Refuge Alternatives Relief Valve Testing and Design with Updated Test Stand

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bissert PT ; Homce, Gerald T. ; Lutz TJ ; Yonkey JA
• Description:
  Underground refuge alternatives (RAs) require an air source to supply breathable air to the occupants. This requires pressure relief valves (PRVs) to prevent unsafe pressures from building up within the RA. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) mandates that PRVs prevent pressure from exceeding 1.25 kPa (0.18 psi or 5 in H2O), or as specified by the manufacturer, above mine atmospheric pressure when a fan or compressor is used for the air supply. Research to date by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) suggests that the design and implementation of PRVs used in RAs has not yet had sufficient performance analysis or technical development. In response to this need, NIOSH tested a variety of PRVs using an instrumented test fixture consisting of data acquisition equipment, a centrifugal blower, ductwork, and various sensors to determine if subject PRVs meet the MSHA requirement. Relief pressures and flow characteristics including opening pressure and flow rate were measured for five different PRVs under a variety of conditions. Subject PRVs included two off-the-shelf modified check valves, two check valves used in MSHA-approved built-in-place (BIP) RAs, and a commercially available valve that was designed for a steel RA and is currently being used in some BIP RAs. The test results showed relief pressures ranging from 0.20 to 1.53 kPa (0.8 to 6.1 in H2O) and flow rates up to 19.3 m3/min (683 SCFM). [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Movements Emergencies Mining Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Air Analysis Air Flow Atmospheric Pressure Breathing Atmospheres Compressors Emergency Equipment Emergency Shelters Environmental Technology Equipment Design Equipment Operation Equipment Reliability Equipment Testing Mining-industry Performance Capability Performance Tests Refuge Chambers Regulations Safety Valves Sensors Underground Mines

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• Series:
  Mining Publications
• ISBN:
  9781510836471
• Publisher:
  Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc.
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 8 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  PMRD - Pittsburgh Mining Research Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  535-538
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20050033
• Citation:
  Creating value in a cyclical environment, SME annual conference and expo 2017, February 19-22, 2017, Denver, Colorado. Englewood, CO: Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc., 2017 May; :535-538
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• NORA Priority Area:
  Mining
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:ee247d45ec94963dc83c110e93bf0d5c2f7c77d6cb21d0ffbbb364d88609f83755f3f6b6fa4c45d6906f1bcad0e3414e03d9acbf321d2c92b68831bd317cfcdb
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/228430/cdc_228430_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 133.86 KB ]