Method to evaluate the performance of coal-fire extinguishants. Rept. of Investigations/1991

Technical Report · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1991

OSTI ID:5469939

Smith, A C; Ng, D; Ryan, M W; Lazzara, C P

The U.S. Bureau of Mines developed an experimental method to evaluate the relative effectiveness of water additives on the extinguishment of coal fires. The experiments were conducted in the fire zone of the multiple entry section of the Bruceton Experimental Mine. Four-hundred pound Pittsburgh seam coalbeds were ignited and allowed to burn until well developed fires were achieved. Extinguishing agent-water solutions were then applied to the fires and the quantity required to extinguish the fires compared to the amount of water alone required to extinguish similar fires. A 20% diammonium phosphate-water solution required an average of 5.8 gal to extinguish the coal fires, while two commercially available water additive solutions required an average of 8.1 and 8.0 gal, respectively. The average amount of water required to extinguish the fires was 7.4 gal. An analysis of covariance, using the thermal energy of the coalbed, Q, to quantify the fire at the time of extinguishment, showed that the diammonium phosphate-water solution was slightly more effective at extinguishing these coal fires than water alone, while the two commercially available water additive solutions were statistically equivalent to water alone.

• Research Organization: Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh, PA (United States). Pittsburgh Research Center
• OSTI ID: 5469939
• Report Number(s): PB-92-158385/XAB; BUMINES-RI--9392
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
016000* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Health & Safety
ADDITIVES
AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS
AMMONIUM PHOSPHATES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COAL DEPOSITS
COAL MINES
COAL SEAMS
COMBUSTION
FIRE EXTINGUISHERS
FIRE FIGHTING
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
IGNITION
MINERAL RESOURCES
MINES
OXIDATION
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PERFORMANCE TESTING
PHOSPHATES
PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS
RESOURCES
SAFETY
TESTING
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
UNDERGROUND FACILITIES
WATER