ABSTRACT
Pillar fires are quite common in most of the coal producing countries—which call for special attention and modus operandi to deal with it. The volume of ventilating air flowing past affected pillar in main or, in sub main entry, may dilute the combustion products to an extent as to miss its detection at an early stage of heating. Pillars of the highly susceptible coal seams, particularly with crushed surfaces or fractured cleats and/or having geological disturbances/having ball coal or line of slip—are all vulnerable to endogenous heating for obvious reasons. Creeping in of air within the pillars are facilitated from ventilation pressure differential across its faces and presence of cracks and fissures, etc. due to abutment pressure/geological disturbances and such other causes. Gel Infusion within crushed and heated coal massive would not only cool it, but also create an air impermeable layer with cushioning effect, to take care of strata movement to a reasonable degree.
