FIRE IN MINE

Grahams ratio is often expressed as

100 COf
GR
0.265 N 2 f O 2 f

Where:
GR = Grahams ratio

COf
= final carbon monoxide concentration (%)

N2f
= final nitrogen concentration (%)

O2 f
= final oxygen concentration (%)

Where Co N and O are the percentages of the gases present at any given time in a simple of air
coming from the suspected area in a mine. Every mine and every panel has it own typical value
or norm for the make of carbon monoxide depending on oxidation of the coal and the condition
in which it is mined. any analysis showing a higher value than the norm determined should be
immediate invertigation underground. typical values of the carbon monoxide / oxygen deficiency
ratio for underground coal mines are given below:
0,4 or less normal value
0,5 neccesity for a thorough check-up
1,0 heating is almost certain
2,0 heating is serious, with or without the presense of active fire
3,0 active fire surely exists

The build up of methane percentage in the a ir depends upon the cross sectional area of the pipe,
the percentage of gas in the pipe and the cross sectional area of the roadway, and can be
calculated using the following relationship

Where:

= increase in the percentage of methane in the pipe

CCH = percentage of methane in the pipe
4

A = cross-sectional area of the roadway

d = diameter of the pipe
p = vacuum in the pipe range
The length of this increased methane column is equal to the length of the broken
pipe

The minimum flow rate of air required over a fire zone must be calculated using
triangle. However, sometimes a quick calculation can be made using the following
equation:
Qam = Qg (100 LL)/LL CCH
4

Qg = Qacg/100
Where:
Qam = Minumum air volume flow rate, m3/minute
LL = Lower limit explosibility of the mixture flowing over the seat of the fire as
determined by analysis, %.
c
CH4 = initial concentration of inflammable
Qg = Volume flow rate of inflammable
Cg = sum total of the percentage of the inflammbel gases
Qa = Volume flow rate of air over the fire zone, m 3/minute.