Prognosticating fire hazards in goafs in Polish collieries

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to determine the sorption capacity of hard coals from Polish collieries with respect to several sorbets: ethane, ethylene, propane, propylene. The knowledge of the sorption capacity of coal with respect to a wide range of sorbates is essential to ensure the miners' safety and to allow for reliable forecasting fire hazard and self-heating of coal. The self-heating process is evaluated using specialist indicators based on hydrocarbon contents in mine air. Coal properties, such as porosity, coal rank, maceral content, moisture, ash and volatile matter contents as well as proportion of mineral substances are of key importance for understanding the processes taking place on the hard coal-gas interface. The quantitative analysis of these parameters supported by sorption tests will provide us information about the coal's structure's tendency to accumulate and release gases and vapours. It is important to determine the accessibility of the internal coal structure to gases and to investigate the influence of the micro- and submicro-porosity on the process of sorption. Concentrations of non-saturated hydrocarbons: ethylene and propylene are good indicators used to evaluate the scale of the self-heating process. Therefore, we need to reliably establish whether hydrocarbons present in mine air are released only through the self-heating process or whether they can be also accumulated in the coal structure and then desorbed when the conditions should change. Although preventive measures have been put place in Polish collieries, endogenous fire are still fairly frequent, so the hazard control based only on concentrations of non-saturated hydrocarbons may prove insufficient. It is also necessary to determine whether those hydrocarbons can be accumulated in coal, what factors will trigger this process and in what extent. Results of such tests will contribute to fire prevention and will help control other hazards associated with underground mining operations.