Subsurface Ventilation and Environmental Engineering

The voracious appetite of the world for energy and raw materials, coupled with environmental concerns over large surface excavations, ensure that the number and sizes of underground mines will continue to grow. Furthermore, if the 20th century has been the age of skyscrapers in inner cities, then it is projected that the 21st century will be the age of subsurface space. The commercial use of underground space varies from nuclear waste repositories to public facilities. In all such excavations, many pollutants may enter the airstreams including heat, humidity, dust and a variety of dangerous gases. This book covers modern methods of designing and controlling ventilation excavations. The physiological effects of the pollutants are given considerable attention. "Subsurface Ventilation and Environmental Engineering" is directed at the international market and draws on the author's experience of major projects in a number of countries. It should appeal to practitioners, students, teachers and researchers in the fields of mining, civil and mechanical engineering, as well as industrial hygienists with an interest in ventilation and environmental control in underground openings. The treatment reflects the move away from traditional methods of system design towards computer-based techniques.