Rowland J H, Litton C D, Thomas R A
Research physicist, research physicist and electronics technician , respectively, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Trans Soc Min Metall Explor Inc. 2016;340(1):104-112. doi: 10.19150/trans.7334.
Atmospheric monitoring systems (AMS) are required when using air from conveyor belt entries to ventilate working sections in U.S. underground coal mines. AMS technology has the potential to increase fire safety mine-wide, but research is needed to determine the detection and response times for fires of a variety of combustible materials. To evaluate the potential of an AMS for fire detection in other areas of a coal mine, a series of full-scale fire experiments were conducted to determine detection and response times from fires of different combustible materials that are found in U.S. underground coal mines, including high- and low-volatility coals, conveyor belts, brattice materials, different types of wood, diesel fuel, and a foam sealant. These experiments were conducted in the Safety Research Coal Mine (SRCM) of the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) located in Pittsburgh, PA, using a commercially available AMS that is typical of current technology. The results showed that through proper selection of sensors and their locations, a mine-wide AMS can provide sufficient early fire warning times and improve the health and safety of miners.
在美国地下煤矿中，当使用输送带巷道的空气为作业区通风时，需要大气监测系统（AMS）。AMS技术有潜力提高全矿的火灾安全性，但需要开展研究来确定针对各种可燃材料火灾的探测和响应时间。为评估AMS在煤矿其他区域进行火灾探测的潜力，开展了一系列全尺寸火灾实验，以确定美国地下煤矿中不同可燃材料火灾的探测和响应时间，这些可燃材料包括高挥发和低挥发煤、输送带、风筒材料、不同类型的木材、柴油燃料以及一种泡沫密封剂。这些实验在美国国立职业安全与健康研究所（NIOSH）位于宾夕法尼亚州匹兹堡的安全研究煤矿（SRCM）中进行，使用的是一款代表当前技术水平的商用AMS。结果表明，通过合理选择传感器及其位置，全矿范围的AMS能够提供足够的早期火灾预警时间，并改善矿工的健康与安全状况。
