Let’s Vent! bESTology Week 12

Let’s Vent! bESTology Week 12

Image: coaleducation.org

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, ventilation is the control of air movement, its amount, and direction. Air is necessary not only for us to breathe, but to disperse gases, dust, heat, etc.

Mine ventilation is heavily regulated especially in coal mines and mines with gassy environments. Other contaminants impacting the air quality of mines are blasting fumes, radiation, dusts, battery emissions and more.

To ensure proper ventilation in a mine, downcasts of fresh air and upcasts of exhausts are necessities to ensure a healthy and safe working environment.

Take a depth breath of fresh air and Let’s Vent!

Resources:

• Ventilation Systems by Intertec Publishing Co.
• Underground mine ventilation
• Ventilation by TechnoMine
• Ventilation PowerPoint

Data Mining: Expand your mining vocabulary by defining and discussing the following:

• Black damp
• After damp
• Fire damp
• Stink damp
• White damp
• Black lung
• Mining canary

Recognizing the need to get clean air in and gases out of a mine, share with others how you would construct an underground mining ventilation system. Discuss the history of the mining canary and the significant role they played in mining safety.

Writing: Draw and illustrate a map of a coal mine ventilation system. Include various control devices that are necessary for effective underground air distribution. Include a summary of the gases and particulates that your system will control.

BEST Connection: Referencing your recent bESTology board game design (bESTology Week 4), evaluate your ventilation system and modify the game. Correlate the type of commodity mined to the appropriate type of ventilation system. Add a level of difficulty for repairs and upgrades during the game. Compare and contrast your system to a real-world mine ventilation system.

Community Connection: During the next three days, scan each store, classroom, home or building you enter and locate the ventilation system. Predict if the system controls air temperature, humidity, noxious gases or other substances. Invite a representative from a local HVAC or ventilation company to visit your classroom. Prepare a list of questions for your guest that includes types of ventilation and control systems that his or her company sells or installs. Determine if their ventilation systems focus on protecting human health, mechanical equipment or a commodity.

Bloom’s Taxonomy: compare, construct, contrast, correlate, define, determine, discuss, draw, evaluate, illustrate, include, invite, list, map, modify, predict, prepare, question, recognize, reference, scan, share, write

Workforce Skills: reading comprehension, active listening, critical thinking, speaking, active learning, writing, systems analysis, complex problem solving, equipment selection, installation, operation analysis, systems evaluation, science, operation and control

Click on the following for a PDF version: Let’s Vent! bESTology Week 12

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