Location
Rolla, Missouri
Session Dates
11 Jun 1999 - 17 Jun 1999
Keywords and Phrases
Flammable Gas; Gold Mines; Platinum Mines; Accidents; Ignitions; Contraband
Abstract
Flammable gas emissions are relatively common and widespread across the South African gold and platinum mines, but a general lack of awareness has lead to an increase in flammable gas related accidents and fatalities over the last ten years. The gas is usually a mixture of hydrocarbons C1 to C4 with hydrogen, each in varying quantities, with methane and hydrogen predominant. The three most common causes leading to gas accidents are changes to the ventilation, lack of testing for gas, and contraband, with gas ignitions caused by contraband and illegal tampering with caplamps. Development work accounts for 70 percent of all accidents, with only 11 percent of all reported emissions in stopes.
Department(s)
Mining Engineering
Meeting Name
8th U.S. Mine Ventilation Symposium
Publisher
University of Missouri--Rolla
Document Version
Final Version
Document Type
Article - Conference proceedings
File Type
text
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Cook, A. P.; Meyer, C. F.; and Balt, K., "Flammable Gas Emissions in South African Gold and Platinum Mines Review of Incidents and Accidents" (1999). U.S. Mine Ventilation Symposium. 6.
https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/usmvs/8usmvs/8usmvs-theme3/6
Flammable Gas Emissions in South African Gold and Platinum Mines Review of Incidents and Accidents
Rolla, Missouri
Flammable gas emissions are relatively common and widespread across the South African gold and platinum mines, but a general lack of awareness has lead to an increase in flammable gas related accidents and fatalities over the last ten years. The gas is usually a mixture of hydrocarbons C1 to C4 with hydrogen, each in varying quantities, with methane and hydrogen predominant. The three most common causes leading to gas accidents are changes to the ventilation, lack of testing for gas, and contraband, with gas ignitions caused by contraband and illegal tampering with caplamps. Development work accounts for 70 percent of all accidents, with only 11 percent of all reported emissions in stopes.
