- Author
-
Dalverny, L. E.
|
Chaiken, R. F.
|
Soroka, K. E.
- Title
- Calamity Hollow Mine Fire Project. Part 3. Instrumentation for Combustion Monitoring, Process Control, and Data Recording. (In 5 Parts)
- Coporate
- Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh, PA
- Report
-
RI 8862,
1984,
23 p.
- Keywords
-
mine fires
|
coal mines
|
capacitance
- Abstract
- The Bureau of Mines has demonstrated a new technological approach that utilizes controlled in situ combustion to bring fires in abandoned coal mines and waste banks under control. This report describes the instrumentation employed to continuously monitor combustion process control and combustion diagnostics during a full-scale field trial at the site of an abandoned coal mine fire. Conventional thermocouple thermometry proved sufficient, although occasionally, borehole probes were damaged above the sheathed section by hot strata. Strain guage transducers performed as well as capacitance-type transcucers for static pressure and flow measurements. Calibration of the strain gauge devices was simpler and less labor intensive. The major instrumentation problems encountered during the 4 months of continuous controlled combustion were with the gas-sampling and gas-conditioning assemblies. These suffered from corrosion and particulate damage engendered by combustion product condensates. Performance was improved by changing to porous metal filters and permeation tube dryers. The gas analyzers, employing nondispersive-infrared, paramagnetated properly when supplied with correctly conditioned samples. The report includes recommendations for enhancing sample conditioning, flow monitoring, and data acquisition.