ABSTRACT
Calibration of a mine model from pressure-quantity (PQ) surveys improves the accuracy of airway resistance estimation and helps ensure simulated results match real conditions. However, it is often impractical to do this for an entire mine due to limited time and resources, or restrictions in access to some locations. Unmeasured airway resistances are often estimated using generic parameters or measured data from similar measured airways; however, errors in approximation may result in poor calibration of simulated flows and pressures, even in connected areas that have also been surveyed. This study presents a numerical method that uses a model-wide sensitivity matrix to calculate the response of quantities and pressures to changes in resistances elsewhere in the mine. The method then automatically modifies the resistances throughout the model so that the airflow solution returns the pressures and airflows measured at the PQ survey sites. This method can potentially help calibrate an entire model based on an incomplete set of PQ survey data, or recommend areas requiring further PQ surveys to achieve a successful calibration.
