Mining Publication: Real-time Neural Network Application to Mine Fire - Nuisance Emissions Discrimination

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) implemented a real-time neural network which can discriminate mine fires from nuisance diesel emissions as part of an atmospheric mine monitoring system in NIOSH's Safety Research Coal Mine. The real-time response of a neural network to fire sensor outputs was demonstrated for coal and belt combustion in the presence of diesel emissions. The fire sensors consisted of an optical path smoke sensor, a carbon monoxide (CO) sensor, and two types of metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) sensors. The real time neural network was trained with coal, wood, and belt fire experiments with and without diesel emissions background. The trained neural network successfully predicted mine fires with these combustibles in the smoldering stage prior to the onset of flames.