No. 545 December 2011 

NIOSH Updates Spontaneous Combustion Assessment Software 

Objective 

To update the current SPONCOM software to 

SponCom 2.0 with a Windows-based platform, using tabs 

and easy-to-navigate screens for entering or selecting data. 

These user interface enhancements would continue to 

make the SPONCOM software an effective tool in 

determining the relative spontaneous combustion potential 

of coal, and thereby contribute to safer mining work 

environments. 

Background 

Statistics show that in 2011 approximately 15% of all 

underground coal mine fires are still caused by the 

spontaneous combustion of coal. Spontaneous combustion 

fires usually occur in mined-out or gob areas. Fires in 

these areas are difficult to detect and extinguish, and 

present a serious safety hazard to mine personnel. Prior 

knowledge of the spontaneous combustion potential of the 

mining operation and the factors that increase that risk can 

be strategic in preventing spontaneous combustion fires. 

The previous version of SPONCOM (1.0) is a DOSbased computer program that determines a coal’s relative 

spontaneous combustion potential based on the coal’s 

proximate/ultimate analyses and heating value. The 

program evaluates the impact of the coal properties, 

geologic and mining conditions, and mining practices 

relative to the risk of spontaneous combustion. Since 1994 

the SPONCOM program has been distributed to over 300 

users and is used throughout the mining industry as the 

standard for spontaneous combustion assessment. The 

DOS platform is now considered obsolete, with new 

computers having limited or no support for DOS 

programs. SponCom 2.0 ensures the continuing use of the 

SPONCOM technology in the mining industry as 

SponCom 2.0, now running on a Windows-based 

platform, offers the same functionality as the original 

version. 

Approach 

The original SPONCOM program (1.0) was developed 

by the Nationals Institute for Occupational Safety and 

Health (NIOSH) to aid its researchers and U.S. Mine 

Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) personnel, 

mining operators, and consultants in the assessment of the 

spontaneous combustion risk in an underground mining 

operation. To develop the program, information was 

gathered from the literature, from interactions with experts 

in ground control, ventilation, and geology, and from mine 

personnel who have experienced self-heating events at 

their operations. The information from these sources was 

correlated with NIOSH’s experimental studies (on the 

self-heating tendencies of coals) to form the knowledge 

base for the program. SponCom 2.0 uses the same data 

inputs and analyses algorithms as the original SPONCOM 

program, but improves the user interface. 

The SponCom 2.0 interface is divided into six sections 

represented by the following tabs that help the user to 

easily select a data input or report screen: Header, Coal 

Properties, Geological Properties, Mining Conditions/ 

History, Mining Methods, and Report (Figure 1). 

Figure 1. SponCom 2.0 tabs.

The first five tabs allow the user to enter data or 

information; the last tab enables the user to view the 

results of those entries. The tabs do not have to be 

accessed in any particular order. However, each section 

must be properly filled out in order to generate a valid 

report. The data entry elements consist of those commonly 
found in a Windows format, such as checkboxes, dropdown selections, numerical up-downs, textboxes, and 

radio buttons. Considerable care was used by NIOSH 

programmers in making the data entry process easier, 

which in turn enables users’ entry of data to be more 

accurate and complete. 

How it Works 

SponCom 2.0 determines the coal’s rank and relative 

self-heating potential based on the coal’s proximate and 

ultimate analyses, heating value, and prior spontaneous 

combustion history. The coal’s proximate and ultimate 

analysis is critical to generating an accurate, valid report. 

Two mechanisms contribute to heat generation by the 

coal—the heat of oxidation and the heat of wetting. The 

heat of oxidation is the heat generated by the adsorption of 

oxygen by the coal. The heat of wetting is the heat 

generated by the adsorption of water vapor by the coal 

surfaces. Coal properties that affect the rate of heat 

generation include the coal’s reactivity, its moisture 

content, friability, and the presence of pyrite and other 

impurities; these coal properties are entered through the 

Coal Properties data entry screen (Figure 2). The 

contribution of each of these factors to the overall 

spontaneous combustion risk is determined by the 

SPONCOM software. 

Figure 2. Coal Properties data input screen.

The input data are stored to a data file, from which the 

data can be recalled and updated as needed. Data files 

generated from the original SPONCOM program can be 

imported as desired. The Report tab displays the selfheating risk of the coal and provides details on each of the 

factors that increase the risk of spontaneous combustion in 

the mining operation. In addition, a valid report can be 

printed out as desired (Figure 3). 

Figure 3. SponCom 2.0 Results Report screen. 

There are three different types of Help included with 

the SponCom 2.0 software: (1) To view popup Help, click 

the right mouse button on any screen item, and select the 

topic from the popup menu; (2) To view a topic from the 

program’s Help File, select Help from the Help menu on 

the menu bar or press F1; (3) To view the user manual 

(included with the SponCom 2.0 software), open the 

appropriate PDF file. 

For More Information 

The SponCom 2.0 software program can be 

downloaded from the NIOSH Mining Web site at: 

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/products. For more 

information about the SponCom 2.0 program, contact 

Alex Smith (412-386-6766, ASmith@cdc.gov), August 

Kwitowski (412-386-6474, AKwitowski@cdc.gov), or 

Angela Carilli (412-386-4090, ACarilli@cdc.gov) or the 

Health Communications Coordinator (OMSHR@cdc.gov), 

NIOSH Office of Mining Safety and Health Research, 

P.O. Box 18070, Pittsburgh, PA 15236-0070.

To receive NIOSH documents or for more information 

about occupational safety and health topics, contact: 1-800-

CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636), 1-888-232-6348 (TTY), email: cdcinfo@cdc.gov, or visit the NIOSH Web site at 

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh

Mention of any company name or product does not constitute 

endorsement by the National Institute for Occupational Safety 

and Health.

DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2012–109