Case Study: South Dakota School of Mines and Technology improves underground mine safety with Hexagon SC/Tetra

Students use simulation technology to improve underground mine safety

The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology needed to better understand and visualize underground mine ventilation to improve safety, as traditional empirical methods were insufficient for modeling complex airflow and the dispersion of hazardous radon gas. They partnered with Hexagon, utilizing its SC/Tetra CFD software to conduct critical research funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

Hexagon's solution enabled students to accurately simulate airflow and model the decay of radon gas, providing unprecedented visibility into ventilation conditions within a block cave mine. The research successfully determined the optimal air gap height to maintain safe ventilation and demonstrated that CFD is a more accurate method for predicting radon dispersion than previous empirical models, which often underestimate required fresh air. The team at Hexagon provided excellent technical support, which was crucial for handling the complex geometries of the mining environment.

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

Purushotham Tukkaraja

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology