Mining Publication: CFD Modeling of Fire Spread Along Combustibles in a Mine Entry
Original creation date: March 2006
A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) program was applied to fire spread along combustibles in a ventilated mine entry. The rate of flame spread was evaluated for the ribs and roof of a coal mine entry, timber sets, and a conveyor belt. The CFD program models char-forming materials with temperature-dependent thermal properties. The program solves three-dimensional time-dependent flow equations with a mixture fraction model for the gas phase reactions. Radiant heat exchange is evaluated for non-scattering gas. The CFD program predicted a flame spread rate of 0.0145 m/sec for an actual coal mine fire in which the estimated flame spread rate was 0.0086 m/sec. This overestimated flame spread rate was a possible consequence of the presence of inert materials in the mine entry's roof and ribs. CFD fire spread rate predictions of 0.043 m/sec and 0.73 m/sec bounded the measured value of 0.27 m/sec for fire spread along Douglas-fir timber sets in a tunnel.
Authors: JC Edwards, CC Hwang
Conference Paper - March 2006
NIOSHTIC2 Number: 20029914
2006 SME Annual Meeting and Exhibit, March 27-29, St. Louis, Missouri, preprint 06-027. Littleton, CO: Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc., 2006; :1-5
See Also
- Analysis of Mine Fires for All U.S. Underground and Surface Coal Mining Categories: 1990-1999
- Analysis of Underground Coal Mine Fire Incidents in the United States from 1978 through 1992
- Fire Detection
- Fire Response Preparedness for Underground Mines
- Smoke, Carbon Monoxide, and Hydrogen Chloride Production from the Pyrolysis of Conveyor Belting and Brattice Cloth
- The Status of Mine Fire Research in the United States
- Technology for Remote Mine Seal Construction
- An Underground Coal Mine Fire Preparedness and Response Checklist: The Instrument
- Understanding Mine Fire Disasters by Determining the Characteristics of Deep-Seated Fires
- Variation of Horizontal Stresses and Strains in Mines in Bedded Deposits in the Eastern and Midwestern United States
- Water Mist Extinguishment of Pool Fires: A Parametric Approach
- Page last reviewed: 9/21/2012
- Page last updated: 9/21/2012
- Content source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Mining Program