Computer Modeling of the Effect of Mine-Fire-Induced Ventilation Disturbances on Stench Fire Warning System Performance

摘要

Underground mine fires can significantly influence mine ventilation airstreams, in some cases throttling or even reversing airflows. As a result, the performance of a metal and nonmetal mine stench fire warning system, which depends on the ventilation to carry the vital warning signal, under fire conditions is different from performance under nonfire conditions. The safety of underground miners can be jeopardized if the warning signal is delayed. The Bureau of Mines report describes research to investigate fire and stench warning system interactions. A computer model is presented that permits quantitative analysis of stench warning signal delays as a function of fire location and intensity. The results of a case study involving computer simulations of stench distribution in a hypothetical mine network subject to various fire exposures are also discussed. The case study illustrates a technique for identifying the areas within a mine that are subject to unacceptable warning signal delays, thereby enabling preemptive action by mine personnel, such as redeployment of stench injectors.