Simulation study on the spread characteristics of fires and control measures in high-inclination belt conveyors

Abstract

Understanding the behavior of high-temperature smoke propagation in roadways during coal mine fires and evaluating control measures are crucial for enhancing safety. This study, based on a significant fire incident at Chongqing Songzao Coal Mine, utilized PyroSim software to model the affected roadway. The laws governing smoke propagation and changes in temperature and CO concentration after fires were simulated and analyzed. Furthermore, the efficacy of combined reverse wind and water spray measures in mitigating the adverse effects of smoke spread was examined. The results indicated that smoke emanated from the fire source and spreads with airflow to the 2# coal bunker of the machine head, bifurcating into left and right paths. Downstream monitoring points exhibited decreasing temperatures with increasing distance from the fire source, while the initial detection time of CO gas increased correspondingly. The combined measures of reverse wind and water spray effectively mitigated smoke reverse spread. Compared to using reverse wind alone, these measures reduced temperatures by 17 °C at the nearest A5 monitoring point to the fire source and reduced CO concentrations by 5200 ppm.

Keywords

• High inclination
• Belt fire
• Smoke spread
• Control measures
• Numerical simulation