The thermal regime of underground mines, shaped by air temperature, velocity, and relative humidity, is a crucial factor for production and the health and safety of miners. While many aspects of this thermal regime have been thoroughly studied in the literature, local heat sources from mechanized equipment, such as load–haul–dump machines, conveyors, and auxiliary fans, have received comparatively little attention despite their significant impact on the thermal environment in mining development areas and stopes. This paper presents findings from a comprehensive study of the microclimatic air parameters in several nickel–copper and potash mines. We focus specifically on variations in air temperature in areas where mining equipment is operational. The heat output from different types of equipment, including load–haul–dump units, cutter–loaders, drilling rigs, conveyors, and auxiliary fans, has been quantified. We established empirical relationships for heat emissions from these machines and conducted a comparative analysis of their heat outputs. The main advantage of these relationships is their simplicity and the minimal number of input parameters required, making them practical for use in the field.

The authors discuss artificial freezing of water-saturated rock mass during construction of mine shafts in terms of a simplified case of a single freezing pipe. The ice growing and holding stages are examined. Maintenance of a constant thickness frozen wall is simulated using the coolant temperature regulator model. The multi-criterion numerical modeling of freezing is implemented, and the time dependences are obtained for the coolant temperature at the ice holding stage. It is found that maintenance of the constant thickness of frozen wall requires that the coolant temperature in ice holding stage is exponentially increased at the power around –0.2. The ice growing stage temperature has no influence on the total energy efficiency of the freezing system.

Digital simulation of mine fires and explosions is an important stage in the process of developing technical solutions and measures aimed at improving the safety of personnel involved in underground mining. Correct simulation results determine the effectiveness of decisions in the event of an actual emergency situation. In this regard, due attention should be paid to each stage of the simulation, and especially to the initial stage of model parameterization. This study formulates a general principle for determining the parameters of mine fire and explosion models, in order to assess their development using the AeroNetwork analytical package. Such parameters in the event of a fire are heat and gas (afterdamp) releases. In the event of an explosion, excessive pressure at the shock front in the explosion origin. It has been established that when simulating a fire, it is advisable to use equivalent heat and gas releases determined by the content of combustible components in the combustion origin. In the event of burning mining equipment, these parameters can be calculated on the basis of the technical characteristics of a machine. Furthermore, when simulating an unauthorized explosion of explosives, the excess pressure determined by the dimensionless length of the active combustion area is calculated taking into account the weight and specific heat of an explosive, as well as the geometric parameters of a mine working. When simulating an explosion of a methane-air mixture (firedamp), the excess pressure is calculated taking into account the gas content of rocks in terms of free combustible gases, the length of a blast cut, the size of the area of increased fracturing, and the lower explosive limit of methane. Based on the proposed principle of the parameterization of emergency models, as an example, a model of fire and explosion development in existing extended dead-end workings (more than 1000 m long) passing coaxially to each other at different heights was developed. The numerical simulation of different emergency situations in workings was carried out, taking into account performing mining in difficult mining conditions.

In the cold period of the year, to ensure the required thermal regime in underground mine workings, the air supplied to the mine is heated using air handling systems. In future, the thermodynamic state of the prepared air flow when it is lowered along the mine shaft changes due to the influence of a number of factors. At the same time, the processes of heat and mass exchange between the incoming air and its environment are of particular interest. These processes directly depend on the initial parameters of the heated air, the downcast shaft depth and the presence of water flows into the mine shaft. Based on the obtained experimental data and theoretical studies, the analysis of the influence of various heat and mass transfer factors on the formation of microclimatic parameters of air in the downcast shafts of the Norilsk industrial district mines is carried out. It is shown that in the presence of external water flows from the flooded rocks behind the shaft lining, the microclimatic parameters of the air in the shaft are determined by the heat transfer from the incoming air flow to the underground water flowing down the downcast shaft lining. The research results made it possible to describe and explain the effect of lowering the air temperature entering the underground workings of deep mines.

Development of the deep deposits of minerals is inevitably associated with an increase in the temperature of the rock mass and, as a result, an increase in the air temperature in the workings. Working in such conditions reduces the productivity of labour and leads to a deterioration in health of the underground personnel. In the world practice, complex indicators of heat stress are used to accurately assess the microclimate. In the Russian Federation, the index of environmental heat load is most widely used. The article is devoted to the study of microclimatic working conditions of the underground workers of a deep polymetallic mine located in the northern part of the country. As part of the study, all the professions involved in the excavation of a preparatory dead-end development were considered. Among them: a mine foreman, load-haul-dump machine driver, stope miner, a sinker, a driller. At the same time, the microclimatic parameters were continuously monitored at the locations of employees, the heart rate of each of them was constantly recorded, and the type of work performed was also recorded. According to the research results, four out of five professions are classified as a harmful class of working conditions. The most unfavorable conditions were recorded at the sinker. This is due to the long stay of the employee in the dead end during the shift and the severity of the operations performed. The most favorable conditions were recorded for the driver of a load haul dumper, the cabin of which is equipped with an air conditioner.