Prevention of Gob Ignitions and Explosions in Longwall Mining Using Dynamic Seals

Details

• Personal Author:
  Brune, Jürgen F. ; Saki SA
• Description:
  Most, if not all longwall gob areas accumulate explosive methane-air mixtures that pose a deadly hazard to miners. Numerous mine explosions have originated from explosive gas zones (EGZs) in the longwall gob. Since 2010, researchers at the Colorado School of Mines (CSM) have studied EGZ formation in longwall gobs under two long-term research projects funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Researchers used computational fluid dynamics along with in-mine measurements. For the first time, they demonstrated that EGZs form along the fringe areas between the methane-rich atmospheres and the fresh air ventilated areas along the working face and present an explosion and fire hazard to mine workers. In this study, researchers found that, for progressively sealed gobs, a targeted injection of nitrogen from the headgate and tailgate, along with a back return ventilation arrangement, will create a dynamic seal of nitrogen that effectively separates the methane zone from the face air and eliminates the EGZs to prevent explosions. Using this form of nitrogen injection to create dynamic seals should be a consideration for all longwall operators. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Coal Coal Mining Explosions Mining Occupational Health Safety Ventilation
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Mine Explosions Coal Mines Coal Mining Explosion Prevention Explosive Gases Face Ignitions Longwall Mining Methane Methane Control Ventilation Equipment
• ISSN:
  2095-2686
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Contract
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; Maryland ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 8
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  27
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20069035
• Citation:
  Int J Min Sci Technol 2017 Nov; 27(6):999-1003
• Contact Point Address:
  Jürgen F. Brune, Department of Mining Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, CO 80401, USA
• Email:
  jbrune@mines.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• Performing Organization:
  Trustees of the Colorado School of Mines
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20140901
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Mining Science and Technology
• End Date:
  20190831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f8e4395104bc8d85c6478d74133d1556acf6131688fdfcb90f9aeedacfde390494cfb37d14d8b0dc97f6ac02aeb164349a8810e88ff92423edd0e252d685364f
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/207585/cdc_207585_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.13 MB ]