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Old 05-07-2013, 02:20 PM
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Coquet Coquet is offline
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Underground fires in coal are caused by spontaneous combustion, often in the 'goaf' (waste area after the bulk of the coal has been extracted) it can spread into the coal seam proper and is very difficult to extinguish.

Low level oxidation of coal and timber underground goes on all the time, and can produce pockets of CO2 which you can wander into blissfully unaware and drop down dead.

At Ellington I carried a CO2 detector when sent into old workings to check on pumps etc. I say CO2 detector but they were in fact oxygen detectors - when the oxygen level falls below a certain percentage it would alarm and that was time to turn around and head in the other direction an inform an official. (Reducing oxygen levels in the mine environment means rising CO2)

So in a mine you have this full range of oxidation right up to full blown coal seam fires. An intermediate stage is called a 'heating' signalled by higher levels of combustion gases in the mine atmosphere telling us that runaway combustion is imminent, and action must immediately be taken. The general strategy in fighting these fires is to isolate the area by building concrete "stoppings" in all the access tunnels to cut off the air supply. The area is lost - and sometimes the mine! (Lynemouth Colliery fire).


Broomhill must have had a heating or fire at one time, and it's this sealed off district you recall?
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