Condition of ventilation of coal mines of Jharia basin (India)

Abstract

One of the promising areas of high quality coal mining in India is the Jharia basin.Till now in India a significant part of coal is mined by private companies. Creation and development of the state-owned industry implies equipping mines with advanced equipment and introduction of modern mining technology. At the same time, a great role should be played by ensuring safe working conditions, in particular, by improving ventilation of mines. Until 1952, Indian coal mines had no ventilation service. Lack of experience and a sufficient number of qualified personnel makes it difficult to solve the issues of ventilation of underground workings in practice at present. In order to outline measures for its improvement, we at the mines of the Jharia basin investigated the state of ventilation according to the data of air and depression surveys, studied the work of fan installations and developed measures for its improvement, determined the gas content of mines on methane and carbon dioxide, investigated the explosive properties of coal dust and the propensity of coal to spontaneous combustion. Finally, the safety regulations in force in India for coal mines are analyzed, taking into account the experience gained in the Soviet Union ...