REVIEW OF MINE VENTILATION SYSTEM OPTIMIZATION

An attempt is made to summarize the background behind the development of modern computer methods that may be employed by the ventilation eng ineer to determine the optimal design and operation of mine ventilatio n systems. The ventilation systems that are produced will satisfy pred efined ventilation objectives, which include the provision of a safe a nd economic solution. An outline is first given of the objectives that underlie the design of a mine ventilation system. This is followed by a brief description of the operation and interaction of the various c omponents that form a mine ventilation system. The strategies chat may be adopted to provide an optimal ventilation solution with respect to capital and operating power costs are presented and discussed. An out line is also presented of the evolution of formal optimization methods that have been developed to assist with the determination of the opti mal design and operation of mine ventilation systems.