Optimization of energy use for mine ventilation fan with variable speed drive

This paper presents the issue of maximum energy consumption of mine ventilation fan and proposes an optimization technique based control system that enhances the savings of energy, operating performance providing a healthy atmosphere for the miners. It utilizes particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm for the feedback speed control facilitating with variable speed drives (VSD) based on current status of airflow and air pressure in underground coal mines. It also utilizes the overlapping hour format to control energy use. The system is developed in MATLAB environment and the both steady and dynamic behavior of the system are tested successfully.