Developments in Water Barriers to Stop Coal Dust Explosion

Water barriers are commonly used in coal mines as a means of protection against propagation of coal dust explosion. These are composed of containers in the form of plastic troughs. The amount of water, according to Polish regulations, is 200kg/m 2 of the gallery cross section in non-gassy seams and 400kg/m 2 in gassy ones. During transport about 20% of the containers are irreversibly damaged. The German company, Chemisch Technische Fabrikation Schulte, presents a solution in the form of plastic bags in place of troughs. These are easy to transport and the barrier construction is also very simple. This paper describes the test results of barriers built with water bags used to mitigate coal dust explosion. Such a barrier has been approved for use in mines since 1999 for wet galleries. It is also proved that such a barrier is cheaper than that made of plastic troughs. This new solution is becoming more and more popular in Polish coal mining.