ABSTRACT

Coal fires around the world are challenging and recurrent problems anywhere coal is being mined, processed, stored and transported. Coal spontaneous combustion (SPONCOM) is the reason behind most of these fires. Therefore, when taking preventive actions against the risk of coal fires, it is essential to evaluate their degree of liability to avoid the loss of valuable and unrenewable resources acquired by the mine. The self-heating characteristics of coal is an issue that concerns the mining industry not only in South Africa but also in many other countries. This study reports the database of SPONCOM liability of 442 coal samples collected at various coalfields in South Africa between 2010 and 2020 using the Wits-Ehac testing method. The Wits-Ehac test results were found to match with the reports from the Coalfields. Out of the 442 coal samples evaluated, 11 samples had low liability values, 306 samples had moderate liability values, while 125 samples had high liability. The system for classifying the liability of coal samples toward SPONCOM in this study is very generic, works well for coalfields in South Africa and would be useful for planners and field engineers to take corrective steps in advance to prevent mine fires from occurring.

摘要

世界各地的煤火在煤炭开采、加工、储存和运输的任何地方都是具有挑战性和反复出现的问题。煤自燃 (SPONCOM) 是大多数火灾的原因。因此，在对煤火风险采取预防措施时，必须评估其责任程度，以避免煤矿获得的宝贵和不可再生资源的损失。煤炭的自热特性是一个不仅在南非而且在许多其他国家都与采矿业有关的问题。本研究报告了使用 Wits-Ehac 测试方法在 2010 年至 2020 年间在南非各个煤田采集的 442 个煤样的 SPONCOM 责任数据库。发现 Wits-Ehac 测试结果与 Coalfields 的报告相符。在评估的 442 个煤样中，11 个样品属于低责任值，306 个样品属于中等责任值，125 个样品属于高责任值。本研究中用于对 SPONCOM 的煤样责任进行分类的系统非常通用，适用于南非的煤田，并且有助于规划人员和现场工程师提前采取纠正措施以防止发生矿井火灾。