Gorniczy Agregat Gasniczy

Mechanism

The GAG unit emits carbon dioxide, nitrogen and water vapour. The gases lower the oxygen levels, suppressing fires, and forcing methane out of the mine. A unit is capable of pumping a volume of 25 m3/s, creating levels of less than 1% oxygen. When fully assembled, the unit is 12 metres long and weighs 2.5 tonnes. As of 2010, there were only three GAG units in the world – in Australia, the Netherlands and Ukraine . The "GAG" unit from the Netherlands is called Steamexfire.

Notable usage

GAG units have been used in Australia, most notably in 2000 at the Blair Athol Mine, Queensland, where one extinguished a 54-year-old coal fire. In 2003, a team from the Queensland Mine Rescue Service took a unit to West Virginia, where they successfully extinguished a 660 ft deep, two-month-old fire at Loveridge Mine, after ten days of continuous use. Queensland's unit was also transported to New Zealand in 2010 for use after the Pike River Mine disaster.

References

References

1. Gillies, Stewart. (November 2004). "Mine Fire Simulation in Australian Mines using Computer Software (Abstract)". Australian Coal Association Research Programme.
2. (24 November 2010). "Queensland deploys more mine rescue staff, equipment to New Zealand". Queensland Department of Mines & Energy.
3. (2005). "QMRS Projects". Queensland Mines Rescue Service.
4. (26 November 2010). "Third explosion 'won't set back recovery'". TVNZ.
5. Burke, Jessica. (26 November 2010). "Equipment Arrives to Extract Pike River Bodies". Australian mining.
6. (29 November 2010). "Qld team safe as blast rocks mine". APN.
7. Page, Douglas. (Aug 1, 2003). "Jet engine exhaust is the new weapon in mine fire suppression". Fire Chief.