Diesel engines for firedamp mines

Alain Czyz (1)

1 INERIS - Institut National de l'Environnement Industriel et des Risques

The diesel engine protection principles used in firedamp mines have remained practically unchanged since they were originally introduced into mines. The protection used is aimed at preventing excessive temperatures, flames, and sparks from appearing and preventing the transmission of combustion inside the engine into the atmosphere. All the regulations in force in most mining countries require the limiting of surface temperatures and exhaust gases, a more or less flameproof design for the engine and safety equipment, and the installation of flame arresting devices in the intake circuit and exhaust circuit. The old French mining regulations defined the requirements for the approval of liquid fuel locomotives in the ministerial order of 30th October 1961. A minimum length of 25 mm was required for the flameproof joints on the enclosures formed by the intake and exhaust Systems. The tests defined in this order had to prove that the endosures could withstand a pressure equal to 1.5 times the maximum pressure developed by a mixture of air and 9.8 % of methane and prevent transmission of the intemal combustion of a mixture of air and methane to the outside.

Keywords: MOTEUR DIESEL; ANTIDEFLAGRANT; EXPLOSIONS

Domains: Engineering Sciences [physics]

Alain Czyz. Diesel engines for firedamp mines. 25. Conférence Internationale des Instituts de Recherches sur la Sécurité dans les Mines, Sep 1993, Pretoria, South Africa. pp.73-5. ⟨ineris-00971874⟩