Ventilation System for Underground Environments

Abstract

An underground ventilation system having a fan, a plurality of ducts for the delivery of air to an underground work space, flow control dampers at duct branches, a fan sensor module to detect velocity, pressure, temperature and/or humidity, a work space sensor in each work space, a connection panel in communication with the fan sensors and with each automated flow control damper and configured to exchange status and control information with the fan sensor, the flow control dampers, and work space sensors, a cabling system attached to the ducts and connected to the connection panel and to automated flow control dampers, and a display and control system in electronic communication with the fan, the fan sensor, the automated flow control dampers, and the work space sensors, via the connection panel.

Claims

1. An underground ventilation system comprising: at least one fan, a plurality of ducts situated for the delivery of air from the at least one fan to one or more underground work spaces comprising one or a plurality of duct branches, an automated flow control damper located at the duct branches, a fan sensor module located at a fan inlet or outlet to detect one or more of velocity, pressure, temperature and humidity, a connection panel in electronic communication with said fan sensors and with each said automated flow control dampers and configured to exchange status and control information with said fan sensors, said automated flow control dampers, a cabling system attached to said plurality of ducts connected at a first end to said connection panel and connected at one or more ends to the automated flow control dampers, and a display and control system in electronic communication with said fan, said fan sensors, said automated flow control dampers, via said connection panel.

2. The underground ventilation system of claim 1, wherein there is at least one work space sensor located in the work space where ventilation is required, said work space sensor connected to the connection panel or directly to the display and control system.

3. The underground ventilation system of claim 1, said display and control system configured to receive and process data from said fan sensor module, from said automated flow control dampers, and said work space sensors, and to send automated instructions for adjustment to said fan and/or to one or more of said automated flow control dampers based on predetermined thresholds between detected work space conditions and predetermined desired work space conditions.

4. The underground ventilation system of claim 1, wherein the display and control system is connected to the internet or to the internal network of the underground space allowing the remote control of the ventilation system and the generation of operational and maintenance alerts.

5. The underground ventilation system of claim 1, wherein the connection panel is integrated with the sensor module or with the drive panel.

6. The underground ventilation system of claim 1, further comprising a vibration sensor situated to detect fan vibrations.

7. The underground ventilation system of claim 1, further comprising a motor temperature sensor situated to detect fan motor temperature.

8. The underground ventilation system of claim 1, wherein said ducts are segmented ducts and each duct segment or split piece contains cable connectors at each end to connect to said cabling system of adjacent segmented ducts.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0012] The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of the preferred invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purposes of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. In the drawings:

[0013] FIG. 1 is an example of an underground ventilation system of the prior art.

[0014] FIG. 2 is another example of an underground ventilation system of the prior art.

[0015] FIG. 3 is yet another example of an underground ventilation system of the prior art.

[0016] FIG. 4 is a representation of an underground ventilation system according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] The present invention is a novel ventilation system including integrated measurement and control devices. The ventilation system includes at least one fan, ducts for the passage/delivery of air, one or more automated flow control dampers, a fan sensor module, a connection panel, a signal and energy cabling system incorporated on the ducts, and a display and control software. In the case that there is only a single duct branch or that separate control of airflow in each branch is not necessary, the dampers can be eliminated. A representation of a ventilation system according to an embodiment of the invention is presented in FIG. 4.

[0018] The sensor module is positioned at the inlet or outlet of the fan and may include sensors for various air flow parameters such as velocity, pressure, temperature and humidity. It receives energy from the connection panel and sends the readings to the connection panel. Any typical sensor from the market can be used and typically they will have an AC or DC energy input and an analog or digital signal output. The sensor module can also be integrated with the fan casing for a more compact design.

[0019] The connection panel may be positioned on the outside of the fan or may be integrated with the sensor module or may be integrated with the drive panel. It contains a gateway device that receives output signals from the sensors and communicates with the drive panel via network connection. The connection panel also receives a signal from the dampers indicating its current position and sends a control signal for position adjustment. The connection panel also communicates with the display and control software sending the sensor data and receiving the control commands. The connection panel can also integrate the data from other sensors on the fan such as vibration and motor temperature and from the drive panel such as fan speed and consumed power. It can also integrate data from other sensors installed in the underground space such as concentration of pollutants, visibility, temperature, and humidity that can be used to determine the ventilation requirements and conditions of the underground space.

[0020] The signal and cabling system includes cables attached to the ducts and split pieces that transmit the communication between the sensor module and the dampers. It also includes cables connecting the sensor module to the connection panel and connecting the connection panel to the drive panel. The cabling system can have single core or multi-wire cables depending on the electrical power required on the sensors and dampers and depending on the signal output from sensors. The power cables can be separated from the signal cables or they can be one single cable with separated insulation and grounding. In the case of the ducts, the cabling system is fixed to the ducts so there is no additional infrastructure required in the underground space to connect the automated dampers to the connection panel. Depending on the damper power and control requirements, there may be a direct cable connection from each damper to the panel or a cable split can be added on the duct split piece in case some of the cables can be shared between more than one damper. Also, in the case of segmented ducts, the cables must include connectors on the ends of each duct segment and split piece so the ducts segments can be assembled individually and with a simple and easy connection process.

[0021] The display and control software processes the information received from the connection panel and can display and store the measured ventilation parameters such as air velocity, pressure, temperature and humidity for contemporaneous or later viewing. The display and control software allows the control of the ventilation system through the command of the automated damper position and through the fan speed on the variable frequency drive. A local Human Machine interface (HMI) can be installed on the drive panel or connection panel to allow local display and command of the control software. In case the drive panel is not connected to a network then a local HMI is mandatory. In case the drive panel is connected to a network, the software can be accessed from computers connected to the network. Additionally, where the network is connected to the Internet, the software can be accessed remotely from computers and mobile phones. An Internet connection also allows the use of cloud-based systems instead of local servers. The display and control software can allow the input of the ventilation system characteristics such as duct diameter, duct length, fan characteristics, number of split ducts, number of automated dampers, etc. The display and control software can also be integrated with other software in the underground space such as other ventilation systems or a central control software.

[0022] The ventilation system of the present invention has a number of advantages in comparison to the prior art. One advantage is that it is an integrated system allowing measurement and control of the ventilation system on each duct branch in real time. According to the present invention, the ventilation equipment doesn't have to be oversized for a given ventilation requirement. This results in lower required fan power and lower duct diameter which translates to lower initial cost and lower operating cost. On another advantage, for the same amount of power utilization, it is possible to supply more air on each duct branch or to increase the total length of the ducts in comparison to the present technology.

[0023] Additionally, with real time measurements and ability to control fan speed and damper position, the air flow in each duct branch may be controlled remotely, avoiding the necessity to have personnel going to the underground space for measurements and adjustments, waving time and cost. The use of data from other underground space sensors or control software also allows the implementation of a Ventilation on Demand (VOD) control where the airflow requirement on each duct branch is adjusted according to the number of people, equipment and pollution generated in each part of the underground space.

[0024] The ducts with integrated cabling system and connectors between the duct segments allow a simple and easy assembly of the system. This avoids the necessity of additional infrastructure installation on the underground space. Also, when the ducts are moved to a different underground space the cabling is transferred together so there is saving in material and manpower in comparison to the transfer of the fixed infrastructure that is required with the present technology. The ducts can be constructed by flexible or rigid materials such as fiber reinforced PVC canvas, metal or polymers sheets, or any other material that can support the duct internal pressure.

[0025] The display and control software can store the history data of all measured parameters so sudden changes or unwanted trends can be used to diagnose problems and identify failures on the ventilation system remotely without requiring personnel going to the underground space. With this, the maintenance procedures can be scheduled before failures occur, and in the event of a failure, the maintenance crews can move to the underground space already knowing the probable cause of the failure and have the proper tools and parts to perform the repair. Where the drive panel is connected to a network, the software can generate automatic alerts based on the measured parameters so operation and maintenance personnel for the underground space can take remedial action. In this case the software can send commands and receive data directly from the variable frequency drive or other drive on the drive panel.

[0026] The software can also use the measured data to generate additional information on the operation of the ventilation system through calculations or algorithms. For example, if the measured static pressure on the fan is higher than design parameters, a notification can be generated to the operator of the system indicating that the excessive duct length was installed on the ventilation system. As another example, given the measured airflow on the fan and position of each damper, the software can indicate the airflow on each duct branch. This information is very valuable to optimize the operation of the ventilation system to support the work carried out in the underground space.

[0027] Notwithstanding the specific embodiments, features, elements, combinations and sub-combinations disclosed herein, it is expressly considered and here disclosed that every single element, every single feature, and every combination and sub-combination thereof disclosed herein may be combined with every other element, feature, combination and sub-combination disclosed herein.

[0028] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the inventive concept thereof. It is understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but it is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention as outlined in the present disclosure and defined according to the broadest reasonable reading of the claims that follow, read in light of the present specification.