MATRIC is investigating a new technology concept for providing breathable air to miners who may be trapped for extended periods after a mine accident.

In emergency situations resulting from fire within a mine, oxygen in the air is consumed to feed the fire. In some cases, the oxygen remaining in the air drops to levels too low to sustain life. In addition, toxic carbon monoxide may be generated by the fire.

Current technology for use by miners in these situations relies on a closed breathing system that generates a one-hour supply of oxygen. Since it may take many hours for a successful rescue attempt, it is necessary to store a considerable number of these devices at locations in the mine to ensure a continuing supply of breathable air.

The concept being investigated by MATRIC follows a different approach that does not rely on consumable oxygen supplies. Instead, this technology uses the low levels of oxygen remaining in the depleted air and selectively enriches the oxygen until it reaches a breathable concentration. At the same time, undesirable gases such as carbon monoxide would be separated or destroyed. New catalytic systems for CO destruction are the focus of a separate investigation, and they could be incorporated into the device.

MATRIC's approach to oxygen enrichment uses novel separation techniques that have been demonstrated in home use applications for medical patients with lung disorders. The low power requirements could be supplied by batteries or by a mechanical source.

“The goal of this work is to develop a user-friendly and economical solution,” says Dr. George Keller, who is leading this effort. “It is clear that this technology can produce breathable air and could save lives when other supplies would have been exhausted.”

MATRIC life scientists and engineers are developing a system to perform vital sign tracking in the life-critical domain of mining operations.

The system being developed will track not only individual miners’ vital signs, but also environmental factors that could impact their safety and health. The tracking system will be portable and ergonomically-efficient to assess the real-time conditions and, when appropriate, annunciate alarms related to specific measurements.

The measurement and analysis of real-time telemetry is quite robust in other industries; however, no single system provides the level of data fusion that MATRIC engineers have envisioned. Human physiological telemetry that would be measured might include temperature, pulse rate, respiratory rate, blood oxygen saturation level, and movement monitors. Oxygen availability, temperature, humidity, and harmful gas levels are examples of environmental telemetry that could be measured and would be localized to each working miner.

MATRIC believes that life-critical information concerning the safety and health of each miner should be available to mining management and supervisors in a real-time capacity. These plans include development of a functioning prototype for full MSHA evaluation.

The National Mining Association (NMA) is the voice of the American mining industry in Washington, D.C. NMA is the only national trade organization that represents the interests of mining before Congress, the Administration, federal agencies, the judiciary and the media.

http://www.nma.org/