Evaluation of Thermal Displacement Ventilation in Contamination Purging Inside a 60-Person Built-in-Place Refuge Alternative (BIP RA) in an Underground Coal Mine

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bickson J ; Carr J ; DeGennaro C ; Reyes M ; Srednicki J ; Yantek D
• Description:
  Federal regulations require the installation of refuge alternatives (RAs) in underground coal mines to ensure miners' survivability after a fire or an explosion where escape is impractical or even impossible. Both fires and explosions can generate dangerous or even lethal levels of carbon monoxide (CO) in a mine. As part of their function, RAs must be able to isolate miners from a CO-contaminated mine environment and to purge any CO that might enter the RA as miners enter it. In 2018, researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted purging research in a built-in-place (BIP) RA with a borehole air supply by testing 12 different mixing ventilation system configurations (MVSCs). Recently, NIOSH researchers evaluated the use of a thermal displacement ventilation system configuration (TDVSC) to purge a 60-person BIP RA using a borehole air supply. As in previous research, NIOSH researchers tested the TDVSC with the flow rates of 750 SCFM and then 1,000 SCFM. For each of the flow rates, the results showed that the average purge time for the more expensive TDVSC is within two minutes of the average purge times of previously tested MVSCs. Manufacturers can use this information to not only pursue 30 CFR Part 7 approval from the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), but also to determine the most practical method to purge contaminants inside RAs. Description provided by NIOSH
• Subjects:
  • Air Movements
  • Air Pollutants, Occupational
  • Carbon Monoxide
  • Coal
  • Coal Mining
  • Explosions
  • Mining
  • Occupational Health
  • Safety
  • Ventilation
• Keywords:
  • Mining industry
  • Refuge chambers
  • Emergency shelters
  • Escape systems
  • Underground mines
  • Coal mining
  • Fluid mechanics
  • Carbon monoxide
  • Mine gases
  • Boreholes
  More +
• Series:
  Mining Publications
• ISBN:
  9780791884584
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  PMRD - Pittsburgh Mining Research Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  10
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20062222
• Citation:
  Proceedings of the ASME 2020 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (IMECE2020), November 16-19, 2020, virtual event. Volume 10: Fluids Engineering. New York: The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, paper no. IMECE2020-23387, 2020 Nov; 10:V010T10A029
• Contact Point Address:
  J. Bickson, NIOSH/PMRD, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
• Email:
  JBickson@cdc.gov
• CAS Registry Number:
  • Carbon monoxide (CAS RN 630-08-0)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Proceedings of the ASME 2020 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (IMECE2020), November 16-19, 2020, virtual event. Volume 10: Fluids Engineering
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/215358/cdc_215358_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.56 MB]
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d9f68c9e6d7da65a978a317c83a08a0c6faaff98124f55dd50c55f4d73794411fa51ad665f1c77ab137e8da39e96e1fbf18f0713d95370bb09ec50b6fdeca3a5