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Calcimator

Mine Ventilation Calculator

Calculate CFM requirements from mine volume, diesel equipment HP, personnel count, and altitude.

Inputs

ft³
HP
ft

Results

Required CFM

25,000 CFM

CFM by Volume25,000 CFM
CFM by Diesel20,000 CFM
CFM by Personnel4,000 CFM
Altitude Factor1
Air Velocity250 FPM
Fan Power (est.)14 HP
How to Use This Calculator
  1. Enter the mine volume (cu ft) — total excavated airspace underground.
  2. Set total diesel HP for all underground equipment operating simultaneously.
  3. Enter number of workers underground at peak shift.
  4. Set desired air changes per minute and altitude (ft) for density correction.
  5. Review Required CFM — the governing ventilation requirement — and compare against fan specifications.

How the result changes with Mine Volume

Mine VolumeRequired CFM
10,009,000500,450 CFM
35,006,5001,750,325 CFM
65,003,5003,250,175 CFM
90,001,0004,500,050 CFM

What each input means

Mine Volume
Total underground volume of active workings
Total Diesel HP
Combined horsepower of all diesel equipment underground
Workers Underground
Maximum number of workers underground simultaneously
Air Changes/Min
Required air changes per minute (typical: 0.03-0.1)
Altitude
Mine elevation above sea level for density correction

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

  1. Identify Input Parameters
    4 parameters
    Mine Volume = 500000, Total Diesel HP = 200, Workers Underground = 20, Air Changes/Min = 0.05 = 5 input(s) provided
  2. Calculate Required CFM
    25000 = 25000
  3. Calculate CFM by Volume
    CFM by Volume
    25000 = 25000
  4. Calculate CFM by Diesel
    CFM by Diesel
    20000 = 20000

Engine last updated . Checked against 3 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators.

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