Mining Publication: Explosion Prevention in United States Coal Mines
Original creation date: September 2007
This paper outlines the legal standards and methods for protecting underground coal mines in the United States from explosions of methane gas and coal dust. It will discuss inspection and monitoring of mine atmospheres, dilution of methane through ventilation, methane drainage prior to, during and post-mining, as well as explosion prevention through rock dusting and sealing of mined-out areas. Recent research findings of NIOSH, Pittsburgh Research Laboratory on the magnitude of pressures obtained during methane explosions from modeling and full-scale explosion tests at the NIOSH Lake Lynn Experimental Mine will be presented. This work is currently being applied to modeling the structural response of explosion-proof mine seals to pressures from gas explosions. Also, new research will be presented on the inertization of float coal dust in mines through the addition of inert stone dust and on the application of the Coal Dust Explosibility Meter (CDEM), a handheld device developed by NIOSH to directly measure the explosibility of a coal dust - limestone dust mixture based on optical reflectivity.
Authors: JF Brune, KL Cashdollar, RK Zipf
Conference Paper - September 2007
NIOSHTIC2 Number: 20032689
Proceedings of the 32nd International Conference of Safety in Mines Research Institutes, 28-29 September 2007, Beijing, China. Beijing, China: National Center for International Exchange & Cooperation on Work Safety (SAWS), 2007; :121-125
See Also
- A Centennial of Mine Explosion Prevention Research
- Determining the Root Causes of Flame Cutting and Welding Fires in Underground U.S. Coal Mines
- The Explosibility of Coal Dust
- A Fail-Safe Control System for a Mine Methane Pipeline
- Historical Development of Technologies for Controlling Methane in Underground Coal Mines
- Modeling Natural Gas Explosions for Coal Mine Safety
- Remote Methane Sensors
- Rock Dusting
- Structural Analysis and Design of Seals for Coal Mine Safety
- Technical Solutions for Enhancements to Mine Safety Using Barricade II Fire Blocking Gel
- Page last reviewed: 9/21/2012
- Page last updated: 9/21/2012
- Content source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Mining Program