Technologies for continuously monitoring respirable coal mine dust

Conference · Mon May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1995

OSTI ID:41721

Williams, K L; Dobroski, H Jr ^[1]; Cantrell, B K ^[2]

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1. Pittsburgh Research Center, PA (United States)
2. Twin Cities Research Center, Minneapolis, MN (United States)

The Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 requires mine operators to periodically sample mine atmospheres to determine compliance with the Federal respirable dust exposure standard. To do so, mine operators use gravimetric samplers that are approved by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), Department of Labor. However, the gravimetric approach with its inherent delays cannot provide dust level data quickly enough to allow on-site correction of inadequate dust control strategies or removal of personnel from harmful environments. Furthermore, alleged tampering with dust samples collected to determine compliance with the standard prompted the Secretary of Labor to appoint a special Respirable Dust Task Group to study options to improve monitoring and control of respirable coal mine dust. MSHA`s Task Group recommended that the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) develop a fixed-site monitor that will provide continuous information to the miner and mine operator regarding dust levels and the status of compliance with the applicable respirable dust standard. In response to MSHA`s request, the USBM is investigating several technologies for monitoring respirable dust. These technologies include resonant frequency decrement, beta attenuation, continuous dust pyrolysis, and differential pressure across sampling filters. This paper describes these technologies, discusses possible applications, and summarizes the current status of these investigations.

• OSTI ID: 41721
• Report Number(s): CONF-9407171--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
COAL MINERS
COAL MINES
DUSTS
MONITORING
MONITORS
PERFORMANCE
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT