Planning for Emergencies

Ventsim™ ’s Premium Version is now home to a powerful new tool that predicts the most direct route to the nearest safe location.  When used in conjunction with the fire simulation tool the atmospheric conditions (smoke, gas, visibility, temperature) are taken into account, and recommended paths attempt to avoid dangerous conditions.  The information is graphically presented showing travel time and exposure to gas or smoke.

 
Figure 1. Airway to Surface - Figure 2. Airway to Refuge Chamber

The escape route feature included with VentSim Premium and the new Fire & Safety version, is a powerful tool that may prove invaluable for emergency planning, training or potentially real emergencies.

A common requirement for ventilation practitioners is to ensure distances from working areas to refuge chambers or other safe locations meet regulatory and site requirements. Distances between chambers need to be carefully measured on a plan, and in larger mines this process may be more complex due to multiple pathways and many work areas.  VentSim™ Premium has made this task  much easier by utilising the “Distance to Refuge Chamber" feature.

In the Data Colour menu choose “Descriptors” then “Distance to Refuge Bay” or click under the VentFire simulation button "Colour by Escape Route Distance" to visualise and identify areas by distance from safe locations.  Adjust the colour limits so (for example) airways turn RED if the distance exceeds the mine allowance.  If an area of exceedance is found, simple move or place a new refuge bay (under the FIRE tab in VentSim™ ) near the location and instantly observe the changes in distance (by colour or text) to all areas in the mine.

VentSim™  Safety is a streamlined version of VentSim™ DESIGN focused entirely around modelling safety and emergency events, including contaminants, blasting fumes, gases and fire and smoke.

VentSim™ Safety uses a simplified, easy to learn interface for people with roles focused around safety, emergencies, mine rescue, training, and monitoring of mine conditions. It is designed to use completed models created in other versions of VentSim™ and cannot directly create models itself.  Managers, control room operators, safety, environmental and emergency personnel may find this a valuable tool for analysing and reviewing potentially hazardous conditions and situations.