The Queensland Government’s Safety in Mines Testing and Research Station (Simtars) has developed a fully automated mobile mine gas laboratory that can be rapidly deployed in the event of a mine emergency.

 

The  $600,000 mobile mine gas laboratory can provide gas monitoring capabilities in a few hours. It is fully-automated, self-sufficient for power and communications, and can operate in remote locations for extended periods.

 

The laboratory can be accessed remotely via the internet, enabling operation and supervision by personnel off-site. Equipped with a 20-point tube bundle gas monitoring system and ultrafast gas chromatograph it can carry out continuous automated analysis of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide methane and oxygen levels at up to 20 monitoring locations at a mine.

 

The ultrafast gas chromatograph also extends the real time analysis capability to include hydrogen, nitrogen, ethylene, ethane and acetylene, providing critical information about gas concentrations, ratios and flammability needed for informed decisions about when it is safe to re-enter the mine.

 

The mobile laboratory is equipped with a kitchen/lounge, sleeping and bathroom facilities separate from the monitoring control room, allowing three personnel to operate on site for extended periods.

 

The new mobile gas laboratory will be stationed at the Dysart Mines Rescue Station so that it is closer to the underground coal mines of the Bowen Basin.