Belt Air Federal Advisory Committee Briefing

1
Belt Air Federal Advisory Committee Briefing

• Ronald Reagan Building
• Washington, DC
• January 9-10, 2007

2
Historical Background of Belt Air Rule

• 1985 Ventilation Rule Pre-proposal included use
  of belt air
• 1988 Proposed Ventilation Rule included use of
  belt air Six public hearings
• 1989 MSHA Belt Entry Ventilation Review Committee
  reports Belt Air can be used safely with
  precautions
• 1990 Belt- Air Hearing takes place in Reston,
  Virginia

3
Historical Background of Belt Air Rule (cont.)

• 1991 Secretary of Labor forms Federal Advisory
  Committee on Belt Air
• 1992 Final ventilation rule excludes Belt Air,
  defers to Advisory committee which concludes that
  Belt Air can be used to safely ventilate working
  faces provided certain conditions are met
• Belt-Air Rulemaking is placed on the Regulatory
  Agenda in 1992

4
Advantages of Belt Air Use

• It allows quicker detection of combustion
• It represents a potential cost savings for new
  mines because fewer entries would be needed,
  resulting in lower mining and ventilation costs
• Increases the efficiency of the ventilation
  system
• It can allow for greater quantities of air at the
  face
• When used to increase the total quantity of air,
  it dilutes methane and respirable dust

5
Belt Air Course Ventilation 75.350

• Belt air course cannot be used as a return air
  course.
• Retains requirements for separation from intake
  and return entries with permanent ventilation
  controls.
• Allows use of belt air to ventilate sections as
  long as certain requirements are met.

6
Belt Air Usage Requirements

• Install, operate, examine, and maintain
  Atmospheric Monitoring System (AMS) per
  requirements in 75.351
• Training requirements
• Establish designated areas for dust monitoring
• Monitor primary escapeway for CO or smoke
• Sections must be developed with three or more
  entries

7
(No Transcript)
8
(No Transcript)
9
Point Feeding 75.350(c)

• Permitted with the following precautions
• Monitoring of point feed for CO or smoke
• Monitoring belt air course for CO or smoke
• Means to remotely close point-feed regulator
• Minimum velocity through point feed
• Location approved in mine ventilation plan
• AMS installed, operated, examined, and maintained

10
Atmospheric Monitoring System 75.351

• (a) AMS Operation
• Establishes when an AMS must be operated and
  when a designated AMS operator is on duty
• (b) Designated surface location and AMS operator
• 1. Requires mine operator to designate surface
  location
• 2. Specifies duties and location of AMS
  operator
• 3. Requires schematic (map) of sensor locations
• 4. Requires names and method to contact key
  personnel

11
Atmospheric Monitoring System 75.351

• 75.351 (c) minimum operating requirements
• 1. Requires automatic signals on surface for
  malfunctions
• 2. Requires automatic alert signal on surface
• 3. Requires automatic alarm signal on surface,
  at sections, and at other locations per approved
  program of instruction
• 4. Requires system to identify operational
  status of all AMS sensors

12
Atmospheric Monitoring System 75.351

• 75.351 (d) location and installation of AMS
  sensors
• 1. Addresses specific location within entry
• 75.351 (e) location of sensors belt air course
• 1. Specific location and spacing requirements
  (1000 ft)
• 2. Permits lower velocities with reduced
  spacing (350 ft)
• 3. District manager may require additional
  sensors

13
Atmospheric Monitoring System 75.351

• 75.351 (f) location of sensors primary
  escapeway
• 1. CO sensors required within 500 ft of section
• 2. CO sensors required within 500 ft of
  beginning of panel
• 75.351 (g) location of sensors return air
  splits
• 1. Addresses location of methane sensors
• 75.351 (f) location of sensors electrical
  installations
• 1. Requires specific locations for CO and smoke
  sensors installed to comply with 75.340

14
Atmospheric Monitoring System 75.351

• 75.351 (i) establishing alert and alarm levels
• 1. Establishes alert and alarm levels for
  methane, CO, and smoke sensors
• - for methane 1.0 and 1.5 percent
• - for CO 5 and 10 ppm
• - for smoke optical density of 0.022 per meter
• 75.351 (j) establishing CO ambient levels
• 1. Method and level approved in ventilation plan

15
Atmospheric Monitoring System 75.351

• 75.351 (k) installation and maintenance
• 1. Requires system to be installed and
  maintained by trained personnel and maintained in
  proper operating condition
• 75.351 (l) sensors
• 1. NRTL or Secretary Approval
• 75.351 (m) time delays
• 1. Permits time delays to be used up to three
  minutes if a demonstrated need exists
• 2. Approved in ventilation plan

16
Atmospheric Monitoring System 75.351

• 75.351 (n) examination, testing, and calibration
• 1. Visual exam of system required each shift
• 2. Functional test of alarms required every
  seven days
• 3. Calibration of sensors required every 31
  days
• - In accordance with manufacturer specs
• - Concentration sufficient to activate alarms
• - Cal gas certified traceable to NIST standard

17
Atmospheric Monitoring System 75.351

• 75.351 (o) recordkeeping
• 1. Records required for
• - Alerts and alarms, malfunctions, seven-day
  test, calibrations, maintenance performed
• 2. Person entering record must include
• - Name, title, date, and signature
• 3. Establishes AMS Log
• - Can be book or computer file
• 75.351 (p) retention period
• 1. One year available to miners and MSHA

18
Atmospheric Monitoring System 75.351

• 75.351 (q) training
• 1. AMS operators must be trained annually
• 2. Record must be maintained for one year
  including
• - Content of training
• - Person conducting training
• - date of training
• 75.351 (r) communications
• 1. A voice communication system and the AMS
  system must be installed in separate entries

19
Required Responses 75.352 (a)

• 75.352 (a) (1) alerts
• 1. Notification of appropriate personnel by AMS
  operator
• 75.352 (a) (2) alarms
• 1. Notification of appropriate personnel
  including miners working on working sections and
  other locations

20
Required Responses 75.352 (b)

• 75.352 (b) (1) alerts
• 1. Identify sensor and initiate investigation
• 75.352 (b) (2) alarms
• 1. Identify sensor and initiate investigation
  initiate fire fighting and evacuation procedures

21
Required Responses 75.352 (c) and (d)

• 75.352 (c) methane sensors
• 1. identify sensor
• 2. examination
• 3. actions required under 75.323
• 75.352 (d)
• 1. Immediate actions to return system to proper
  function
• 2. Establishes procedures to manually monitor
  belt air course while continuing belt operation

22
Ventilation Plan Requirements 75.371

• Add six requirements subject to ventilation plan
  approval
• Designated area (DA)
• Location of point-feed regulators
• Additional CO sensors in belt air course if
  required
• Time delays
• Reduced alert and alarm settings
• Alternate instrument alert and alarm levels for
  monitoring under 75.352

23
Mine Ventilation Map 75.372

• Location and type of all required AMS sensors

24
Escapeways 75.380

• Addresses the use of point feeding

25
Costs

• The belt air rule is an alternative means of
  compliance as such, it is almost of necessity a
  cost savings to the mining industry
• Cost savings primarily from
• Reduced air horsepower requirements
• Delaying some shaft sinking costs
• Eliminating costs of filing and litigating
  petitions for modification of the existing
  standard

26
Safety Benefit

• This rule requires the use of technologically
  superior AMS
• These systems provide early-warning fire
  detection
• This capability will save lives and mine property
• Using belt air with AMS fire detection technology
  can provide mine operators with ultimate cost
  savings the detection of fires before
  significant damage occurs possibly avoiding
  costs of sealing and mine recovery or permanent
  mine closure due to a serious fire.

27
Overview of Compliance Guide

• Belt Air

28
Introduction

• The rule allows all mine operators the option of
  using belt air as intake air
• As of June 1, 2004, all granted petitions for
  modification (except in mines using two entries)
  to use belt air were superceded by this rule

29
Who can be an AMS operator?

• The AMS operator must be properly trained and be
  knowledgeable about the operation of the AMS
  according to 75.351 (q)
• The AMS operators performance is critical in
  safely using belt air to ventilate working
  sections and setup and removal areas

30
Who are appropriate personnel?

• Appropriate personnel will be different
  individuals depending on the type of signal and
  the location where the signal originates

31
What is a belt air course?

• The entry in which a belt is located and any
  adjacent entry not separated from the belt entry
  by permanent ventilation controls, including any
  entrees in series with the belt entry,
  terminating at a return regulator, a section
  loading point, or the surface

32
What is the carbon monoxide ambient level?

• The average concentration of carbon monoxide
  detected in an air course
• This average is representative of the composition
  of the mine atmosphere over a period of mining
  activity during non-fire conditions
• Separate ambient levels may be established for
  different areas

33
What is point feeding?

• The process of providing additional intake air to
  the belt air course from another intake air
  course through a regulator
• A minimum air velocity of 300 fpm must be
  maintained through the point-feed regulator
• The use and location of all point feeds must be
  approved in the ventilation plan

34
Point Feed Example
35
How are the detection systems and fire
suppression systems treated in this rule?

• 30 CFR 75.350 (a)(2) requires that air velocities
  must be compatible with all fire detection
  systems and fire suppression systems used in the
  belt entry

36
Sensor Spacing
37
Alert and Alarm Levels and Ambient Levels

• All alert and alarm levels are set at 5 and 10
  ppm above the ambient level
• The MSHA District Manager may require lower
  levels depending upon local mine conditions
• Use of diesel-discriminating sensors will reduce
  alerts and alarms caused by diesel equipment

38
Time Delays

• Time delays are permitted when a demonstrated
  need exists and the delay is approved in the mine
  ventilation plan
• Determination of the length of time delays is
  dependent upon conditions at the mine
• In any case, the maximum time delay allowed is
  three minutes

39
AMS Sensors, Examination, Testing, and Calibration

• Visual examinations once each shift
• Records of hazardous conditions found must be
  kept
• All alarms functionally tested once every seven
  days
• Functional test requires calibration gas be
  applied to activate alarms
• Any other method used must be equally effective
• The AMS operator must be notified prior to
  testing, calibration, or alarm activation

40
AMS Sensors, Examination, Testing, and Calibration

• The AMS operator must notify miners on the
  affected sections
• Calibration intervals not to exceed 31 days
• Calibration gas must be traceable to NIST
  standards
• Calibration gas must be within () or (-) 2.0
  percent of the indicated gas concentration
• Calibration and testing must be performed by
  properly trained persons

41
Recordkeeping Requirements

• Computer printouts
• Hand-written notations
• Pre-printed forms
• Electronic records
• Record must not be susceptible to alteration
• Record must be kept separately from other records
  and identified as the AMS Log
• Retain records for at least one year at a surface
  location at the mine and made available for
  inspection by miners and authorized
  representatives of the Secretary

42
Actions in Response to AMS Signals

• AMS operator must immediately respond to AMS
  signals and notify appropriate personnel
• In addition, in the event of an alarm from a
  single sensor or an alert from two consecutive
  sensors, the AMS operator must immediately notify
  appropriate personnel which may include the
  responsible person
• Affected underground personnel must be withdrawn
  to a safe location as identified in the program
  of instruction required under 75.1502
• Actions must be appropriate for the type of
  signal received

43
Thank you

• Michael G Kalich
• Senior Mining Engineer
• MSHA