Mining Publication: Cause of Floor Self-Heatings in an Underground Coal Mine

This report presents a U.S. Bureau of Mines study to identify the causes of self-heating events beneath the floor of a deep underground mine. Mine samples from both heated and unheated areas were examined by various techniques, including visual, microscopic, thermal, chemical, and instrumental tests. The combined results led to the conclusion that pyrite (FeS2) oxidation was the prime cause of the heatings. However, adiabatic oven tests of selected samples did not indicate the effect of the pyrite on the self-heating process, probably because of the experimental conditions. A fast, simple procedure to assess concentration of pyrite in the mine samples was developed, utilizing the reactivity of the sample with an aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2).