Optimization of Ventilation System for Prevention of Spontaneous Heating/Fire During Extraction of Thick Coal Seam – A CFD Approach

Jump To References Section

Authors

  • N. K. Mohalik
     Mine Ventilation Division, CSIR– Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Barwa Road, Dhanbad 826015, Jharkhand ,IN
  • Asfar M. Khan
     Mine Ventilation Division, CSIR– Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Barwa Road, Dhanbad 826015, Jharkhand, ,IN
  • A. Kumar
     Mine Ventilation Division, CSIR– Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Barwa Road, Dhanbad 826015, Jharkhand, ,IN
  • S. K. Ray
     Mine Ventilation Division, CSIR– Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Barwa Road, Dhanbad 826015, Jharkhand, ,IN
  • Debashish Mishra
     Mine Ventilation Division, CSIR– Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Barwa Road, Dhanbad 826015, Jharkhand, ,IN
  • N K Varma
     Mine Ventilation Division, CSIR– Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Barwa Road, Dhanbad 826015, Jharkhand, ,IN
  • N. Sahay
     Mine Ventilation Division, CSIR– Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Barwa Road, Dhanbad 826015, Jharkhand, ,IN

Keywords:

Spontaneous heating, thick coal seam, goaf ignition temperature, computational fluid dynamics (CFD)

Abstract

The developed thick coal seams locked on standing bord and pillar development with a low percentage of extraction has been an enduring problem for Indian geo-mining condition due to strata control issues, methods of mining, equipment selection, ventilation and spontaneous combustion. The occurrences of goaf fire and explosions due to rise in goaf ignition temperature causes substantial property losses and casualties all around the world. It is a threat to the underground coal mine safety. As such no guidelines or methodologies are available for solving the problems of spontaneous heating/fire rising due to depillaring of thick coal seams. The paper addresses, study related to prevention and control of spontaneous heating/ fire in depillaring panels of thick seam mining using laboratory experiments, calculating goaf ignition temperature and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques. The objectives of CFD simulation study is to find out the minimum air quantity requirement for the panel to maintain safe workplace environment and optimize the number of intakes and returns of ventilation system for prevention of spontaneous heating in goaf areas. Field investigations have been carried in Khottadih colliery of Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL), Sanctoria (West Bengal), India. Laboratory study and field investigation postulates that coal is more prone to spontaneous heating. The simulation study reveals that partial stowing with the incombustible material in the goaf area up to a height of 100 cm is beneficial to prevent spontaneous heating due to roof fall with an air quantity of 2100 m3/min maintaining three intakes and two return airways.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

Downloads

Published

2022-10-20

How to Cite

Mohalik, N. K., Khan, A. M., Kumar, A., Ray, S. K., Mishra, D., Varma, N. K., & Sahay, N. (2022). Optimization of Ventilation System for Prevention of Spontaneous Heating/Fire During Extraction of Thick Coal Seam – A CFD Approach. Journal of Mines, Metals and Fuels, 67(10), 452–460. Retrieved from https://informaticsjournals.com/index.php/jmmf/article/view/31658

Issue

Volume 67, Issue 10, October 2019

Section

Articles

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

 

References

CMR, The Coal Mine Regulation Directorate General of Mine Safey, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, 2017.

Goyal, P., (2016): All India Coal Production target for 2016- 17 fixed at 724.71 MT.http://pib.nic.in/newsite/ PrintRelease.aspx?relid=155142.

Powell, F. and K. Billinge, (1975): The Frictional Ignition Hazard Associated With Colliery Rocks. The Mining Engineer, 174: p. 527-531.

McPherson, M.J., (1995): The Adiabatic Compression of Air by Large Falls of Roof. SME, 7th U.S. Symposium on Mine Ventilation, Lexington, Kentucky, p. 257-262.

McPherson, M.J., (1993): Ventilation and environmental engineering, University press, Cambridge, London.

Banerjee, S.C., (2000): Prevention and combating mine fires. Oxford and IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd., p. 33.

Kurnia, J.C., P. Xu, and A.P. Sasmito, (2016): A novel concept of enhanced gas recovery strategy from ventilation air methane in underground coal mines – A computational investigation. Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering, 35, Part A: p. 661-672.

Wang, G., et al., (2015): Mining a coal seam below a heating goaf with a force auxiliary ventilation system at Longhua underground coal mine, China. International Journal of Mining Science and Technology, 25(1): p. 67-72.

L. Yuan and A.C. (2008): Smith, Mining Publication: Effects of Ventilation and Gob Characteristics on Spontaneous Heating in Longwall Gob Areas. Proceedings of the 12th U.S./North American Mine Ventilation Symposium, Reno, Nevada, June 9-11, Wallace, Jr. KG. ed., Reno, NV: University of Nevada - Reno: p. 141-147.

Yuan, L. and A.C. Smith, (2012): The effect of ventilation on spontaneous heating of coal. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 25(1): p. 131-137.

Nandy, D.K., et al., (1967): Effect of moisture on the self heating characteristics of coal. Journal of Mines, Metals & Fuels. 15 (10): p. 297-301.

Xu, G., et al., (2016): Computational fluid dynamics applied to mining engineering: a review. International Journal of Mining, Reclamation and Environment, p. 1-25.

Norton, T., et al., (2007): Applications of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in the modelling and design of ventilation systems in the agricultural industry: a review. Bioresour Technol, 98(12): p.2386-414.

Taraba, B. and Z. Michalec, (2011): Effect of longwall face advance rate on spontaneous heating process in the gob area - CFD modelling. Fuel, 90(8): p.2790-2797.

Ren, T., Z. Wang, and G. Cooper, (2014): CFD modelling of ventilation and dust flow behaviour above an underground bin and the design of an innovative dust mitigation system. Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology, 41: p. 241-254.

Jayaraman, B., et al., (2006): CFD investigation of room ventilation for improved operation of a downdraft table: novel concepts. J Occup Environ Hyg, 3(11): p. 583-91.

Versteeg, H.K. and W. Malalasekera, (2007): An Introduction to Computational Fluid Dynamics: The Finite Volume Method. Pearson Education Limited. 23-127.

Lu, B., W. Wang, and J. Li, (2009): Searching for a meshindependent sub-grid model for CFD simulation of gas– solid riser flows. Chemical Engineering Science, 64(15): p. 3437-3447.

Habashi, W.G., et al., (2000): Anisotropic mesh adaptation: towards user-independent, mesh-independent and solver-independent CFD. Part I: general principles. International Journal for Numerical Methods in Fluids, 32(6): p. 725-744.