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Firefighting of subsurface coal fires with comprehensive techniques for detection and control: a case study of the Fukang coal fire in the Xinjiang region of China

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Abstract

Coal fires are global disasters, and China suffers the most serious coal fire disasters in the world. This paper introduces detailed detection and extinguishing methods for the wide range and complex coal fires at the No. 1 well in the Fukang mining area. First, the characteristics of the large and complex coal fire areas in the No. 1 well in the Fukang mining area are introduced, and 5 large fire areas are detected using the comprehensive detection range method, which detects fire areas before fire engineering practices are implemented. From the characteristics of this large-scale, complex coal fire, the zonal fire extinguishing scheme is formulated, designed, and applied, and the “shallow open fire stripping—construction of the boundary isolation zone—drilling and grouting in the deep fire area” series of events is utilized in the zonal fire extinguishing scheme. A new type of sodium silicate gel in compressive moisturizing plastic packing materials is used, an automatic grouting system is developed, and effective grouting processes are proposed, which can be adjusted according to the grouting effect analysis of the grouting parameters to determine the natural sedimentation and diffusion radius. After the construction was completed, the fire extinguishing effect was tested, revealing that the temperature in the fire zone cooled in a short time, and no subsequent heating phenomenon occurs. The method proposed in this paper provides guidance and a reference for other coal fires in the world.

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Acknowledgments

We appreciate the editor’s efforts and those of the anonymous reviewers who provided valuable comments and suggestions for our research.

Funding

This work was financially supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFC0801800) and the Beijing Natural Science Foundation (2174084), as well as the National Nature Science Foundation of China (51774291, 51864045).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Emergency Management and Safety Engineering, China University of Mining & Technology (Beijing), Beijing, China

    Bo Tan, Feichao Zhang, Hongyi Wei & Zhuangzhuang Shao

  2. China Coal Technology Engineering Group, Chongqing Research Institute, Chongqing, China

    Qingsong Zhang

Authors
  1. Bo Tan
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  2. Feichao Zhang
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  3. Qingsong Zhang
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  4. Hongyi Wei
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  5. Zhuangzhuang Shao
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Correspondence to Bo Tan.

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Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

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Tan, B., Zhang, F., Zhang, Q. et al. Firefighting of subsurface coal fires with comprehensive techniques for detection and control: a case study of the Fukang coal fire in the Xinjiang region of China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26, 29570–29584 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-06129-3

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