All About Mining Gases

Before we begin talking about the Mining Gases, let us briefly understand what mining or quarrying is. It is simply the process of extracting valuable minerals from the undergrounds of our planet. Mining is a crucial activity, we even get coal owing to the same. Coal is essential to our being and working as it is used for electricity production. For example, industries related to cement and steel use coal to extract iron from rock and make cement. There has been lots of changes and technological advancements over the years. It all started with men digging tunnels to extract coal from carts. Going through all of it, we now have large open-cut mines to the long-wall mines. To reach this scale, modern mining requires trucks, trucks, draglines and conveyors. Apart from that, mining also leads to the extraction of a lot of other important things. So, mining should be undertaken carefully.

Underground mining requires underground miners to work in tight spaces. This can be dangerous because of the methane (CH4) that is found in mine gases.

Mine Gas is a natural product resulting from the geochemical conversion of organic substances into Coal (during carbonisation). Apart from Oxygen, Nitrogen, Carbon Dioxide and Methane, it also contains carbon monoxide (CO), which is possible to produce in large quantities by blasting operations.

Mine gas can be found in liberated gas (in cracks) or absorbed gas beneath the coal’s surface. Mining operations can release mine gas. Because of its flammability, this can be dangerous. If it is mixed with air, it can ignite and explode. Since it is a naturally produced gas, it is inevitable to get rid of it. The better option is to take necessary precautions to avoid the ill effects of the same. Here comes into the scene: the gas sensors.

What are the benefits of using gas sensors in mining?

Methane is a hazardous gas so the mining industry uses gas sensing in order to reduce explosion risk.

Monitoring methane levels in stale mine-air allow for ventilation control. Our sensors can be used for monitoring air below the lower explosive limit. Our OEM products can be integrated into equipment approved for monitoring mine exhaust gases or similar applications.

• This application note provides more information on methane sensing for coal mining using our gas sensors.

This post was written by Justin Tidd, Director at Becker Mining Communications! For over 15 years, Becker Communications has been the industry’s leader in Gas Monitoring System and electrical mining communication systems. As they expanded into surface mining, railroads, and tunnelling they added wireless communication systems, handheld radios, tagging and tracking systems, as well as gas monitoring.