Citation

Yuan L, Thomas RA, Rowland JH, Zhou L. Process. Saf. Environ. Prot. 2018; 119: 69-74.

Affiliation

Pittsburgh Mining Research Division, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), 626 Cochrans Mill Road, Pittsburgh, PA, 15236, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Institution of Chemical Engineers and European Federation of Chemical Engineering, Publisher Hemisphere Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.psep.2018.07.022

PMID

30197471

PMCID

PMC6124489

Abstract

With the increased use of mobile diesel-powered equipment in underground mines, the fire risk posed by underground diesel fuel storage areas is a concern. To reduce the risk associated with the storage and transfer of large quantities of diesel fuel in permanent underground mine storage areas, an experimental study was conducted to investigate the responses of different sensors for early detection of diesel fuel fires in a storage area. Fire sensors tested in this study were four carbon monoxide (CO) sensors, two smoke sensors, and one flame sensor. A series of fire tests were conducted in the NIOSH Safety Research Coal Mine, Bruceton, PA, using various fire sizes at different ventilation airflow velocities and fire locations. Response times for different sensors were analyzed, and the results suggest that the flame sensor and smoke sensors resulted in shorter response times in most tests compared to the CO sensors. Based on the test results, the appropriate sensor locations for early fire detection in a diesel fuel storage area were identified. The results of this study can help mining companies to select appropriate fire sensors for underground diesel fuel storage areas and improve the deployment of these sensors to ensure the safety of underground miners.

Language: en

Keywords

Carbon monoxide sensor; Diesel fuel storage; Fire detection; Flame sensor; Smoke sensors; Ventilation