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Title: A spontaneous combustion fire detection system for metal mines

Abstract

Spontaneous combustion fires in deep metal mines, through relatively infrequent, are nonetheless cause for considerable concern because they pose a direct threat to the safety of miners and are quite disruptive to mine operations. They often occur in remote, inactive, or abandoned sectors of a mine where access for firefighting is difficult or impossible. Over half of all noncoal mine fires that last more than 24 hours are caused by spontaneous combustion. The most common means of fire control for spontaneous combustion fires is sealing and/or flooding the affected zone. This process is never easy, but it is made especially difficult (and hazardous) if the fire grows in size and intensity to the point where underground fire-fighting crews must wear self-contained breathing apparatus owing to mine air contamination. The Bureau of Mines has developed and in-mine tested a mineworthy fire detection system capable of sensing the earliest traces of spontaneous combustion, thus enabling mine personnel to initiate fire control operations before hazardous atmospheres are created. This paper discusses system design within the context of the harsh mine environment, and describes laboratory and in-mine performance tests of prototype equipment.

Authors:
; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Bureau of Mines, Minneapolis, MN
OSTI Identifier:
6992858
Report Number(s):
CONF-851054-
Resource Type:
Conference
Resource Relation:
Conference: Society of Mining Engineers fall meeting, Albuquerque, NM, USA, 16 Oct 1985
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
42 ENGINEERING; FIRE DETECTORS; BENCH-SCALE EXPERIMENTS; DESIGN; FIELD TESTS; METALS; UNDERGROUND MINING; FIRE FIGHTING; SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION; ABANDONED SHAFTS; AIR POLLUTION; FIRES; MINERS; REMOTE AREAS; RESPIRATORS; SAFETY; SEALS; US BUREAU OF MINES; CHEMICAL REACTIONS; COMBUSTION; ELEMENTS; MINE SHAFTS; MINING; NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS; OXIDATION; PERSONNEL; POLLUTION; SHAFT EXCAVATIONS; TESTING; THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES; US DOI; US ORGANIZATIONS; 422000* - Engineering- Mining & Underground Engineering- (1980-); 420200 - Engineering- Facilities, Equipment, & Techniques

Citation Formats

Pomroy, W H, Sampson, S J, and Johnson, B. A spontaneous combustion fire detection system for metal mines. United States: N. p., 1985. Web.
Pomroy, W H, Sampson, S J, & Johnson, B. A spontaneous combustion fire detection system for metal mines. United States.
Pomroy, W H, Sampson, S J, and Johnson, B. 1985. "A spontaneous combustion fire detection system for metal mines". United States.
@article{osti_6992858,
title = {A spontaneous combustion fire detection system for metal mines},
author = {Pomroy, W H and Sampson, S J and Johnson, B},
abstractNote = {Spontaneous combustion fires in deep metal mines, through relatively infrequent, are nonetheless cause for considerable concern because they pose a direct threat to the safety of miners and are quite disruptive to mine operations. They often occur in remote, inactive, or abandoned sectors of a mine where access for firefighting is difficult or impossible. Over half of all noncoal mine fires that last more than 24 hours are caused by spontaneous combustion. The most common means of fire control for spontaneous combustion fires is sealing and/or flooding the affected zone. This process is never easy, but it is made especially difficult (and hazardous) if the fire grows in size and intensity to the point where underground fire-fighting crews must wear self-contained breathing apparatus owing to mine air contamination. The Bureau of Mines has developed and in-mine tested a mineworthy fire detection system capable of sensing the earliest traces of spontaneous combustion, thus enabling mine personnel to initiate fire control operations before hazardous atmospheres are created. This paper discusses system design within the context of the harsh mine environment, and describes laboratory and in-mine performance tests of prototype equipment.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/6992858}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1985},
month = {Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1985}
}

Conference:
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