Mosaic Potash Operations Refuge Stations

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MosaicPotash OperationsRefuge Stations
Esterhazy ColonsayFebruary, 2006
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Description of Permanent Stations

• A refuge station is an ordinary tunnel or drift
  in the mine that has both ends blocked off. 
• Sometimes, it is a dead-end drift that only has
  one end that needs to be sealed with a wall. 
• At Esterhazy, the enclosed area would usually be
  50 feet wide x 8 feet high x 200 feet long. 
• At Colonsay, the drifts are taller and narrower
  (10 or more high x 30 feet wide) and their
  refuge stations enclose at least that same length
  of drift (often more). 
• We always use two sealing walls about 10 feet
  apart
• The sealing walls may have a metal door or Velcro
  doorflap that lets people pass through and seal
  behind themselves. 

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Description of Permanent Stations

• Saskatchewan Mine Regulations 398 and 399
  (available at www.qp.gov.sk.ca) defines and
  requires two different types of refuge stations. 
• At least one primary refuge station must be
  provided in a mine excavated in solid host rock
  or made of steel, gas tight, clearly marked, etc.
  and equipped with
• at least 36 hours of breathable air for the
  number of workers expected,
• potable water,
• food,
• lights,
• first aid supplies,
• sanitation facilities,
• fire fighting equipment,
• an effective means of communication to surface
  and
• sufficient seating. 

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Description of Permanent Stations

•   Employers are also required to provide
  auxiliary refuge stations within reasonable
  distance of all locations where workers are
  expected to take refuge.  The auxiliary station
  must have
• 36 hours of air for the number of persons
  expected to be there
• potable water
• communication to surface and
• sufficient material to maintain the seal around
  the door of the refuge station.
• Although some refuge stations are equipped with
  compressed oxygen bottles, or compressed
  breathing air bottles, the 36 hours of
  breathable air can be provided by the rough rule
  of one cubic yard (meter) of air for one person
  for one hour.  10 people x 36 hours require
  minimum 360 cubic yards of air space a typical
  Esterhazy refuge station has about 3,000 cubic
  yards of air space. 

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Description of Permanent Stations

•   Employers are also required to provide
  auxiliary refuge stations within reasonable
  distance of all locations where workers are
  expected to take refuge.  The auxiliary station
  must have
• 36 hours of air for the number of persons
  expected to be there, potable water,
  communication to surface and sufficient material
  to maintain the seal around the door of the
  refuge station.
• Although some refuge stations are equipped with
  compressed oxygen bottles, or compressed
  breathing air bottles, the 36 hours of
  breathable air can be provided by the rough rule
  of one cubic yard (meter) of air for one person
  for one hour.  10 people x 36 hours require
  minimum 360 cubic yards of air space a typical
  Esterhazy refuge station has about 3,000 cubic
  yards of air space. 
• The Colonsay mine has 8 primary refuge stations,
  with 2 more planned, plus 4 portable units. 
  There is also material for 6 auxiliary refuge
  stations near the working faces.
• Esterhazy K1 and K2 mines have a total of 21
  refuge stations.

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Permanent Stations General View of Refuge Station
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Permanent Stations View of bathroom facilities
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Permanent Stations General View Opposite end
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Permanent Stations Refuge Station Entrance
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Permanent Stations View of airlock at entrance
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Descriptions of Portable Refuge Stations -
Colonsay

• The portable units at Colonsay were developed in
  response to the 2003 Mine Regulations which
  required refuge stations to support people for at
  least 36 hours. 
• Earlier home-made refuge stations that were used
  by some Saskatoon area mines became
  unacceptable. 
• Kevin Huber and the mine rescue group at Colonsay
  did a great deal of research and testing to
  develop and build a structure design that works
  and meets the criteria of the 2003 Mine
  Regulations. 
• Modeling by Dave Cisyk at Esterhazy and testing
  by the Colonsay team have shown that the limiting
  factors in refuge stations is not the amount of
  oxygen available
• Humans are always exhaling CO2 gas when they
  breathe and the CO2 will build to toxic levels
  long before the space runs out of oxygen.  
• Colonsay found that they had to stock and deploy
  soda lime to absorb the CO2 in the portable
  stations. 
• Humidity build-up was found to be quickly
  unbearable in the portable stations until
  de-humidifiers could be installed with sufficient
  battery power for 36 hours, and a way of
  disposing of the condensate from a gas tight
  chamber.

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Photographs of Portable Refuge Stations -
Colonsay

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Photographs of Portable Refuge Stations -
Colonsay

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Photographs of Portable Refuge Stations -
Colonsay

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Photographs of Portable Refuge Stations -
Colonsay

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Portable Refuge Stations - Colonsay

• A complete 28 page report on the Portable refuge
  station is available at Colonsay. Contact R.
  Bruce Fraser or Kevin Huber
• Note that we are not promoting this refuge
  station for other sites. It simply works well for
  Colonsay.