Mine Climate — Strata Heat (VRT Gradient)
Strata Heat (VRT Gradient) for deep and hot mine planning.
VRT is the boundary condition of mine climate: once rock passes ~40 °C, every fresh face becomes a radiator and ventilation alone stops being enough. The gradient varies geologically by 5× — the same 2,000 m level is a t-shirt job in the Witwatersrand and a refrigeration project in younger rocks.
Formula
Note: Mine ventilation is statutory and life-safety territory: airflow quantities, gas limits and re-entry times must be set by the registered ventilation engineer/manager under your jurisdiction's mining regulations — this calculator is a planning and training aid.
Strata Heat (VRT Gradient) for deep and hot mine planning. A free mine ventilation & air quality tool — no sign-up, no upload, instant results in your browser.
About Mine Climate — Strata Heat (VRT Gradient)
Mine Climate — Strata Heat (VRT Gradient) computes the governing relationship VRT = T_surface + gradient × depth/100 live as you type. VRT is the boundary condition of mine climate: once rock passes ~40 °C, every fresh face becomes a radiator and ventilation alone stops being enough. The gradient varies geologically by 5× — the same 2,000 m level is a t-shirt job in the Witwatersrand and a refrigeration project in younger rocks. Defaults are pre-filled with realistic values for this exact scenario, and the worked example substitutes your numbers step by step so the math is never a black box.
How to use Mine Climate — Strata Heat (VRT Gradient)
- 1Enter your values — Depth, Mean surface rock temp, Geothermal gradient (sensible defaults are pre-filled).
- 2Read the live results: Virgin rock temperature.
- 3Check the "with your numbers" line to see VRT = T_surface + gradient × depth/100 substituted step by step.
- 4Adjust inputs until the scenario matches yours, then copy or share the result.
Why use Mine Climate — Strata Heat (VRT Gradient)?
- ✓Instant, free and private — every calculation runs client-side in your browser; nothing is uploaded
- ✓Built on the stated formula VRT = T_surface + gradient × depth/100 with authoritative sources cited on the page (McPherson, M.J., Subsurface Ventilation and Environmental Engineering; Hartman et al., Mine Ventilation and Air Conditioning, 3rd ed.)
- ✓VRT is the boundary condition of mine climate: once rock passes ~40 °C, every fresh face becomes a radiator and ventilation alone stops being enough.
- ✓SI ⇄ Imperial toggle converts your inputs in place, so you can work in the units your drawings use
Frequently asked questions
What formula does the mine climate — strata heat (vrt gradient) use?+
It evaluates VRT = T_surface + gradient × depth/100, exactly as published. Sources: McPherson, M.J., Subsurface Ventilation and Environmental Engineering; Hartman et al., Mine Ventilation and Air Conditioning, 3rd ed.. The substituted worked example on the page lets you verify every step against the textbook.
How should I read the result — and how far can I trust it?+
VRT is the boundary condition of mine climate: once rock passes ~40 °C, every fresh face becomes a radiator and ventilation alone stops being enough. Mine ventilation is statutory and life-safety territory: airflow quantities, gas limits and re-entry times must be set by the registered ventilation engineer/manager under your jurisdiction's mining regulations — this calculator is a planning and training aid.
When is this calculator the right tool for the job?+
Strata Heat (VRT Gradient) for deep and hot mine planning. A free mine ventilation & air quality tool. The gradient varies geologically by 5× — the same 2,000 m level is a t-shirt job in the Witwatersrand and a refrigeration project in younger rocks. For neighbouring scenarios, the related tools below cover the same engine with different presets.
Does it support both metric and imperial units?+
Yes — the SI ⇄ Imperial toggle converts the values already in the fields, preserving the physical quantity, so you can flip mid-calculation without re-entering anything.
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