Cooling Systems for Refuge Alternatives in Hot Mine Conditions

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bauer E ; Bickson J ; Damiano, Nicholas W. ; Reyes M ; Srednicki J ; Whisner B ; Yan L ; Yantek D
• Description:
  The accumulated heat and humidity inside occupied refuge alternatives (RAs) can impose risk of heat stress to the occupants. The accumulated heat could be from the metabolic and environmental sources. For hot mines, the high ambient temperature makes it more difficult to dissipate heat accumulated inside the RA. A cooling system is then needed to reduce the interior heat and humidity. Two types of cooling systems were tested out for their cooling capacity. One cooling system is a portable, battery-powered, air conditioning system and the other is a portable cryogenic air supply. During the testing, the mine air temperature surrounding the RA was elevated to and maintained at 85 degrees F to simulate hot mine environment. The tests demonstrated that both cooling systems were able to control the air temperature inside the RA even though they did not last the entire duration of a 96-hour test. This paper provides an overview of the test methodology and findings as well as guidance on improving the performance of both cooling systems, including: optimizing the cooling cycle for the battery-powered AC system and increasing the flow rate and tank storage capacity for the cryogenic system. The information in this publication is useful for RA manufacturers and mines to develop the cooling systems that will enable providing the life sustaining environment in mines with elevated temperatures. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Coal Coal Mining Emergencies Heat Stress Disorders Hot Temperature Humidity Mining Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Air Conditioning Equipment Air Temperature Air Treatment Equipment Coal Mining Cooling Systems Cryogenics Emergency Equipment Emergency Response Emergency Shelters Equipment Reliability Equipment Testing Escape Systems Heat Heat Exposure Heat Stress Hot Environments Mine Rescue Mining Industry Performance Capability Performance Tests Refuge Chambers Temperature Regulation Underground Mines

  More +
• Series:
  Mining Publications
• ISBN:
  9780791852118
• Publisher:
  American Society of Mechanical Engineers
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  Florida ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  PMRD - Pittsburgh Mining Research Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20054609
• Citation:
  Proceedings of the ASME 2018 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (IMECE2018), Vol. 8A: Heat Transfer and Thermal Engineering, November 9-15, 2018, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. New York: The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, paper no. IMECE2018-87507, 2018 Nov; 8A:V08AT10A051
• Contact Point Address:
  Lincan Yan, The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), 626 Cochrans Mill Road, Pittsburgh, PA USA
• Email:
  LYan1@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• NORA Priority Area:
  Mining
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Proceedings of the ASME 2018 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (IMECE2018), Vol. 8A: Heat Transfer and Thermal Engineering, November 9-15, 2018, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:fa67ae20dcbf5bb91537189e75e5b3b44929099da85da8bb389b8b60eb7fc3197e762cf5a6073e167614d158871d5b9ba2b1591aeee71bf07f70372bb4e260bd
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/227812/cdc_227812_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.37 MB ]