Numerical Modeling of the Effect of Underground Mine Fires on Ambient Conditions of Refuge Alternatives

Details

• Personal Author:
  Thimons, Edward D. ; Yantek D ; Yuan L ; Zhou L
• Description:
  Federal regulations require the installation of refuge alternatives (RAs) in underground coal mines to provide a life-sustaining environment for miners trapped underground when escape is impossible due to fires and explosions. Given the regulatory requirement that the apparent temperature in a fully occupied RA shall not exceed 95 degrees F, NIOSH has been studying the thermal performance of refuge alternatives. However, no consideration has been given to the effect of fires on mine ambient conditions such as temperature and toxic gases near the refuge alternatives. The primary objective of this paper is to use mine fire simulation software to gain a better understanding of how a fire can affect the ambient conditions at RAs in an underground coal mine. A series of fire simulations with various fire locations and ventilation circuits in underground coal mines have been conducted. The ambient temperature and carbon monoxide levels near an RA for each scenario are carefully examined. Based on fire simulation studies, some general principles regarding improvements to ventilation circuit design and strategically locating RAs are also recommended in this paper. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Coal Coal Mining Fires Mining Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Coal Mines Coal Mining Fire Safety Mine Disasters Mine Fires Mining Industry Refuge Chambers Underground Mines Underground Mining
• Series:
  Mining Publications
• Publisher:
  Colorado School of Mines
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 8 ; Pennsylvania ; Virginia
• 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:20050020
• Citation:
  Proceedings of the 16th North American Mine Ventilation Symposium, June 17-22, 2017, Golden, Colorado. Golden, CO: Colorado School of Mines, 2017 Jun; :8-11--8-18
• Contact Point Address:
  Lihong Zhou, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Pittsburgh, PA USA
• Email:
  lzhou2@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• NORA Priority Area:
  Mining
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Proceedings of the 16th North American Mine Ventilation Symposium, June 17-22, 2017, Golden, Colorado
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:a1857b70c3aea4d8e1f489d874e7419acdc5fc4248454863bc071438a58afa1d3542e07ee42c85fb07a12b14e97f506f68e1b0463c6a2ffe06e21b4ee3c6a577
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/228424/cdc_228424_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 7.77 MB ]