Sealing Openings in Abandoned Mines by Pneumatic Stowing

Details

• Personal Author:
  Lipscomb, Jennings R. ; Maksimovic, S. D.
• Description:
  The Bureau of Mines, through a memorandum of agreement with the State of Ohio, tested a method of constructing seals in abandoned mine openings in Ohio by means of pneumatic stowing of crushed limestone and gravel with sand. A total of five openings and one shaft were backfilled. Pneumatic stowing uses compressed air to convey material through a pipeline and into the mine opening. The stowing equipment consists of a power supply, a blower, a feeder to inject the material into the pipeline through an airlock, and a nozzle for directing the placement. Material is ejected from the nozzle at high velocity, creating a high-compaction fill upon impact. Well-graded aggregate up to 2 inches in diameter and having sufficient fines is used as fill. The stowing method is safer and faster than conventional methods, is cost competitive, prevents trespass into abandoned mine openings, and eliminates or reduces the exposure of workers to possible hazards since the discharge nozzle can be kept at the mouth of the opening. The equipment is mobile, and, with some modification, the technique could be widely used for sealing abandoned and active mine openings, even in remote locations and during severe weather conditions. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Occupational Health Safety
• Series:
  Mining Publications
• Subseries:
  Report of Investigations
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Conference Publications
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  PRC - Pittsburgh Research Center
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-26
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:10002573
• Citation:
  NTIS: PB83/143982; :1-26
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1982
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  NTIS: PB83/143982
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:681ebb92a10f11deb12741ad6757d7db418266f249ae5c64de276b5c2bd538427e3ab0e57400fecef905a649c16b15d020fc94e10d99a37b08d0dfba021e528f
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/233799/cdc_233799_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 11.52 MB ]