Methane Monitoring in Coal Mines

Immediate detection of methane buildup or of sudden liberation of large quantities of methane in the face area is essential to avert disasters in coal mines. Proper timely detection and handling of methane have always presented problems in extremely gassy mines, and these problems have been magnified by present accelerated mining methods. Strict rules and regulations have been established by coal-mining companies, States, and the Federal Government, which provide for periodic inspections for methane in face areas when electrical equipment is working. Other provisions require the operator' to shut down electrical face equipment and change or adjust ventilation when more than 1.0 percent of methane is detected. Nevertheless, human failure to detect such conditions has been responsible for numerous ignitions arid explosions Recognizing this fact, Marling J. Ankeny, former Director of the Bureau of Mines, proposed in 1958 the development of an automatic methane-monitoring device. He envisioned such a device as being entirely dependable, capable of giving a warning when a predetermined concentration of methane in air is reached, and capable of deenergizing the equipment and rendering it inoperative when a dangerous concentration of methane is present in the air. Such a device has been developed by the Bureau of Mines Health and Safety Research and Testing Center in Pittsburgh, Pa.