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Hot Surface Ignition of Liquid Fuels Under Ventilation

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Abstract

Mine equipment fires remain as one of the most concerning safety issues in the mining industry, and most equipment fires were caused by hot surface ignitions. Detailed experimental investigations were conducted at the NIOSH Pittsburgh Mining Research Division on hot surface ignition of liquid fuels under ventilation in a mining environment. Three types of metal surface materials (stainless steel, cast iron, carbon steel), three types of liquids (diesel fuel, hydraulic fluid, engine oil), four air ventilation speeds (0, 0.5, 1.5, 3 m/s) were used to study the hot surface ignition probability under these conditions. Visual observation and thermocouples attached on the metal surface were used to indicate the hot surface ignition from the measured temperatures. Results show that the type of metal has a noticeable effect on the hot surface ignition, while ventilation speed has a mixed influence on ignition. Different types of liquid fuels also show different ranges of ignition temperatures. Results from this work can be used to help understand equipment mine fires and develop mitigation strategies.

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Acknowledgements

Data from this manuscript had been presented at the 2022 SME Conference.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), 626 Cochran Mill Road, Pittsburgh, PA, 15236, USA

    Wei Tang, Davood Bahrami, Liming Yuan, Richard Thomas & John Soles

Authors
  1. Wei Tang
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  2. Davood Bahrami
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  3. Liming Yuan
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  4. Richard Thomas
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  5. John Soles
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Correspondence to Wei Tang.

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The findings and conclusions in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mention of any company or product does not constitute endorsement by NIOSH.

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Tang, W., Bahrami, D., Yuan, L. et al. Hot Surface Ignition of Liquid Fuels Under Ventilation. Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration 39, 961–968 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42461-022-00609-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42461-022-00609-w

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