Report of Investigations 9553: Detection and Control of Spontaneous Heating in Coal Mine Pillars--A Case Study

Details

• Journal Article:
  Pittsburgh, PA: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, RI 9553
• Personal Author:
  Timko, Robert J. ; Derick, R. Lincoln
• Description:
  This U.S. Bureau of Mines study examined spontaneous heating episodes in coal mine pillars in an active underground coal mine. The information obtained from these incidents was then analyzed to learn which sampling methods provided the earliest indication of pillar heating. The objective of this study was to discover if the location of future events of pillar spontaneous heating could be inferred from the available information. The spontaneous heating-prone area in this evaluation involved pillars located just inby the mine portals. Several detection methods were used to determine gas levels outside as well as inside the affected pillars. It was hoped that, by incorporating external and internal sampling methods into an organized program, locations undergoing spontaneous heating could be determined more readily. This study found that by drilling small-diameter boreholes into the pillars, then obtaining gas samples from the affected pillars, the ability to locate early spontaneous heating episodes was improved. However, the ability to accurately predict future spontaneous heating events remains in question. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accident Prevention Accidents Accidents, Occupational Coal Coal Mining Hazardous Substances Mining Mortality Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Mining-industry; Underground-mining; Coal-mining; Fire-hazards; Safety-research
• Source:
  Pittsburgh, PA: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, RI 9553, 1995 Jan; :1-18
• Series:
  Mining Publications   ; NIOSH Numbered Publications  
• Subseries:
  Report of Investigations
• ISSN:
  1066-5552
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Report
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 8 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  PRC - Pittsburgh Research Center
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  25 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20022927
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB95-236790
• CAS Registry Number:
  Carbon monoxide (CAS RN 630-08-0)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1995
• NORA Priority Area:
  Other Occupational Concerns
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:0246da2183e3d7ffe0d16219f8989337de25ca629459b2b8b765cdd703186f962db0df97aad2ca09dec45a239d1796bb1a6a0955c53e5082ffcc2dca83325896
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/9531/cdc_9531_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 331.31 KB ]