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Mining & ExplosivesMine Ventilation & Exploration
Twenty flashcards on how air moves through a mine and how a rescue team advances from the fresh air base.
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20 cards
- What is the purpose of mine ventilation?
- To bring enough air to disperse and remove harmful gases, dust, smoke and fumes, and to supply oxygen.
- What basic principle makes air flow through a mine?
- Air always moves from high pressure to low pressure, so the exhaust must be at lower pressure than the intake.
- When shafts are the two main airways, what are they called?
- The intake is the downcast shaft and the exhaust is the upcast shaft.
- Why is the main fan guarded during a rescue?
- So it keeps running continuously and nobody changes its operation without orders from the command center.
- What do bulkheads (stoppings) do?
- They direct air through the mine and keep intake air from short-circuiting to the exhaust before it reaches the workings.
- What is a regulator?
- A device that controls and adjusts the quantity of airflow in the mine.
- Can a rescue team change the ventilation on its own?
- Never; ventilation is altered only on direct orders from the command center.
- Name the dangers of altering ventilation without authorization.
- It can push deadly gases toward survivors, drive explosive gases over a fire, feed the fire, or change the air at the fresh air base.
- When do you use a smoke tube?
- To find the direction and velocity of slow air, below 120 feet per minute.
- What air speeds do anemometers measure?
- A regular anemometer covers 120 to 2,000 feet per minute; a high-velocity one, 2,000 to 10,000.
- When is an air lock needed?
- When opening a door or bulkhead with unknown conditions behind it, or a refuge chamber or barricade in irrespirable air.
- What is the fresh air base?
- The base of operations and starting point for rescue and recovery work into irrespirable air.
- What does an underground fresh air base need?
- Positive ventilation, a fresh air supply, a travelway to the surface, and communications with the command center and the team.
- What are the three main duties of the fresh air base coordinator?
- Handle communications with the team and the command center, map the team's progress and findings, and oversee everyone at the base.
- What are the team's three priorities during exploration?
- First team safety, second the rescue of survivors, third the recovery of the mine.
- How are teams rotated during exploration?
- One team works, a backup team waits at the fresh air base, and a standby team is ready on the surface.
- What should you avoid before going under oxygen?
- Eating within one hour, and alcohol for at least 12 to 18 hours.
- What gas equipment must a mine rescue team have?
- Two detecting devices for each gas it may meet, two oxygen indicators, and a communication system.
- How does a team mark its route?
- On the way in, arrows at every turn pointing back to the fresh air base; on the way out, an X through each arrow.
- When does the captain order an immediate return to fresh air?
- Apparatus failure, ground that cannot be secured, an imminent explosion hazard, a fire that cannot be put out, or excessive water.
Official sources
Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), U.S. Department of Labor
MSHA 3027: Mine Rescue Team Training (Metal and Nonmetal), instructor guide
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