Gas Testing Course

Lamp handling Certificate

GVTC Talcher Area

Mahanadi Coalfields Limited
GENERAL COMPOSITION OF ATMOSPHERIC
AIR / MINE INTAKE AIR

Pie Chart of Composition of Air (By Volume)

Oxygen Carbon Dioxide (0.03%)

(20.93%)

Nitrogen
(79.04%)
GENERAL COMPOSITION OF MINE AIR
(RETURN AIRWAY)

Reduction in Oxygen
content in return air –
Carbon Dioxide (0.36%) Methane (0.46%) Oxygen
(20.28%) - Breathing by workmen
- Blasting
- U/G fires
Nitrogen (78.90%) - Burning of lights
- Bacterial Action
- Gases given out from
Strata
VARIOUS TYPES OF DAMPS FOUND IN
U/G COAL MINE

- Black Damp
- Fire Damp
- White Damp
- Stink Damp
- After Damp
BLACK DAMP

CO2 + Excess Nitrogen

CO2 ranges from negligible to 20 %
Nitrogen ranges from 80 % to 100 % Generally Found at -
- Old Working
Physical Properties - Near Goaf area
- Dip Gallery
- Highly soluble with water - Sump Area
- Help in extinguishing fire - Floor of the seam
- Neither inflammable or noxious gas
- Colourless, Odourless & acidic in nature
- Do not mix with air easily
BLACK DAMP

Neither inflammable nor noxious

Reduction of Oxygen percentage at high Level of Black Damp

Physiological Effects
Black Damp (in %) Air (in %) Effects

O2 – 15% Rate of Breathing Doubled

25% 75%
CO2 – 3%
O2 – 12% More Frequent and Deeper Breathing
40% 60%
CO2 – 5%
O2 – 10% Panting, Headache & Face Turns Blue
50% 50%
CO2 – 6%
BLACK DAMP

DETECTION OF BLACK DAMP -

1. Safety Lamp
2. Air Sample Analysis
3. Multi-Gas Detector

PROTECTIVE MEASURES -
- Increase the Quantity of Air
- Use of unslaked lime in mines as it absorbs
Carbon Dioxide from Black Damp
- Installation of Wax Wall near the Goaf Area
Q- Which of the following is a Black Damp ?
(a) CO + Excess Nitrogen
(b) H2S + Excess Nitrogen
(c) CO2 + Excess Nitrogen
(d) CH4 + Excess Nitrogen

Answer – (C) CO2 + Excess Nitrogen

Q- Generally Black Damp is found at which level ?
(a) Near Roof Level
(b) Floor Level
(c) At Middle Level
(d) All of the above

Answer – (b) Floor Level

Q- Black Damp can be detected by which of these
following instruments ?
(a) Toximeter
(b) Hygrometer
(c) Methanometer
(d) Flame Safety Lamp

Answer – (d) Flame Safety Lamp

WHITE DAMP / CARBON MONOXIDE

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES –
• It is Colourless, Odourless, Tasteless and Non-irritating
• Specific Gravity – 0.967
• Combustible but does not support Combustion
• Hardly Soluble in Water
• In air, it burn with a light blue to CO2
• It forms an Explosive Mixture with air, when present
• In the range of 12 % to 75 % (by volume)
• Permissible Limit / Threshold Value – 50 PPM or 0.005 %
WHITE DAMP / CARBON MONOXIDE

FORMATION OF WHITE DAMP / CARBON MONOXIDE IN MINE –

• Oxidation of Coal & other carbonaceous matter
• Explosive / Blasting
• Spontaneous Combustion (Primary Source)
• Explosion (Fire Damp / Coal Dust)
• Underground Machineries (Air Compressor & Working of IC engines)
• Water Gas Explosion
WHITE DAMP / CARBON MONOXIDE

PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS –
• CO is a very poisonous gas & it’s affinity for the haemoglobin
• Of the blood is nearly 300 times more than that of Oxygen.
• If CO is present even in small quantities in the inhale air, it is very
difficult
• For the blood to absorb proper quantity of Oxygen to support life,
because of the formation of a stable Carboxy-haemoglobin when CO
reacts with haemoglobin.
• A person exposed to atmosphere containing CO may not know that
he is inhaling the poisonous gas unless he is equipped with a CO
detecting device.
WHITE DAMP / CARBON MONOXIDE

CO (in PPM) Physiological Effects

50 PPM Safe Limit

200 PPM Headache in 2 hours

400 PPM In 45 mins headache, possibility of collapse

In 30 min, severe headache, staggering of legs, mental
1200 PPM confusion, unconsciousness

2000 PPM In 10 mins, coma, mental confusion, unconsciousness

5000 PPM In 1 min, stoppage of respiration and death

WHITE DAMP / CARBON MONOXIDE

SOURCES OF EMISSION OF WHITE DAMP / CO –

• Old Workings
• Goaf Area
• Sealed-off Area (until the fire is extinguished)
• Near a leaky fire stoppings
• Blasting Zone
• After Damp
• Exhaust air of diesel locos
WHITE DAMP / CARBON MONOXIDE

DETECTION OF WHITE DAMP / CO BY –

• Munia Birds
(Banned by Govt. to use Munia birds for detecting CO
in coal mines since 1987)
• Chemical Analysis of Air
• Toximeter
• P.S Detector
• Hoolamite Detector
• Multi-Gas Detector
 WHITE DAMP / CARBON MONOXIDE
MUNIA BIRDS – Munia birds provide a simple method of detecting
CO in mine atmosphere and they are essential equipment of a rescue
team entering a mine after an explosion or fire, because they are affected
more quickly by the gas then human beings because they breathe
about
20 times faster.
TOXIMETER – Toximeter is a digit gas detecting instrument to measure the
concentration of CO.
Principle – The instrument is based on the principle of Electro-Chemical
sensor, by changing the electro-chemical sensor .
Ranges – 2 PPM to 200 PM

P.S. DETECTOR – It is based on the principle of Chemical reaction of gas

with a chemical compound to change its colour.
Ranges – 50 PPM to 1200 PPM
Q- At what % of CO can cause death in less than
1 hour ?
(a) 0.1 %
(b) 0.001 %
(c) 0.005 %
(d) 0.4 %

Answer – (d)
Q- What is the ignition temperature of CO?
(a) 1100 oF
(b) 1000 oF
(c) 1350 oF
(d) 1760 oF

Answer – (a)
Q- How CO can be detected ?
(a) Hygrometer
(b) Anemometer
(c) Toximeter
(d) Flame Safety Lamp

Answer – (c)
Q- Permissible Limit of CO ?
(a) 100 PPM
(b) 200 PPM
(c) 75 PPM
(d) 50 PPM

Answer – (d)
Q- What is the principal poisonous gas produced
by explosion or fire ?
(a) CH4
(b) H2S
(c) CO2
(d) CO
Answer – (d)
STINK DAMP / H2S (Hydrogen Sulfide)

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES –
• Specific Gravity – 1.17
• Threshold Limit – 7 PPM
• Highly Soluble in Water
• Colourless, Odour of Rotten Eggs
• More Poisonous than CO, but found in very small percentage in
mines
• Combustible but does not support Combustion
• When Mixed with air, it forms an explosive mixture
• The limits of inflammability being 4.3 and 45 % of H2S
• It burns in air with pale blue flame
STINK DAMP / H2S (Hydrogen Sulfide)

FORMATION –
Decay of Organic Matter and timber in standing water by old
working
in Areas of goaf fire and spontaneous heating some times
released from gas blower along with CH4 by action of acidic water
on sulphide ores
DETECTED BY -
• By smell of rotten eggs
• By Multi-Gas Detector
• By Chemical Analysis
• By Paper dipped in acetate of lead which will turn black
immediately
Q- What is the specific gravity of H2S ?
(a) 0.553
(b) 2.21
(c) 1.17
(d) 0.559

Answer – (c)
Q- Threshold limit of H2S ?
(a) 50 PPM
(b) 10 PPM
(c) 7 PPM
(d) 25 PPM

Answer – (c)
Q- What mine gas can be detected by its

odour H2S ?
(a) SO2
(b) H2S
(c) H2
(d) CO
Answer2 – (b)
AFTER DAMP

• This is a mechanical mixture of gases existing in a mine

after an explosion of fire damp or coal dust.

• It’s composition is extremely variable but usually includes

CO, CO2, Nitrogen & sometimes H2S & SO2, with very
small percentage of Oxygen.

• The percentage of CO & CO2 is much in excess of what is

normally found in a mine.

Talk 2
 C A R B O N D I O X I D E (Contd.)
Physiological Effects –
CO2(in %) Effects

Rate of Breathing Doubled

Produced in a mine by –
3% • Breathing by persons
• Slow Oxidation of Coal
Violent panting, headache, exhaustion
6% • Burning of FSL
Severe distress & endurable for few minutes.
• Decay of timber
10 % After half to one hour of work suffocation • Blasting
and unconsciousness • Gas out burst
• Mine fire and explosion
Loss of consciousness
15 % • Working of IC engine
Death after hours
25 %
Talk 2