A review of coal mine fire extinguishment methods

Wherever coal mining occurs, so do coal seam and coal mine fires. Besides depleting non-renewable resources, coal fires create health hazards through venting of hot combustion gases and toxic fume emissions, create large surface cracks, fissures and other subsidence openings as the coal burns, trigger wildfires and have forced entire communities to be abandoned. Unfortunately, the same properties that make coal valuable as a fuel source make these fires extremely difficult to extinguish. Each coal fire is unique and the extinguishment method or combination of methods that offer the best opportunity for success will be a function of the local site conditions and length of time the fire has been burning. As a result, it is important to understand the specific instances or situations in which various mine fire abatement techniques have been successful. Equally as important, is a detailed understanding of the reasons or cause for failure under conditions and in situations for which the methods used were unsuccessful. To aid in this process, this paper provides an overview of coal mine fire extinguishment methods, their applicability to various active or inactive mining situations, and relative effectiveness based on published results where possible. This review can serve as an initial screening tool and also hopefully promote research into more reliable and cost-effective extinguishment methods.