Mining Publication: Evaluation of Remotely Installed Mine Seals for Mine Fire Control

Of the 19 major mine fire events (including thermal events) that occurred during 2000-2005, it is estimated that remotely constructed mine seals could have been used at 65% of the events to control or suppress the fire. Underground observations of seals that have been remotely installed during mine fire events show that they often do not fully achieve mine roof-to-floor and rib-to-rib closure. Unfortunately, the inability to reliably close the mine void has limited or precluded the regular use of this technology. NIOSH is conducting full-scale underground experiments at its Lake Lynn Experimental Mine to identify and remedy existing shortcomings of remote sealing technology in order to develop novel technologies and to transfer the new or improved technologies to the mining industry. This paper discusses the remote mine seal testing program and provides the results of the in-mine experiments.