A brief overview of development in the use of indicator gases for coal spontaneous combustion and prospects for further solution

Abstract

One of the most serious risks associated with mining using mainly underground methods is the risk of mine fires. Causes of these fires can be exogenous (external) or endogenous (internal). The authors of the article pay attention to endogenous fires in coal mines, especially to the timely indication of them. As already mentioned in many contributions, spontaneous combustion is a complicated process that passes, in the final stage, into a mine open fire. The localization of a place of such danger can be done by means of so-called indicator gases that are desorbed from the coal substance at a point of the originating seat of spontaneous combustion. The article deals with a development trend in the use of indicator gases for spontaneous combustion in coal mining. The objective of the authors was to arrange chronically and briefly knowledge of the use of indicator gases both abroad and in the Czech Republic and to provide input information about a research project being dealt with at present.