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Mining Publication: Explosion Pressure Design Criteria for Seals in U.S. Coal Mine - An Update on Work at NIOSH
Keywords: Coal mining Seals Underground mining
This page is archived for historical purposes and is no longer being maintained or updated.
Original creation date: November 2009
Authors: RK Zipf, JF Brune, ED Thimons
Conference Paper - November 2009
Download PDF Document (3.73 MB)
NIOSHTIC2 Number: 20036197
Mine Ventilation: Proceedings of the Ninth International Mine Ventilation Congress, New Delhi, India, November 10-13, 2009. Panigrahi DC, ed., New Delhi, India: Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd., 2009; :123-132
A fatal explosion in a sealed area at the Sago Mine in 2006 prompted researchers and regulators in the United States to re-examine the requirements for explosion-resistant mine seals. Seals are used in underground coal mines to isolate abandoned mining areas from active workings. Prior to the Sago disaster, mining regulations required seals to withstand a 140 kPa explosion pressure. Recent research at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Pittsburgh Research Laboratory showed that pressures from explosions can far exceed this pressure. U.S. mining regulations now require much stronger seals. Current research focuses on understanding the science, engineering and management of sealed areas of coal mines. Scientific efforts seek understanding of how explosive methane-air mixtures accumulate using measurements and models of the sealed area atmosphere. Additional scientific efforts aim to understand the explosion pressures that can develop using a combination of numerical modeling and experiments. Engineering efforts aim to produce design guidelines for seals that can resist the new higher pressure design criteria. NIOSH researchers are also developing guidance for monitoring of sealed area atmospheres and inertization of potentially explosive gas mixtures within sealed areas. This paper seeks to encourage scientific discussion among international peers since preventing explosions within sealed areas is of interest to underground coal operators and regulators.
Image of publication Explosion Pressure Design Criteria for Seals in U.S. Coal Mine - An Update on Work at NIOSHConference Paper - November 2009
Download PDF Document (3.73 MB)
NIOSHTIC2 Number: 20036197
Mine Ventilation: Proceedings of the Ninth International Mine Ventilation Congress, New Delhi, India, November 10-13, 2009. Panigrahi DC, ed., New Delhi, India: Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd., 2009; :123-132
See Also
Composition Change Model for Sealed Atmosphere in Coal Mines
Explosion Prevention
Progress Toward Improved Engineering of Seals and Sealed Areas of Coal Mines
Refuge Alternatives in Underground Coal Mines
Safe and Economical Inerting of Sealed Mine Areas
SPONCOM - A Computer Program for the Prediction of the Spontaneous Combustion Potential of an Underground Coal Mine
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Page last reviewed: September 21, 2012
Page last updated: September 21, 2012
Content source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Mining Program
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