Ventilation model study of San Manuel mine, Arizona, USA

A ventilation study was carried out to establish a basic ventilation model for expansion of the San Manuel mine, southern Arizona, to include the Lowe r Kalamazoo orebody at a depth of 1050-1140 m. The increased depth and proj ected size of the mine workings necessitated a new design of the ventilatio n and cooling systems and the use of a ventilation network model so as to e nable different options to be considered. The model was based on a partial ventilation survey of the Lower Kalamazoo portion of the mine to obtain val ues of representative friction factors and resistances for typical airways and ventilation bore-holes. Since all the main fans at the mine are located underground and the new levels are connected to the upper part of the mine , upper levels of the mine were included in the model as single branches wi th representative level resistances. The model is used to consider alternat ive scenarios as changes are made-either to optimize the ventilation system or because of physical changes as development progresses. The methods used to conduct this comprehensive study and the changes that the model has und ergone are discussed, a selection is presented of the scenarios that were i nvestigated and details are given of the resulting changes in the ventilati on system.