MINE FIRE

Lecture # 10-11
• Mine fire is much more common than
most people realize. Most fire in
underground mine are small and quickly
put out.
• Disaster caused by mine fires is less
frequent. Any mine fire could however ,
become a major disaster if not quickly
brought under control.

Mine Fire- The Definition

• Everyone who works underground in a mine
should have a basic understanding of what
fire is and how fires are best controlled?
• Knowledge of fire and hazards of mine fires
will encourage every underground worker to
do his art to prevent fires.
• Workers must be so trained to take the
appropriate action if they discover a fire.
• The health and safety of workers can’t be left
chance.

FIRE KNOWLEDGE
 • A worker discovering a fire must consider several possible
actions very quickly. Any action taken or not taken will have a
big effect on the fire and on the safety of everyone in the
mine.
• If you discover fire in the mine do you;
• Attempt to put it out? How do you attack the fire and long
should you try?
• Sound an alarm? How?
• Attempt to get out of the mine? By what route?
• How do you notify workers in your area?
• Should you shut off burning electrical motors? How?
• Should you shut off fans? Close or open ventilation doors?

CONSIDERATION UPON LOCATING FIRES

 • It is much better to make informed decisions on
the basis of understanding the situation than to
leave the well being of the workers and the mine
to chance.
• Knowing how to prevent fires is even betters.
• Each mine must develop specific emergency
procedure for its safe.
• All employees must be well trained in their
emergency procedure and understand how to
apply them. The proper response to alarm should
be practiced at least one in year.
• All fire equipment must always be kept in proper
working conditions.
CONSIDERATION UPON LOCATING FIRES
 • In reviewing the rapid oxidation process
known as combustion, we note that three
factors are necessary for a fire.
• Combustible material
• The presence of oxygen or an oxidizing agent
• Enough heat to increase the temperature of
the combustible material to its ignition
temperature
• FIRE BURNS IN TWO WAYS
• Smoldering ( surface)
• Flaming combustion
THE BURNING PROCESS AND ELEMENTS OF
FIRE.
 • The smoldering (a fire that burns with
thick smoke but no flame) mode of
combustion is represented by the fire
triangle (fuel, heat and oxygen).
• The flaming mode of combustion, such as
the burning of logs in the fire place, is
represented by the fire tetrahedron (fuel,
temperature, oxygen and the in habited
chemical chain reaction)

THE BURNING PROCESS AND ELEMENTS OF FIRE.

 The fire triangle-
These three factors fuel, oxygen and heat
have been in corporate into the simple fire
triangle model
 Most fires occurring underground are caused by
the following;

• Electricity.

• Human intervention.

• Manmade (deliberate or accidental).

• Friction.

Causes of Fire in Mines

• Some mine fires are caused by the use of or
misuse of electricity, battery locomotives , power
cables, trolley wires, motors, electric heaters and
even light bulbs worn insulation on live is the
common sources of fires in mines.
• Overloaded electrical circuits can cause electrical
cables to overheat.
• Circuit breakers or fuses provide protection
against overloaded electrical circuits but if
someone tempers with fuses or circuit breakers
then this protection is lost and overheating can
take place.

Causes of Fire in Mines-Electricity

• Electrical circuit protection devices are fire
prevention devices and tempering with
one can cause electrical cables or motors
to burst into flames.
• Other common cause of mine fires are the
over fusing and the shorting out of
deteriorating wiring on vehicle control
panels and faulty battery cables.

Causes of Fire in Mines-Electricity

• Welding and burning, smoking and blasting operation
are among the many causes of fires.
• Safety procedures must be observed whenever
welding is done in any place where the welder may
bring the three sides of the fire triangles together.
• A worker in a lunch room may throw a hot match or
cigarette into the garbage, a welder, cutting steel in a
shaft or a raise can provide a source of heat ( hot
metal or slag) that causes a fuel to ignite active
burning can be delayed for long periods of time by a
slow smoldering or oxidation of wood started by the
hot slag

Causes of Fire in Mines-

Man made (deliberate or accidental
• An active fire can break out many hours
after the hot work is finished.
• Accidental leakage of petroleum
production on hot machinery is another
common cause of fires.
• For example, the leakage of hydraulic fluid
and diesel onto hot engines exhaust
manifolds causes a number of
underground fires every year.

Causes of Fire in Mines-

Man made (deliberate or accidental
 • Spontaneous combustion occurs when ventilation
is not sufficient to carry away the heat of
oxidation.
• Slow oxidation of pile of oily rags(‫)ایک قسم کا پتھر‬,
old timber etc can generate enough heat to cause
burning to start without any outside source of
heat because the material is highly combustible.
• As oxidation starts, heat is produced which causes
the oxidation to speed up which in turns creates
more heats. This chain reaction eventually causes
the material being oxidized to burst into flame.

Causes of Fire in Mines- Spontaneous combustion

• Friction causes overheating of brake bands or
clutches on slush’s, transmission gear boxes
and v belt drives.
• Two of the most common friction – causes
fire is the result of the forgetting to release
vehicle parking brakes and clutch slippage.
• Conveyor belts slippage, overheated bearing
or rubbing against flammable item have also
caused fires.

Causes of Fire in Mines- Friction

• The underground mine fires are of two types.
• Open fire.
• Gob fire.
 Open fires. Open fire are those occurring in the roadways or
at the working face in a mine such fires may or may not easily
be distinguished they may not be in the roof of a roadways or
in the kart of a machine cut face ,and are distinct in the
initiation from gob fires.
 Gob fires. Gob fires are initiated spontaneously by the
oxidation process of the combustible material, usually broken
coal or in some instances pyrite, are more often than not
completely inaccessible to direct attack. The chemical
indication of gob fire is the presence of carbon monoxide in
higher percentage than in the air samples which contains the
gas affluent from the gob fire area.

MINE FIRE:
• Air samples taken in the return from coal
seam may contain a small quantity of
carbon monoxide, even though no fire
exists and it is an obvious precautions in
the mines suspected to be liable to
spontaneous combustion.
• Regular air samples be taken by means,
and the increase in the normal percentage
of carbon monoxide may be ascertained
(‫)تحقیق شدہ‬at any stage in the development
MINE FIRE:
of a gob fire.
• The gob fire is being extinguished by
• The application of the water on the large quantity
with the digging out method of attacking gob fire is
disliked by experienced engineers, unless the area is
so placed that it can be completely flooded to avoid a
possible outbreak of open fire
• It is essential precaution to watch every move of gob
fire.
• The application of water in quantity to gob fires are
consequence of the initiation and location of such
fires.
• Their initiating is by the limited passage of air at low
velocity sufficient for the slow oxidation of the certain
materials in the gob but insufficient for carrying way
the heat developed.

MINE FIRE:
• This implies a fairly compact mass, of broken coal at
crib side or unconsolidated goaf.
• Under this condition the increase behave as a heat
reservoir reading temperature high enough to burst
into active fires on admission of sufficient oxygen. a
more usual method of controlling gob fire is to deny
oxygen to the heating at earliest as possible moment.
• After its genesis has been indicated and the location
ascertained, and its source of air, this implies some
method of sealing of possible air inlet and arranging
so far as is practical and balance of equalization of air
pressure around the affected area.

MINE FIRE:
• Sand and the stone dust are the most useful
materials readily available for the sealing of the
area where heating instances are recorded where
the simple expedient of pilling up sand around the
affected “gob” has been sufficient to prevent
access of air
• The other method is to build brick or stone walls
little away from the pack wall and to pack the
intervening spaces with well rammed sand.
• The close logging of arches preferably with steel
sheet and the ramming sand between the logging
and the pack wall is recommended where this is
practical.

MINE FIRE:
• Hydraulic sand stowing, used to seal-off spontaneous
heating (combustion) is a cheap but effective and
speedy application in stinking smoking in addition to
its application in damming-off open fires.
• With any method of sealing off affected area, care
should be taken to ensure that all roof breaks or roof
separation which could possible provide channel for
the passage of air are also sealed.
• This may perhaps be bent accomplished by cement
grouting the whole surface of the packs and the strata
surrounding the heating. After sealing the regulation
of the ventilation so that the exposed faces of the
area under equal pressure is essential to achieve full
objective, which is the total exclusive of air.

MINE FIRE:
• The various methods & techniques of combating
underground fires are;
1. loading out the fires,
2. cooling by water,
3. infusion of water slurry,
4. using extinguishers,
i. liquid extinguisher
ii. foam type extinguisher
iii. high expansion plug extinguisher
5. Infusion of inert gases,
6. sealing off the fires

MINE FIRE:-FIRE FIGHTING METHODS

• Removal of hot and combustible material in one
of the best method of liquidating fire this method
can only be applied where the of fires is accessible
and the area involved is small.
• This method is successful in shallow fires in roof,
floor pillars or barriers adequate ventilation for
working panels should be maintained at the site
of the loading out operation even at the coat of
spreading the fire such as
• Reorganizing ventilation by lowering down the
pressure difference between two edges of the
solid pillars / barriers. solid so that removal of hot
mass is easier and further spread of fire is
prevented
FIRE FIGHTING METHODS:-LOADING OUT THE
FIRES
i. Digging out the hot mass (here quickly
removal needed) while simultaneously
cooling it. using water or sand coverage
ii. Filling up the voids created from removal of
solids with in combustibles, where found
necessary.
iii. Giving adequate roof support to prevent
collapse of the dugout pillars / barrier /roof.
iv. Taking recourse to adequate preventive
measures against futures recurrence of
fires;

FIRE FIGHTING METHODS:-LOADING OUT THE FIRES

a) Reorganizing ventilation by lowering down
the pressure difference between two edges
of solid pillars/barriers.
b) Reducing cracks and fissures of the affected
pillars/ barrier by consolidating with
infusion of suitable agent like Milk of lime,
Calcium chloride, Sodium silicate along with
sand and cement slurry.
• Note: Sodium silicate infusion in the crushed
pillars proved to be effective in many cases
for reducing their spontaneous heating risk
FIRE FIGHTING METHODS:-LOADING OUT THE
FIRES
• In most of the cases, the fire is shallow to a depth of
1.5---3 meters with in the wall.
• Ventilation pressure difference across the effected
pillars was observed to be the around 35-------38
(water gauge) w.g and this pressure difference was
much reduced by proper reorganizing of ventilation.
• The success of this method depends upon the prompt
action in early stage of the fire, otherwise in advance
stage it is very difficult to have moved the burning
mass
• If the spreading of fire is faster than the removal of
burning mass then the loading out method should be
abandoned in favor of other methods

FIRE FIGHTING METHODS:-LOADING OUT THE FIRES

• Water is by far the most effective but cheapest extinguishing agen,t
commonly used as a good coolant due to its high latent heat i.e.
539cal/g of evaporation.
• A comparative data of cooling by water and by sand is given below.
• Heat loss for evaporation of 1kg of water is 20C to 100C =latent
heat +temp: diff=total heat loss.
• 20 0C to 100 0C =539+80 = 619kcal
• Heat loss for elevating equal amount of sand or stone dust is
• 20C to 100C = temp diff x(specific heat of sand /stone dust) = total
heat loss
• 20 0C to 100 0C = (80×0.22) =17.6kcal
• Beside its cooling action , the profuse quantity of steam generated
from 1litre of water gives approximately 1700 liters of steam(?).
• Access of air is restricted to the burning object.

FIRE FIGHTING METHODS:- Cooling by

water
• Water can be applied by injecting directly to
the seat of the fire as water jet through
hoses from water mains (water jet pressure
is normally below 10 kg/cm2) or by spraying.
• The former has the advantage that it can
penetrate through the cracks and many
reach the deeper layer of burning mass.
• In this method water jet is applied from
greater distance (but no exceed 30 meter, if
applied in mine roadways of height not
exceeding 3meters) spraying forms a water
FIRE FIGHTING
curtains METHODS:-
and knock down Cooling by water
the flame easily.
• Here in this method more steam is produced
• The following precautions are to be kept
in view of applying water for fire fighting.
1. Cooling a hot mass by watering is started
at the periphery (the outside boundary or
surface of something) of the fire closing
up gradually toward center, impinging
water right in the middle of the fire seat
may cause spluttering of burning mass
also the generation of great quantities of
steam ,may there by endanger the rescue
FIRE FIGHTING METHODS:- Cooling by
people.
water
2. There should always be some provision of
3. Water should be applied in great
quantities sufficient to thoroughly cool
the burning mass. There always remains
a chance of formation of explosive gas
when escaping steam comes in contact
with the incandescent (‫ )جلتا ہوا۔‬coal mass
thus producing water gas (CO+H2).

4. Use of water is prohibited for the fires in

FIRE FIGHTING
liquid METHODS:-
fuels (except alcohol fires),Cooling
in by water
electrical installations, near calcium
• Besides these advantages of using water
tempts to deal with underground fires by
flooding a mine, but it has some
disadvantages, they are;
1. It totally damages the mine workings
causing roof falls. The drainage of water
during recovery becomes slow and
expensive.
2. First risk from spontaneous heating of the
mines gets increased due to formation of
more cracks and fissures
FIRE FIGHTING METHODS:- Cooling by water
3. Air packets may remain entrapped
• This is very good method for forming an
incombustible barrier as well as for
decreasing the voids in a fire,
consolidating of pillars barriers are
needed to save them from advancing fires
• The technique used is virtually like that of
hydraulic stowing, the difference only is
the maintenance of steam path as an
additional precaution.
• The procedure of infusion is from the
surface
FIRE borehole
FIGHTING to the seat of fire
METHODS:-INFUSION OFor
WATER
through underground
SLURRY stopping,
depending on the nature of progress of
 • In case of consolidating the pillars /
barriers, the slurry should be slowly
introduced in the coal massive, giving
chance to solids, to settle down in the
cracks and fissures.
• The mixtures (water+ solids) used, neither
thick nor thin enough to penetrate or
washed out in or from coal pillars / barrier
and the ratio stands at 10:1 works well.
• InFIGHTING
FIRE ideal infusion, the water
METHODS:- drainingOFout
INFUSION WATER
from coal massive would be clear with
SLURRY
minimum of suspended solids, thus
 • The efficiency of this method for
consolidating coal massive depends on
the quantity of slurry mixture used. a
mixture of cement and milk of lime , or
Cacl2 or sodium silicate ( with adequate
amount of water )are increasingly
becoming popular.
• Infusion with slicic acid gel (sodium
silicate+H2So4 tunings the settling time of
FIREthe gel with METHODS:-
FIGHTING ph adjustment) has been
INFUSION OF WATER
reported to give aSLURRY
pack of flexible gel and
thereby making better consolidation ( of
 FIRE FIGHTING METHODS:-
INFUSION OF WATER SLURRY
• Note: this method of fire fighting can be used
only as a supporting method along with other
combating practices.
• The precautions to be taken for fire
combating in this method are the same as
those applicable for water.
Presented By:
Shafiq khattak (10MN49)
Department of Mining
Engineering
The Fire Triangle
In order to understand how fire extinguishers work,
you first need to know a little bit about fire.

Four things must be present at the same time in order

to produce fire:
1) Enough oxygen to sustain combustion,
2) Enough heat to raise the material to its ignition
temperature,
3) Some sort of fuel or combustible material, and
4) The chemical, exothermic reaction that is fire.
Oxygen, heat, and fuel are frequently referred to as the
"fire triangle."
The important thing to remember is:
Take any one of these four things away, and you will
not have a fire or the fire will be extinguished.

Essentially, fire extinguishers put out fire by taking

away one or more elements of the fire triangle.
all fires are same, and they are classified according to
the type of fuel that is burning. If we use the wrong
type of fire extinguisher on the wrong class of fire, we
can, in fact, make matters worse. It is therefore very
important to understand the four different fire
classifications.
Class A –
Wood, paper, cloth, trash, plastics
• It includes Solid combustible materials that are not
metals.
• Class A fires generally leave an Ash
• Class A fire have a standard symbol, which is as
follows:
Class B –
Flammable liquids: gasoline, oil, grease etc
• This class involves any non-metal in a liquid state.
• This classification also includes flammable gases.
• Class B fires generally involve materials that Boil
or Bubble.
• Standard symbol for class B fires are:
Class C –
Electrical: energized electrical equipment
• As long as it's "plugged in," it would be considered
a class C fire.
• Class C fires generally deal with electrical Current.
• Standard icon used for Class C fires are:
Class D –
Metals: potassium, sodium, aluminum, magnesium

• Unless you work in a laboratory or in an industry

that uses these materials, it is unlikely you'll have
to deal with a Class D fire.
• It takes special extinguishing agents to fight such a
fire
Class D fires symbol:
Different types of fire extinguishers are
designed to fight different classes of fire. The
most common types of fire extinguishers are:
Water Fire Extinguishers:
• Water Fire Extinguishers discharge a stream of
water onto the fire, lowering the temperature of the
burning material to below ignition point.
• Water Fire Extinguishers are suitable
for the Class A fires.
Powder Extinguishers:
• They discharge a fine powder that absorbs fuel
molecules, depriving the fire of a fuel source.
• Powder Fire Extinguishers are available in a range of
sizes for domestic and industrial situations including
2.1kg, 2.7kg, 4.5kg and 9.0kg .
Powder Fire Extinguishers are suitable for the
following types of fire:
Class A – Paper, textiles, wood, most plastics
Class B – Flammable liquids
Class C – Combustible gases
Class D – Electrically energized equipment
Foam fire extinguishers:
• Foam fire extinguishers work by covering a burning
flammable liquid with a blanket of foam, cutting off
the fire’s air supply and preventing the release of
flammable vapors.
• Foam options are available in different ranges

Foam Fire Extinguishers are suitable

for the following types of fires:

Class A – Paper, textiles, wood, plastics

Class B – Flammable liquids
Wet Chemical Fire Extinguisher:
• They employ an agent that reacts with burning
cooking oil or fat to form a suds-like blanket across
the fuel surface, cutting off the fire’s air supply and
preventing the release of flammable vapors.
• Wet Chemical Fire Extinguishers are
suitable for the following types of fires:

Class A – Paper, textiles, wood, plastics

Class F – Cooking oils or fats
Carbon dioxide fire Extinguishers:
• Carbon dioxide is a non-conductive and non-
corrosive gas used to reduce the amount of oxygen
available to the fire. Carbon dioxide is extracted from
the atmosphere and stored at high pressure in the
liquid state within a fire extinguisher.
• Carbon Dioxide Fire Extinguishers are suitable for the
following types of fires:

Class B – Flammable liquids

Class D – Electrically energized equipment
• Never use water to extinguish flammable liquid fires.
Water is extremely ineffective at extinguishing this
type of fire, and you may, in fact, spread the fire if
you try to use water on it.
• Never use water to extinguish an electrical fire.
Water is a good conductor, and there is some
concern for electrocution if you were to use water to
extinguish an electrical fire. Electrical equipment
must be unplugged and/or de-energized before using
a water extinguisher on it.
There are four (4) basic steps for using modern portable
fire extinguishers.
Just remember the acronym P.A.S.S:
Pull Pin: (P)
Pull pin at the top of the extinguisher, breaking the seal.
When in place, the pin keeps the handle from being
pressed and accidentally operating the extinguisher.
Immediately test the extinguisher. (Aiming away from the
operator) This is to ensure the extinguisher works and
also shows the operator how far the stream travels.
Aim: (A)
Approach the fire standing at a safe distance. Aim the
nozzle or outlet towards the base of the fire.
Squeeze: (S)
Squeeze the handles together to discharge the
extinguishing agent inside. To stop discharge, release
the handles.
Sweep: (S)
Sweep the nozzle from side to side as you approach the
fire, directing the extinguishing agent at the base of the
flames.
Source:
http://www.saiffireengg.com/
• This method is gaining importance in
extinguishing larger scale underground
fires.
• The gases used are CO2 , N2 or mixture of
CO2 and N2.
• How these gases are produced
CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2)
• The gas is produced usually from the
burning of coke or oil (lime kiln, cement
industry and breweries) as a byproduct.
the gas produced is first dissolved in water
NITROGEN(N2)
• It is manufactured from liquefaction of air, as a
byproduct of atmospheric air.
• It is stored in gaseous form in high pressure
cylinders, whole in liquid form , in double
walled container with vents for gas to escape

FIRE FIGHTING METHODS:- INFUSION OF INERT

GASES
III. CARBON DIOXIDE AND NITEROGEN MIXTURE

• It is produced as by product as flue from

power plants, boilers furnaces etc.
• The problem with flue is its oxygen
percentage is as high as 4.6% which is to be
brought down to 2% and Co2 below 100ppm.
• Other flue generator is aircraft jet engine
which burns kerosene oil to product low
oxygen flue, thus flue produced, first cooled
down and then successfully used in
FIRE FIGHTING
firefighting METHODS:- INFUSION OF INERT
in mines.
GASES
• Vertical flue generators designed specially,
economically for combating underground
  Working principle
• The inert gas works by cutting off oxygen free
and taking heat as well. In sealing off an
affected area, there are some leakages from
where the air continues with in as the fire
keeps on consuming a portion of oxygen of
air in the dead space of the scale zone thus
causing concentration resulting in suction
from leakages. The continuous infusion of
inert gases, causing air movement to stop
reaching fire
• CO2 is better in quick replenishment of air.
• Due
FIRE to its heaviness
FIGHTING from air,
METHODS:- it fills upOF
INFUSION from
INERT
floor, but can escape quickly through cracks
and fissures. GASES
 • N2 is lighter gas as compared with area’s
goaf gas containing appreciable quantity of
CO2.
• Flue gas (mixture of CO2 and N2 has the
advantage of being the identical density of
goaf gas, it can cover up the entire sealed
zone in quicker time other than oxygen
replacement qualities of inert gas infusion, it
will facilitate cooling by stirring up to goaf
gas.
 Applications:
• The inert gas infusion technique may be
FIREemployed
FIGHTING in METHODS:-
following fourINFUSION
situations OF INERT
• Fire prevention GASES
• During sealing off operations
• When all other techniques proved
unsuccessful or considered not possible
then an underground fire is sealed off, by
creating stopping.
• It is a sure method of cutting off an
oxygen feed to the fire, it requires in time
for extinguishing the fire.
• This method is best employed in the cases
of fires originating from spontaneous
heating or/and in large underground fires.
FIRE FIGHTING METHODS:- SEALING OFF THE FIRE
• The danger posed by the toxicity of gases
(mainly CO ) and the risk of explosion are
 The sealing off operation is carried out
keeping the above problems in view, the
phases are:
i. Site selection for erecting stopping.
ii. Sequence of seal making
iii. Modus operands of building up the
stopping,
iv. Inspection and subsequent control of the
fires,
v. Recovery of the fire area

FIRE FIGHTING METHODS:- SEALING OFF THE FIRE