Investigation of a conveyor belt fire in an underground coal mine: Experimental studies and CFD analysis

Aksoy C. O., Uyar Aksoy G. G., Fişne A., Alagöz İ., Kaya E.

JOURNAL OF THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN INSTITUTE OF MINING AND METALLURGY, cilt.123, sa.12, ss.589-597, 2023 (SCI-Expanded)

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 123 Sayı: 12
  • Basım Tarihi: 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
  • Dokuz Eylül 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 recomm