Monitoring Burning Coal Gangue Dump Based on the 3-D Thermal Infrared Model

Abstract

Coal gangue is the byproduct of coal mining and preparation. Due to its susceptibility to spontaneous combustion, it causes significant environmental hazards when piled up in open dumps. The fire not only harms the environment but also poses health risks to nearby residents. Therefore, accurately identifying the location and extent of the coal gangue dump fire is crucial for effective fire suppression. However, the clarity and precision of detection face challenges. This article proposes a novel technique that utilizes thermal infrared oblique photography captured by unmanned aerial vehicle to create three-dimensional (3-D) surface temperature field models of fire areas. In addition, batch preprocessing software is designed to standardize the temperature threshold and color distribution across each thermal infrared image, and the effects of different temperature thresholds are investigated. The article focuses on the spontaneous combustion area of the south coal gangue dump at the Antaibao open-pit mine in Shanxi Province. The findings demonstrate the rapid and precise reconstruction of the 3-D temperature field in the fire area, the elimination of pseudo-high-temperature areas, and the accurate identification of the fire within the coal gangue dump. This method facilitates effective fire suppression and controls measures for the burning coal gangue dump, reducing the associated risks.

Keywords

• Coal gangue dump
• fire detection
• spontaneous combustion
• thermal infrared
• three-dimensional (3-D)
• unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)