Inflatable devices for use in combating mine fires.
Authors
Weiss-ES; Conti-RS; Bazala-EM; Pro-RW
Source
Pittsburgh, PA: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, RI 9614, 1995 Nov; :1-18
Abstract
This report summarized the United States Bureau of Mines research in developing inflatable devices for isolating and combating underground mine fires. The development and capabilities of the remotely installed inflatable device were described. Also discussed were in mine inflatable devices for use in isolating mine entries for controlling ventilation airflows, injecting suppressant foam to the fire zone, and aiding personnel to evacuate the mine. The portable in mine inflatable flow restrictor (IFR) was shown to effectively stop airflows in a wide entry of up to 1,130 cubic meters/minute in less than 3 minutes. Successful blockage was obtained in less than 30 minutes of a 1.8 meter high by 7 meter wide entry with an IFR that was remotely deployed through boreholes up to 60 meters deep. The inflatable feed tube seal (IFTS) was developed for use during an underground mine fire to rapidly isolate the fire while simultaneously providing a feed tube to allow passage of suppressant foam from a high expansion foam (HEF) generator. The IFTS offered a potential tool for fire fighters to rapidly fight fires in passageways with high expansion foam (HEF). Preliminary testing of a positive pressure, inflatable escape device indicated that the device had merit and additional in mine testing may show that it could be used in underground mines to isolate smoke filled entries from fresh air, thus allowing extra escape time.
Keywords
Mine-disasters; Mine-escapes; Mine-fires; Mine-seals; Mining-industry; Fire-fighting-equipment; Fire-protection-equipment; Underground-mining; Coal-mining; Air-flow; Escape-systems; Safety-equipment
Document Type
Report of Investigations
NTIS Accession No.
PB96-162367
Source Name
Pittsburgh, PA: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, RI 9614
