Ventilation Of Butte Mines Of Anaconda Copper Mining Co.

THE conditions that make necessary the mechanical ventilation of the Butte mines of the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. are due to a number of causes, all of which are incidental to the depth at which mining operations are now carried on. The main object to be accomplished, of course, is the reduction of the temperature and humidity of the air in the working places. Ventilation fans, both surface and underground, have been used for many years, but increasing depth has made the problem much more difficult. Further improvement in both ventilation equipment and methods, therefore, became necessary; and it is the purpose of this paper to describe the work planned and done under the improvement program. The mines of the district have been frequently described in various technical publications, so a description is unnecessary here. From a mine-ventilation viewpoint, compared with coal-mine ventilation systems, the problem is complicated by the fact that the workings to be ventilated are situated on a large number of steeply dipping veins which frequently intersect and are faulted, and also by the fact that the extent, or existence, of orebodies is not definitely known in advance of actual development work. For these reasons ventilation work cannot be planned in advance of actual operations, nor can such regular systems of ventilation as are used in working the more uniform and continuous bodies of coal be developed. When operations are conducted at a normal rate, about 10,000 miners are employed on two shifts, so that about 5000 men will be underground at one time. But as ventilation is necessary to reduce high temperature and humidity due, mainly, to natural causes, the quantity of air per man per minute is not a governing consideration in determining ventilation requirements. Most important among the numerous sources of heat and humidity in the mines are : heat generated during decay of mine timber; heat and humidity given off by mine rock and water; heat generated by oxidation of sulfide minerals; heat given off by electrical equipment; heat generated by mine fires (in certain localities).