Publication: Investigation of a conveyor belt fire in an underground coal mine: Experimental studies and CFD analysis
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Academy of Science of South Africa
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Abstract
Coal produced in underground mines is transported to the surface by means of conveyor belts throughout long roadways. The combustion of belts puts a large number of employees at great risk. Underground collieries differ from other underground mines -due to the combustible nature of the product. The most prevalent cause of belt fires in underground coal mine is spontaneous combustion due to oxidation of the coal, which also enables the conveyor belt to burn over time. In 2014, a belt fire in an underground coal mine in Manisa-Soma, Turkey caused 301 fatalities. A study has been conducted on this accident for approximately 3 years, consisting of combustion tests in a purpose-built research gallery, comparison of the test results with mine records of the accident, and CFD modelling of the mine environment. The intensity of the fire was sufficient to redirect the air flow underground, causin large amounts of toxic gases to fill almost the entire mine in approximately 15 minutes. It is recommended that CFD analysis be used in planning emergency action strategies in underground mines.
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Subject
Coal Permeability, Coalbed Methane Recovery and Utilization Practices, FOS: Mechanical engineering, Ocean Engineering, Mining engineering, Computational fluid dynamics, Fire and Smoke Detection Technologies, Environmental science, Belt conveyor, Engineering, Conveyor belt fire, Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality, Conveyor belt, Waste management, Fire Safety in Tunnel Fires, Coal mining, Geology, FOS: Earth and related environmental sciences, Mechanical engineering, Coal, Aerospace engineering, emergency plan, toxic gas, underground mine, Physical Sciences, CFD analysis