Modeling of Multifunctional Gas-Analytical Mine Control Systems and Automatic Fire Extinguishing Systems
Elena Ovchinnikova, Yuriy Kozhubaev, Zhiwei Wu, Aref Sabbaghan, Roman Ershov
Abstract
With the development of the mining industry, safety issues in underground operations are becoming increasingly relevant. Complex gas conditions in mines, including the presence of explosive and toxic gases, pose a serious threat to the lives of miners and the stability of production processes. This paper describes the development and modeling of an integrated fire monitoring and automatic extinguishing system that combines gas collection, concentration analysis, and rapid response to emergencies. The main components of the system include the following: a gas collection module that uses an array of highly sensitive sensors to continuously measure the concentrations of methane (CH4), carbon monoxide (CO), and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) with an accuracy of up to 95%; a gas analysis module that uses data processing algorithms to identify gas concentration threshold exceedances (e.g., CH4 > 5% vol. or CO > 20 ppm); and an automatic fire extinguishing module that activates nitrogen supply, ventilation, and aerosol/powder fire extinguishers when a threat is detected. Simulation results in MATLAB/Simulink showed that the system reduces the concentration of hazardous gases by 30% within the first 2 s after activation, which significantly increases safety. Additionally, scenarios with various types of fires were analyzed, confirming the effectiveness of the extinguishing modules in mines up to 500 m deep. The integrated system achieves 95% gas detection accuracy, 90 ms response latency, and 40% hazard reduction within 3 s of activation, verified in 500 m deep mine simulations. Quantitative comparison shows a 75% faster response time and 10% higher detection accuracy than conventional systems. The proposed system demonstrates high reliability in difficult conditions, reducing the risk of fires by 75% compared to traditional methods. This work opens up prospects for practical application in the coal industry, especially in regions with a high risk of spontaneous coal combustion, such as India and Germany.