PURPOSE:  To develop a real-time mine fire simulator with mine ventilation and smoke control decision making capability based on mine fire sensor data to determine the most effective smoke management methods to provide safe miner egress and safe access for fire-fighters.

RESEARCH SUMMARY:  Fires continue to be a major hazard in underground mines. During a mine fire, the operator usually has very limited fire sensor information. This data could be more efficiently applied to emergency smoke management and fire suppression decisions if an interactive mine fire simulator was available. There is no existing strategy to control the movement and dilution of smoke associated with an underground mine fire. Therefore, the primary and only response to a mine fire is egression from the mine or fire region. Without a scientific understanding of fire development and smoke transport, safe and effective smoke management methods cannot be deployed to avert the hazards of toxic smoke and low visibility under emergency mine fire conditions.

The mine fire simulator will be developed for applications to miner safety in underground mines. In support of this project outcome, in-mine fire and smoke transport experiments, fire spread modeling with advanced computational fluid dynamic (CFD) programs, optimum sensor site location experiments, fire risk assessment strategies, and smoke leakage experiments will be conducted. The effects of ventilation upon smoke leakage from a fire in a return airway into an intake airway under low air flow conditions will be evaluated experimentally. As an outcome smoke control measures will be developed and evaluated. Thus far, it has been determined experimentally and computationally that the ventilation required to prevent smoke rollback along the roof from a fire in a mine entry can be specified by a mathematical relationship. This function will be incorporated into the mine fire simulator.

As a mine fire emergency preplanning tool, the simulator will provide the development of strategies for smoke control and the development of a smoke control plan based upon anticipated mine fire scenarios. As a real-time emergency tool, the fire simulator will provide the mine operator with real-time data to evaluate and manage ventilation during a mine fire to allow miners safe egress from the mine. In both cases, the simulator will be forward looking with recommendations for diluting the smoke and toxic gases to acceptable levels for safe egress from the mine and for the safe approach of fire fighters.