Heat/humidity tests of a built-in-place refuge alternative.
Authors
Yantek DS; Homce GT; Yan L; Lutz TJ; Srednicki JR; Yonkey JA
Source
Creating value in a cyclical environment, SME annual conference and expo 2017, February 19-22, 2017, Denver, Colorado. Englewood, CO: Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc., 2017 May; :339-345
Federal regulations require the installation of refuge alternatives (RAs) in underground coal mines. Of the in-use RAs, over 95% are mobile RAs with the remainder being built-in-place (BIP) RAs. Heat/humidity buildup has been one of the major concerns with mobile RAs. For BIP RAs, however, there is a lack of in-mine heat/humidity test data to determine the extent of heat and humidity buildup. To quantify heat/humidity buildup in BIP RAs, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) performed a series of heat/humidity tests on a 60-person BIP RA with and without a borehole air supply. At various times during the year, tests were performed with cooled, heated, or unconditioned borehole air to examine how various outdoor temperatures may affect the thermal conditions inside a BIP RA. The results show that the air supplied to a BIP RA may require heating and cooling, depending on the outside air temperatures and the temperature of the mine. For example, during tests with an external ambient temperature above 70 degrees F and a humidity that reached 90 %RH, providing 55 degrees F dew point air was able to keep the internal apparent temperature below the mandated 95 degrees F. Results for each test case are presented.
Keywords
Mining; Mining-industry; Refuge chambers; Emergency shelters; Emergency equipment; Underground mines; Miners; Coal miners; Equipment testing; Heat; Regulations; Humidity; Boreholes; Thermal properties; Air temperature; Air flow; Outdoors; Temperature control; Temperature effects; Temperature measurement; Temperature regulation
Contact
D. S. Yantek, NIOSH, Pittsburgh, PA
Publication Date
20170501
Document Type
Conference/Symposia Proceedings
Fiscal Year
2017
ISBN No.
9781510836471
NIOSH Division
PMRD
Priority Area
Mining
Source Name
Creating value in a cyclical environment, SME annual conference and expo 2017, February 19-22, 2017, Denver, Colorado
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