During ventilation surveys, differential pressure measurements are typically conducted with either the barometer (or altimeter) technique or the gauge-and-tube method. Over the course of the past two decades Mine Ventilation Services, Inc. has conducted numerous pressure surveys using both techniques. This paper discusses the relative accuracy of a barometer pressure survey for quantifying shaft frictional pressure loss compared with other methods. The other methods include the gauge-and-tube technique to measure pressure as well as reducing pressure differentials using Kirchhoff’s Laws to compare against a barometer survey. The results and relative accuracies of the pressure survey methods and associated instruments are presented and discussed. The comparative pressure data analyzed are representative of typical mine ventilation survey conditions and were obtained from historical ventilation survey records. The theory behind, assumptions required for, and challenges associated with barometric pressure surveys of shafts are examined. The merits of barometer surveys vis-à-vis other methods for determining shaft pressure loss are also discussed.
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