The Development and Control of Open Fires in Coal Mine Entries

Within the world of mining health and safety, increasing attention is again being given to underground fires and explosions. This paper reviews the effects of open fires in mine entries on the ventilation system, and outlines current methodologies of attempting to control such a fire. The particular hazards of a fuel-rich fire are discussed. There appear to have been no really significant advances made in methods of extinguishing mine entry fires in the last several decades. The final section of the paper introduces research that is investigating the simultaneous production of an inerting, cooling and quenching atmosphere by means of a dense water fog.