Mining Publication: The Status of Mine Fire Research in the United States
Original creation date: September 2008
During the time period from 1990-2007, 1601 reportable fires occurred in the U.S. mining industry (an average of 89 fires per year). The leading causes of U.S. mine fires were flame cutting and welding operations, frictional heating and ignitions, electrical shorts, mobile equipment malfunctions, and spontaneous combustion. The fact that mine fires continue to occur with an alarming regularity reinforces the importance of recognizing and eliminating the potential hazards and the overall need for improved fire control and suppression technology to ensure the best possible outcome during a mine fire. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is conducting an evolving comprehensive program of research that is addressing mine fire prevention, detection, management and suppression. This paper presents a summary of recent research accomplishments and provides an overview of the next phase of the NIOSH mine fire research program.
Authors: MA Trevits, L Yuan, AC Smith, ED Thimons, GV Goodman
Conference Paper - September 2008
NIOSHTIC2 Number: 20034510
Proceedings of the 21st World Mining Congress, September 7-11, 2008, Krakow, Poland. Sobczyk EJ, Kicki J, eds., London: Taylor & Francis Group, 2008; :303-308
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
- CFD Modeling of Fire Spread Along Combustibles in a Mine Entry
- Fire Detection
- Fire Response Preparedness for Underground Mines
- Overview of Ground Control Research for Underground Coal Mines in the United States
- Remote Mine Fire Suppression Technology
- Technology for Remote Mine Seal Construction
- An Underground Coal Mine Fire Preparedness and Response Checklist: The Instrument
- Underground Coal Mining Disasters and Fatalities: United States, 1900-2006
- Understanding Mine Fire Disasters by Determining the Characteristics of Deep-Seated Fires
- Page last reviewed: 9/21/2012
- Page last updated: 9/21/2012
- Content source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Mining Program