Selection of Main Mechanical Ventilators for Underground Coal Mines

This book provides information on proper underground mine ventilation in order to detail its importance in maintaining safe, productive, healthy and effective underground environments at all times for employees. The text covers correct design, implementation and maintenance of mine ventilation through suitable fan installation, and keeps in mind the economic requirements of undertaking safe procedures and implementations to ensure that ventilation is optimal. 
Through three main goals, the book addresses the need for proper fan ventilation in the potentially hazardous conditions of an underground mine. The first goal is to summarize and update the technical information on the strategic importance of selecting suitable techno-commercial main mechanical ventilators for a coal mine. The second goal is to provide a user friendly computer program to help any practicing engineers, mine operators, regulators and researchers in choosing the main mechanical ventilators. Factors in this selection process include environmental requirements, regulatory conditions, occupational health related issues, and cost. The third goal is to provide applications for computer programs meant to determine proper selection and implementation of the main mechanical ventilators. The text is geared towards teachers, researchers, policy makers, environmental organizations and mine operators who wish to teach about or implement the best possible ventilation systems for the health and safety of mine workers.

Author Biography

Ajay Kumar Jha is working as Vice President and Head of International Centre of Excellence, Mining Technology, EMIL, Aditya Birla group. He also serves as member of commission on rock dynamics, International Society of Rock Mechanics. He has previously worked in Coal India Limited for twenty three  years and worked in Indian institute of Technology, Kharagpur for more than one year in Department of Mining Engineering.

 His research interest is primarily in Rock Fragmentation, Ventilation, Blasting & Explosive Engineering, Demolition, Implementation of Numerical modeling and Artificial Intelligence Techniques in Mining. 

He has published 40 papers, 5 applied research projects funded by Government of India as Project leader and completed work on two books. He serves as an editor for Vistotak journal. He has also been awarded Coal India Technical Excellence in 2012 for his valued contribution to company. He has two patents on his name as key patenter.