METHANE GAS EXPLOSION MODELING ANALYSIS WITH A CONCENTRATION BETWEEN 9% TO 15% IN THE HORIZONTAL TUNNEL OF LABORATORY SCALE USING NUMERICAL SIMULATION

• Main Author: Baharuddin Yusup, Muhammad
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/51502
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

The explosion of methane gas and coal dust is one of the biggest disasters in the mining world and can cause many casualties, especially for mining workers and of course detrimental to the mining company itself. Methane gas can explode easily in air when its in a concentration of 5% to 14% and if there is a dangerous explosive trigger such as sparks, electricity and others (Cowards and Jones 1952). This study aims to model and analysis the explosion process due to methane gas in underground mines and to analysis the results of the explosion which have an effect on the explosion caused by methane gas. The horizontal tunnel model is in the form of closed beam with dimensions of 164 cm long, 19 cm wide and 25 cm high. The methane gas explosion modelling simulation carried out using several variations in the concentration of methane gas from 9,5% - 14% and the spark ignition trigger is a high voltage electric trigger with an energy of 3 kJ and duration 2 ms. The results of this study are 1) The modelling results of the explosion due to methane gas in underground mines at laboratory scale indicates that an explosion can occur if there is methane gas with a volume composition of 9,5% to 14% reacting with oxygen at a volume composition of 18% to 19% accompanied by a source of the trigger for an explosion at a certain point. 2) The simulation results that affect the occurrence of explosions due to methane gas in underground mines at laboratory scale are temperature, pressure, time, distance and heating value. The temperature values for the volume concentration of methane gas 9,5%, 10%, 12% and 14% respectively are 2219.64 K, 2216.39 K, 2214.31 K and 2212.84 K. As for the pressure values respectively according to 611,671.65 Pa, 610,927.50 Pa, 605,816.28 Pa and 606,172.01 Pa. In time, the pressure and temperature will tend to decrease after the methane gas explosion occurs. The farther measurement point is from the spark ignition point (10 cm from the starting end of the model), the smaller temperature and pressure values will be. The highest heating value is at the methane gas concentration of 9,5% namely 291,902.29 J and will tend to decrease if it exceeds the concentration value with the heating value for methane concentrations of 10%, 12% and 14% respectively 250,541.84 J, 247,441.16 J and 245,334.08 J.