{"id":{"repo_id":"vt","oai_identifier":"oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/31908"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/vt/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/31908","repository":{"repo_id":"vt","name":"Virginia Tech","base_url":"https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"A Method for Evaluating the Application of Variable Frequency Drives with Coal Mine Ventilation Fans","abstract":"The adjustable-pitch setting on an axial-flow fan is the most common method of controlling airflow for primary coal mine ventilation. With this method, the fan operates at a constant speed dictated by its motor design. The angles of the blades are adjusted to change the amount of airflow and pressure to meet ventilation requirements. Typically, the fan does not operate at its optimum efficiency, which only occurs in a narrow band of air pressures and quantities. The use of variable frequency drives (VFDs), which control fan speed, provides a solution to this problem. VFDs are already used in various similar applications such as pumping and building ventilation. New technology now enables efficient VFD operation in medium voltage (2,300 – 6,900 V) fan applications. The primary benefit of a variable frequency drive is that it allows motors to operate at reduced speeds, and thus at a lower power, without a loss of torque. VFDs also allow for efficient operation over the entire life of the fan. The technical considerations of using a VFD are presented in this work, along with a method for choosing and modeling a variable speed fan to achieve maximum energy savings. As a part of this research, a spreadsheet program was developed that will calculate the optimum fan operating speed based on given fan data and specified operating conditions. A representative room and pillar coal mine is modeled to illustrate the selection and modeling process and as an example of the economic implications of using a VFD. The use of VFDs is shown to potentially yield large energy savings by increasing the fan efficiency over the life of the mine. Although there are definite power savings while using variable speed fans, the magnitude of these savings is specific to an individual mine and the operating conditions encountered. The determination of whether the use of VFDs is economically feasible requires analysis for the specific mine and its operating conditions. This work provides the background and a method for such an evaluation.","abstract_html":"The adjustable-pitch setting on an axial-flow fan is the most common method of controlling airflow for primary coal mine ventilation. With this method, the fan operates at a constant speed dictated by its motor design. The angles of the blades are adjusted to change the amount of airflow and pressure to meet ventilation requirements. Typically, the fan does not operate at its optimum efficiency, which only occurs in a narrow band of air pressures and quantities. The use of variable frequency drives (VFDs), which control fan speed, provides a solution to this problem. VFDs are already used in various similar applications such as pumping and building ventilation. New technology now enables efficient VFD operation in medium voltage (2,300 – 6,900 V) fan applications. The primary benefit of a variable frequency drive is that it allows motors to operate at reduced speeds, and thus at a lower power, without a loss of torque. VFDs also allow for efficient operation over the entire life of the fan. The technical considerations of using a VFD are presented in this work, along with a method for choosing and modeling a variable speed fan to achieve maximum energy savings. As a part of this research, a spreadsheet program was developed that will calculate the optimum fan operating speed based on given fan data and specified operating conditions. A representative room and pillar coal mine is modeled to illustrate the selection and modeling process and as an example of the economic implications of using a VFD. The use of VFDs is shown to potentially yield large energy savings by increasing the fan efficiency over the life of the mine. Although there are definite power savings while using variable speed fans, the magnitude of these savings is specific to an individual mine and the operating conditions encountered. The determination of whether the use of VFDs is economically feasible requires analysis for the specific mine and its operating conditions. This work provides the background and a method for such an evaluation.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Murphy, Tyson M."],"institution":"Virginia Tech","degree_name":"Master of Science","degree_level":"masters","degree_discipline":"Mining and Minerals Engineering","degree_department":"Mining and Minerals Engineering","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":["Novak, Thomas"],"committee_members":["Nieto, Antonio V.","De La Ree, Jaime"],"year":2006,"date_issued":"2006-04-14","date_published":"2006-04-14","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:19:44Z","subjects":["Mine Ventilation","VFD","Variable Speed","Mine Fan"],"languages":[],"rights":["In Copyright"],"rights_urls":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["etd-04252006-084002"],"render_values":[{"text":"etd-04252006-084002","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/10919/31908","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.committeechair","label":"Committee Chair","values":["Novak, Thomas"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Nieto, Antonio V.","De La Ree, Jaime"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Mining and Minerals Engineering"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Murphy, Tyson M."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2014-03-14T20:34:16Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2014-03-14T20:34:16Z","2006-05-26"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2006-04-14"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Virginia Tech"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Mining and Minerals Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Mine Ventilation","VFD","Variable Speed","Mine Fan"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["In Copyright"]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["etd-04252006-084002"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/10919/31908"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The adjustable-pitch setting on an axial-flow fan is the most common method of controlling airflow for primary coal mine ventilation. With this method, the fan operates at a constant speed dictated by its motor design. The angles of the blades are adjusted to change the amount of airflow and pressure to meet ventilation requirements. Typically, the fan does not operate at its optimum efficiency, which only occurs in a narrow band of air pressures and quantities. The use of variable frequency drives (VFDs), which control fan speed, provides a solution to this problem. VFDs are already used in various similar applications such as pumping and building ventilation. New technology now enables efficient VFD operation in medium voltage (2,300 – 6,900 V) fan applications. The primary benefit of a variable frequency drive is that it allows motors to operate at reduced speeds, and thus at a lower power, without a loss of torque. VFDs also allow for efficient operation over the entire life of the fan. The technical considerations of using a VFD are presented in this work, along with a method for choosing and modeling a variable speed fan to achieve maximum energy savings. As a part of this research, a spreadsheet program was developed that will calculate the optimum fan operating speed based on given fan data and specified operating conditions. A representative room and pillar coal mine is modeled to illustrate the selection and modeling process and as an example of the economic implications of using a VFD. The use of VFDs is shown to potentially yield large energy savings by increasing the fan efficiency over the life of the mine. Although there are definite power savings while using variable speed fans, the magnitude of these savings is specific to an individual mine and the operating conditions encountered. The determination of whether the use of VFDs is economically feasible requires analysis for the specific mine and its operating conditions. This work provides the background and a method for such an evaluation."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["Master of Science"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["A Method for Evaluating the Application of Variable Frequency Drives with Coal Mine Ventilation Fans"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.committeechair":["Novak, Thomas"],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Nieto, Antonio V.","De La Ree, Jaime"],"dc:contributor.department":["Mining and Minerals Engineering"],"dc:creator":["Murphy, Tyson M."],"dc:date.accessioned":["2014-03-14T20:34:16Z"],"dc:date.available":["2014-03-14T20:34:16Z","2006-05-26"],"dc:date.issued":["2006-04-14"],"dc:description.abstract":["The adjustable-pitch setting on an axial-flow fan is the most common method of controlling airflow for primary coal mine ventilation. With this method, the fan operates at a constant speed dictated by its motor design. The angles of the blades are adjusted to change the amount of airflow and pressure to meet ventilation requirements. Typically, the fan does not operate at its optimum efficiency, which only occurs in a narrow band of air pressures and quantities. The use of variable frequency drives (VFDs), which control fan speed, provides a solution to this problem. VFDs are already used in various similar applications such as pumping and building ventilation. New technology now enables efficient VFD operation in medium voltage (2,300 – 6,900 V) fan applications. The primary benefit of a variable frequency drive is that it allows motors to operate at reduced speeds, and thus at a lower power, without a loss of torque. VFDs also allow for efficient operation over the entire life of the fan. The technical considerations of using a VFD are presented in this work, along with a method for choosing and modeling a variable speed fan to achieve maximum energy savings. As a part of this research, a spreadsheet program was developed that will calculate the optimum fan operating speed based on given fan data and specified operating conditions. A representative room and pillar coal mine is modeled to illustrate the selection and modeling process and as an example of the economic implications of using a VFD. The use of VFDs is shown to potentially yield large energy savings by increasing the fan efficiency over the life of the mine. Although there are definite power savings while using variable speed fans, the magnitude of these savings is specific to an individual mine and the operating conditions encountered. The determination of whether the use of VFDs is economically feasible requires analysis for the specific mine and its operating conditions. This work provides the background and a method for such an evaluation."],"dc:description.degree":["Master of Science"],"dc:identifier.other":["etd-04252006-084002"],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/10919/31908"],"dc:publisher":["Virginia Tech"],"dc:rights":["In Copyright"],"dc:rights.uri":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"dc:subject":["Mine Ventilation","VFD","Variable Speed","Mine Fan"],"dc:title":["A Method for Evaluating the Application of Variable Frequency Drives with Coal Mine Ventilation Fans"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Mining and Minerals Engineering"],"thesis:degree_level":["masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science"],"thesis:institution_name":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:19:44Z"}