continuous miner operators. Wet head technology delivers water via sprays to the continuous miner's cutter head as opposed to traditional standard sprays located on the boom and body of the mining machine. The sprays, positioned directly behind each bit on the cutter head, deliver water at the point of attack, serving to cool the bits during mining to reduce the potential for frictional ignitions. The sprays also flood the coal with water to potentially suppress dust generation. Dust surveys were conducted at several mines to evaluate the wet head's effectiveness to control respirable dust exposure at the continuous miner operator location and in the immediate return. Results show that the wet head miner improved air quality at both locations to varying degrees in some cases and not in others when compared to a continuous miner with a standard spray system.
Authors: JM Listak, GV Goodman, TW Beck
Conference Paper - February 2010
NIOSHTIC2 Number: 20036459
2010 SME Annual Meeting and Exhibit, February 28 - March 3, Phoenix, Arizona, preprint 10-144. Littleton, CO: Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc., 2010; :1-6
See Also
- Continuous Miner Spray Considerations for Optimizing Scrubber Performance in Exhaust Ventilation Systems
- Determining the Spatial Variability of Personal Sampler Inlet Locations
- The Effects of Water Spray Placement for Controlling Respirable Dust and Face Methane Concentrations
- Engineering Considerations and Selection Criteria for Proximity Warning Systems for Mining Operations
- Guidelines for the Control and Monitoring of Methane Gas on Continuous Mining Operations
- Reservoir Engineering Considerations for Coal Seam Degasification and Methane Control in Underground Mines
- Respirable Dust
- A Review of Occupational Silica Exposures on Continuous Mining Operations
- Status of a Tapered Element, Oscillation Microbalance-Based Continuous Respirable Coal Mine Dust Monitor
- Technology News 439 - Remote Reset Systems for Continuous Mining Machines Used In Extended Cuts
- Use of a Directional Spray System Design to Control Respirable Dust and Face Gas Concentrations Around a Continuous Mining Machine
- Page last reviewed: 9/21/2012
- Page last updated: 9/21/2012
- Content source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Mining Program