Evaluation of Sensors for Mine Fire Detection Using an Atmospheric Monitoring System

Details

• Personal Author:
  Litton, Charles D. ; Perera IE
• Description:
  This report presents the results of experiments to evaluate different types of mine fire sensors in an underground mine environment using a commercially available atmospheric monitoring system. To determine how well carbon monoxide (CO) and smoke sensors respond for purposes of fire detection, experiments were conducted using test fires of different mine combustibles and for both flaming and nonflaming combustion. The experiments were designed to assess the response of fire sensors to different contaminants and different contaminant levels produced from the test fires. The experiments were performed in the Safety Research Coal Mine at the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health's Bruceton Research Facility in the presence of an average ventilating air velocity of 1.6 m/s (315 fpm). Five fire sensor stations were located downstream of the test fire at fixed locations, with each sensor station consisting of four sensors: a CO fire sensor and three different smoke sensors, of which two were evaluated by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) for intrinsic safety and the third was used extensively in underground mines overseas but not evaluated by MSHA for intrinsic safety. All four sensors were mounted near the center of the entry and in the upper one-third of the entry height. A UL-listed combination ionization and photoelectric smoke sensor was mounted near the roof at the first sensor station and its responses were compared against the responses of the four CO and smoke fire sensors. Sensor response data, contaminant travel times, and the impact of fire on the existing ventilation flow are discussed as they apply to early-warning fire detection. Of significance in the analysis is the need for performance standards for mine fire sensors in order to provide for consistent and timely early warning of developing fires. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Air Pollution, Indoor Coal Coal Mining Disaster Planning Firefighters Fires Mining Occupational Health Safety Smoke

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• Keywords:
  Air-contamination Coal-mining Combustible-materials Detectors Disaster-planning Disaster-prevention Fire-fighting Fire-fighting-equipment Fire-safety Gas-detectors Ionization Mine-disasters Mine-fires Mining-industry Monitoring-systems Performance-capability Photoelectric-cells Safety-equipment Signal-devices Smoke-control Underground-mining Warning-devices

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• Series:
  Mining Publications
• ISSN:
  0026-5187
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OMSHR - Office of Mine Safety and Health Research
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  68-75
• Volume:
  67
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20047034
• Citation:
  Min Eng 2015 Jun; 67(6):68-75
• CAS Registry Number:
  Carbon monoxide (CAS RN 630-08-0)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• NORA Priority Area:
  Mining
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Mining Engineering
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4f9b1168282cdc6193779346a050167ea24e3809963dcc2aa3332a0109465fa98106dfd03d7c228da011384f58ed0de5239994a3bdf7abbfd928fb55d025e596
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/228190/cdc_228190_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 3.72 MB ]