A Study of Pillar Fire Problems to Categorise Pillars in Coal Mines with Respect to Their Susceptibility to Spontaneous Combustion

Bord and pillar method of mining contributes 80 percent of underground coal production in India. Pillar fire is a major problem in some coal seams worked by this method. In order to avoid such problems, the authors are carrying out a study funded by Ministry of Coal, Government of India, to categorise the pillars with respect to their fire risk, so that proper actions can be initiated well in advance to prevent the occurrence of such fires. The paper presents the basis of selection of experimental pillars in mines, two stages of development of gas sampling set-up for studying the blackdamp content in pillars and results of the study carried out in one experimental pillar of South Samla Colliery, Eastern Coalfields Ltd (ECL).