Abstract
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a continually developing numerical technique by which complex fluid-flow problems can be solved. This technique can be an attractive approach to predict, evaluate and design proper mine face-ventilation systems. However, to develop confidence in the accuracy of CFD, the verification of numerical and experimental results is required for validation purposes. During the last two years, such a validation study was funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health under Grant R01 CCR415822. It was carried out in the Department of Mining Engineering at the University of Kentucky. In this paper, the authors present, compare and discuss the experimental and numerical data collected during the period of the project. It was found that, in addition to the needs of establishing a grid-independent solution, the proper choice of codes and models may have a profound impact on the accuracy of the solution. Therefore, comprehensive validation work of the current CFD tools against mining-related benchmark experiments will become an important issue in the transfer of the CFD technique in designing mine face-ventilation systems. In addition, nonintuitive flow field behaviors were discovered in the face-ventilation system in the experimental portion of the project. It was discovered in several geometries that the face was not properly ventilated.
