Investigation of a conveyor belt fire in an underground coal mine: Experimental studies and CFD analysis
JOURNAL OF THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN INSTITUTE OF MINING AND METALLURGY, cilt.123, sa.12, ss.589-597, 2023 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 123 Sayı: 12
- Basım Tarihi: 2023
- Doi Numarası: 10.17159/2411-9717/1613/2023
- Dergi Adı: JOURNAL OF THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN INSTITUTE OF MINING AND METALLURGY
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Aerospace Database, Communication Abstracts, Compendex, Metadex, Directory of Open Access Journals, Civil Engineering Abstracts
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.589-597
- Hacettepe Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
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.