In-Mine Study of High-Expansion Firefighting Foam

Details

• Personal Author:
  Chasko, Linda L. ; Conti, Ronald S. ; Derick, R. Lincoln ; Krump MR ; Lazzara, Charles P.
• Description:
  A mine fire is one of the most challenging safety issues facing a mine operator and can occur at any location underground. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Twentymile Coal Mine, Colorado, conducted in-mine experiments to determine the capability of high-expansion foam for addressing underground fires. The tests were conducted in sloping entries with high-capacity diesel-powered foam generators. The following results were observed: a well-designed, maintained, and properly operated high-expansion foam generator can propagate a foam plug hundreds of feet in steep upward sloping (20 pct) multiple entries against a ventilation pressure; stoppings and partitions designed to contain the foam plug in upward sloping entries must be substantially constructed; and the predicted quantity of foam concentrate can be significantly less than the actual amount used due to foam losses, such as bubble breakage on dry surfaces. This paper describes the production of high-expansion firefighting foam and discusses the in-mine experimental tests and results. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Coal Coal Mining Fires Mining Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Coal-mining Fire-extinguishing-agents Fire-extinguishing-systems Fire-safety Mine-fires Mining-industry Underground-mining
• Series:
  Mining Publications
• Publisher:
  Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc.
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; Georgia ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 8 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  PRL - Pittsburgh Research Laboratory
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-8
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20035108
• Citation:
  2009 SME Annual Meeting and Exhibit, February 22-25, Denver, Colorado, Preprint 09-095. Littleton, CO: Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc., 2009 Feb; :1-8
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2009
• NORA Priority Area:
  Mining
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  2009 SME Annual Meeting and Exhibit, February 22-25, Denver, Colorado, Preprint 09-095
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:9cd0305ff8cb94b35011172dec9650b6c7f2f8aabe049a935d3cebf6c201f70ec1c8fb12b3ee5cb68ae1d87310d9862f2bfb021974a0f814fd58433f35ba7aca
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/227075/cdc_227075_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 500.48 KB ]