ABSTRACT
Equipment fires caused by hot surface ignition of leaked oil in mines can be a serious safety concern to miners and mining operations. A water spray fire extinguishing system is an effective and economical means of fire extinguishment in the suppression of flammable liquid pool and spray fires. This paper investigated numerically the effectiveness of water spray systems on suppressing leaked oil fires. The parameters studied include ventilation air velocity, spray droplet size, and spray flow rate. Results from the study indicate that ventilation can be an effective side measure to reduce the fire temperature, with the optimal sprinkler droplet size at around 300 or 400 µm for the size of fire studied. Water flow rate also has a significant effect on fire suppression. The results can be used to design effective suppression techniques for mine equipment fire
