The Use of Containment Barriers and Fire Fighting Foams for the Extinguishment of Coal Waste Bank Fires: A Laboratory Study

Details

• Personal Author:
  Jones, Jack R. ; Kim, Ann G. ; Kociban AM
• Description:
  The U.S. Bureau of Mines studied the integrated use of grout barriers as a potential method to isolate and fire fighting foams to extinguish coal waste bank fires. Small scale tests were conducted in a 2.5 m3 gravel pile utilizing a series of electric heating elements within the pile to simulate a burning coal waste bank. Testing focused initially on a polyurethane grout mixture that is relatively inexpensive, could be readily pumped through coal waste, and would reduce the permeability and porosity of the waste material effectively to contain the subsequently injected fire fighting foam mixture. The grout mixture that best satisfied these conditions was a mixture of one-third water and two-thirds polyurethane, which had an expansion ratio of about 15:1, reduced the permeability of coal waste from 50 darcys to less than 1 darcy, and the porosity from 20% to less than 1%. In small-scale heating tests, injection of a medium-density, medium-expansion foam reduced temperatures 0.5 degrees C/min without the grout containment barrier and 0.75 degrees C/min with the containment barrier about two hours after the respective foam injection tests. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Fire Extinguishing Systems Fires Mining Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Fire Extinguishers Fire Extinguishing Agents Fire Extinguishing Systems Fire Fighting Mining Industry
• Series:
  Mining Publications
• Publisher:
  U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  PRC - Pittsburgh Research Center
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  121-128
• Volume:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20050440
• Citation:
  Proceedings of the International Land Reclamation and Mine Drainage Conference and Third International Conference on the Abatement of Acidic Drainage April 24-29, 1994, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh, PA: United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, Special Publication SP 06C-94, 1994 Apr; 4:121-128
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1994
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Proceedings of the International Land Reclamation and Mine Drainage Conference and Third International Conference on the Abatement of Acidic Drainage April 24-29, 1994, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:e030577a3f7eecc750abf48eedf12b9c8c43e55efc17b6038358086deb0255708ed2214919120f6a8416f6f1c6e631e62a682b6ba681063693824e46505bcf47
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/227570/cdc_227570_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 274.71 KB ]