Last updated on November 13th, 2024 at 01:30 pm
A System of Air Blasting has been invented by Central Mine Planning and Design Institute Limited (CMPDIL), Ranchi (a consultancy subsidiary of Coal India Limited) in order to control the fugitive dust in mining areas and a method for controlling the generation and movement of fugitive dust was patented in December 2022 (Patent No. 4,160,055).
This system can be used in mines, thermal power plants, railway sidings, ports, and construction sites where coal or other minerals/fugitive materials are stored under the open sky. It will not only reduce dust generation from open sources but also provide noise attenuation.
The coal and lignite Public Sector Units under the Ministry of Coal work hard to produce high-quality coal while being environmentally responsible, in order to meet the country’s energy needs.
Coal and lignite PSUs are adopting various measures to prevent or mitigate air pollution caused by coal mining and allied activities. Different sources of fugitive dust generation that are exposed to air can contribute to air pollution if the dust isn’t discharged into the atmosphere through a confined flow stream.
The invention relates to reducing the generation and dispersion of fugitive dust by synchronizing the application of windbreak (WB) and vertical greenery system (VGS). With respect to the fugitive dust source(s), the WB and VGS are erected in the upwind and downwind direction respectively.
The WB reduces the speed of the wind approaching the source, and hence it reduces the intensity of the ambient air picking up dust while blowing over the source. The VGS acts as a filter that reduces the quantity of the residual dust moving along with the wind toward the receptors in the down-wind direction.
The concentration of dust in the ambient air is significantly reduced at various receptors located down-wind. The Figure below depicts this system.
