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.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 589-598 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Journal of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy |
| Volume | 123 |
| Issue number | 12 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2023 South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. All rights reserved.
Keywords
- CFD analysis
- Conveyor belt fire
- emergency plan
- toxic gas
- underground mine
