Mining Publication: Contribution of Various Types and Categories of Diesel-powered Vehicles to Aerosols in an Underground Mine

A study was conducted in an underground mine with the objective to assess relative contributions of different types and categories of diesel-powered vehicles to submicron aerosol concentrations and to assess the effectiveness of selected diesel particulate matter control strategies and technologies. The net contributions of each of six heavy-duty (HD) vehicles, five light-duty (LD) vehicles, and the effects of disposable filter elements (DFEs), a sintered metal filter (SMF) system, and repowering were assessed using isolated zone methodology. On average, the HD vehicles powered by engines that were not retrofitted with filtration systems contributed approximately three times more to the number of aerosols and six times more to elemental carbon (EC) mass concentrations than LD vehicles powered by engines that were not retrofitted with filtration systems. Replacing an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) pre-Tier engine in the non-permissible HD vehicle with an EPA Tier 3 engine resulted in 63% lower EC concentrations and 41% lower aerosol number concentrations. The evaluated filtration system with DFEs reduced the contribution of diesel-powered vehicles to number concentrations of aerosols by 77 to 92% and the average EC concentrations by 95%. The SMF reduced the contribution of diesel-powered vehicles to number concentrations of aerosols and EC concentrations by 93 and 95%, respectively. When compared with older units, one of the newer model personnel carriers contributed noticeably less to EC mass concentrations but almost equally to the number concentrations of diesel aerosols in the mine air. The second newer type of alternative personnel carrier vehicle contributed more to number and EC mass concentrations than the old-style personnel carrier. The LD vehicle powered by an EPA Tier 4f engine equipped with a DPF system contributed least of all tested vehicles to aerosol number and EC mass concentrations. This information is critical to the efforts of the underground mining industry to reduce exposures of workers to diesel aerosols.