243 APPLICATION OF SENSORS AND UAV IN ASSESSMENT OF VERTICAL TRANSPORT OF PARTICULATE MATTER IN SURFACE MINES A.K. Patra1*, A. Penchala1 1Department of Mining Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India, (*Presenting author: akpatra@mining.iitkgp.ac.in) ABSTRACT Availability of technology for extraction deep seated minerals has led to mechanized mines getting deeper. This is resulting in poor dispersion of pollutants, primarily because of little entry of surface winds to that level, potentially exacerbating the occupation exposure at workplace. Therefore, understanding the transport and dispersion of mining-generated pollutants, especially, particulate matter (PM) is crucial for assessing its impact on miners. This paper presents the findings on vertical dispersion of the PM using a combination of low-cost PM sensors and portable sampling devices in two mines (one is iron and other is coal). The mines are 100-130 m deep. With a series of sensor placed at different heights the concentration was measured along the vertical extent of the iron mine. For the coal mine, a UAV mounted sensor set up was used which provided a real-time data. The studies evaluated the distribution of PM1, PM2.5, and PM10 mass concentrations and their interactions with key meteorological factors. In case of the iron ore mine, transport of ore through off-road trucks accounted for about 70 % of the in-pit emissions. Differential settling and varying meteorological parameters along the vertical extent of the mine resulted in the escape of 17 % of PM2.5-10, 43 % of PM1-2.5, and 69 % of PM1 to the mine’s surrounding atmosphere. In case of the coal mine, the vertical profiles from the pit bottom to the pit top (130 m vertical depth) have shown a nonuniform decrease in PM concentrations, with a higher percentage of decrease observed for PM10 (47%) compared to PM2.5 (15%) and PM1 (13%). Assessment of diurnal variations indicated higher PM levels during evening due to cumulative particle accumulation from continuous mining operations combined with a lower atmospheric boundary layer height. Airborne UAV measurements within and around the mine have shown dominance of PM2.5 and PM1 compared to their respective proportions at the ground. The findings of this study demonstrate the application of low-cost sensors in monitoring PM concentration in a surface mine, which can ultimately provide a realtime exposure estimates of the mine workers at different working locations. KEYWORDS Coal mine dust, occupational exposure, vertical distribution, low-cost air sensors, unmanned aerial vehicle
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