Abstract

OZDOGAN, M.V. et al. Prevention of spontaneous combustion in coal drifts using a lining material: a case study of the Tuncbilek Omerler underground mine, Turkey. J. S. Afr. Inst. Min. Metall. [online]. 2018, vol.118, n.2, pp.149-156. ISSN 2411-9717.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2411-9717/2018/v118n2a8.

The spontaneous combustion of coal in underground mines is a vital subject for miners. Every year, many coal fire incidents are caused by spontaneous combustion. In this study, a lining material for coating the coal surface to prevent coal fires was designed in laboratory conditions. Three kinds of gypsum as well as plaster, satin plaster, moulding plaster, hydrated lime, cement, and fly ash were used to prepare different types of mixtures. Sixteen different mixtures were prepared and tested. Only plaster plus water and cement plus fly ash plus water gave satisfactory results in the laboratory tests, and these mixtures were then applied on a small scale in an underground coal mine. Observations showed that plaster reacted with pyrite, increasing the porosity of the lining material upon exposure to water, which is ubiquitous in underground mines. However, a 7-8 mm thick application of the cement plus fly ash plus water mixture proved impermeable to air and maintained its structure in underground mine conditions. The cement and fly ash mixture was then applied to some hazardous areas on a larger scale. When the investigations were completed, the lining material was applied in new development drifts that had been driven into the coal at the Omerler underground mine.

Keywords : spontaneous combustion; coal fire; lining material; coating.

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