Mine Fires

Underground fires
What do You understand by underground
fires?
 Fires constitutes an ever-present hazards in coal
mines.

 They occur whenever and wherever

combustible materials present in the mine
working conditions.
 For a mine fire to break out , the following
three conditions must fulfilled:

 Combustible materials must be available in sufficient quantity;

 Sufficient supply of oxygen must be available; and

 A source of ignition of adequate energy must be present.

 Loss due to mine fires

The losses incurred are two types :

 Direct
 Indirect
Direct loss includes –
loss of coal reserves.
valuable mining equipment .
cost of firefighting .
recovery of sealed-off areas.

Indirect loss arises out of

fall of production from the affected section.
fall in productivity.
subsequent increase in operating cost.
 Indirect losses are usually higher then direct one.

 The persons engaged in firefighting or in the unsealing

of the fires, mine fires are far hazardous then explosion.

 Fire also occur in underground metal mines having

sulphide ores.
 Types of Fires in Mine
 Fire due to spontaneous combustion (incipient
fires or seam fires).

 Open fires.
Incipient fires or fires due to spontaneous combustion:
Fires which originates in a
abandoned and discontinued mine working.
in goaves of seam being worked
in falls of roof coal.
in fractured coal pillars
in the vicinity of geological disturbances.

 These account for up to (75 to 90)% of all underground coal and

 20% of all underground metal mines fires.
Open fires:
This type of fire originates in open mine working conditions such as
shafts,
roadways,
coal faces due to variety of causes including spontaneous
combustion.
and are characterized by visible active combustion or
flames.
Open fires spread quickly in the direction of ventilation.
The rate of spread depend upon.
 Kind and quantity of the combustible
materials.
 The amount of air reaching it.
 The velocity of air current.
 Causes and Prevention of coal Mine Fires
The various causes of coal fires may be grouped under the following
main heading:
 Open flames.
 Spontaneous combustion.
 Electricity
 Friction
 Blasting
 Exploration
 Miscellaneous.
 Open Flames
In naked lamp mine, where naked or open light are used ,
fire may originate through

careless handling of lamp or

carrying matches or

other flame-making devices.

 Spontaneous Combustion

Spontaneous combustion means self-heating of coal or

Any easily ox disable substances due to auto-oxidation at

ordinary atmospheric temperature.
 Important theories of spontaneous combustion

Pyrite theory ( Plot)

The bacterium theory(Potter)

The Phenol theory(Fischer)

The coal-oxygen complex theory(Rhead & wheeler)

Electrochemical theory(kamneva & Aleksan Drove)

 coal-oxygen complex theory
Freshly exposed coal has
affinity for the oxygen present
in the air in contact with it ,at
ambient atmospheric
temperature, At first , the oxygen is
If the heat produced can not be adsorbed by a purely
dissipated by radiation or physical process , depending
conduction or both at faster upon the temperature.
then it is produced , a further
rise in temp takes place which
accelerates the rate of oxygen
sorption and production of heat This rapidly gives place to a
until finally , the ignition point of chemical chain reaction
coal is reached. resulting in the oxidation of
certain constituents of coal with
A rise in temperature of the coal , the production of small quantity
in consequence , take place , which of heat.
has the effect of further increasing
the rate of absorption of oxygen
and production of heat.
The general accepted theory at present is the coal-oxygen complex theory

Freshly exposed coal has , at ambient atmospheric

temperature, affinity for the oxygen of the air in contact with it.

At first , the oxygen is adsorbed by a purely physical

process , depending upon the temperature.

This rapidly gives place to a chemical chain reaction

resulting in the oxidation of certain constituents of coal
with the production of small quantity of heat.

A rise in temperature of the coal , in consequence , take

place , which has the effect of further increasing the rate
of absorption of oxygen and production of heat.

If the heat produced can not be dissipated by radiation or conduction

or both at faster then it is produced , a further rise in temp. takes place
which accelerates the rate of oxygen sorption and production of heat
until finally , the ignition point of coal is reached.