Author ORCID Identifier
ORCID: 0000-0002-8326-2860
Abstract
Preventing the ignition of combustibles in an underground mine will be one of the decisive actions affecting the risk to mining personnel during a fire. This study focuses on the application of safety distances in underground hard rock mines, where a safety distance will ensure that the incipient heat flux upon the fuel surface will not be sufficient for ignition. No earlier study has been conducted on safety distances in underground mines, and where data from earlier fire experiments and studies were applied. Safety distances were calculated using empirical expressions, accounting for influencing parameters. It was found that safety distances varied very little with the longitudinal flow velocity. The mine drift height was found to have a larger impact due to occurring flame deflection. The safety distances for a site with flammable/combustible liquid or electrical cables were found to be higher for higher drift heights, caused by the other fuel items having higher critical heat fluxes, which are attained closer to the fire, where the flames are tilted closer to the fuel surface for a lower drift height. The tilting effect will decrease with increasing distance, and eventually, the heat flux values will be higher for a higher drift height.
Recommended Citation
Hansen, Rickard
(2025)
"Safety distances for fires in underground hard rock mines,"
Journal of Sustainable Mining: Vol. 24
:
Iss.
2
, Article 7.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.46873/2300-3960.1455
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
