Isolated Refuge Cabin for Underground Mine Safety
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current rescue equipment in underground mines is inadequate for accommodating large groups of people and providing oxygen for over 72 hours, and toxic gases pose significant risks to miners, leading to high fatality rates due to asphyxiation and gas inhalation.
Innovation Solution
An isolated refuge cabin with a supporting air bag, breathable air supplier, and air inflation device, equipped with an oxygen generating agent, toxic gas filtering agent, and a blowing mechanism, which can be quickly deployed to provide a safe environment by separating the exterior environment and recycling air to maintain oxygen levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If traditional rescue equipment is used, then the structure is simple, but it cannot accommodate large groups of people and provide oxygen for over 72 hours
Solution Approach 1:
The refuge cabin is divided into multiple functional modules: a living module for accommodation, an oxygen supply module with chemical oxygen generators, a carbon dioxide removal module, and a power supply module. Each module operates independently but works together to provide sustained life support for large groups of miners for over 72 hours.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses chemical oxygen generators that automatically produce oxygen when activated, and a carbon dioxide removal system that continuously eliminates CO2 without requiring external intervention. The blower mechanism automatically circulates air through the chemical oxygen generators and carbon dioxide filters, enabling self-sustaining operation for extended periods.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If miners stay in the mine during accidents, then they can maintain position, but toxic gases cause asphyxiation and coma leading to high death toll
Solution Approach 1:
The refuge cabin acts as an intermediary barrier between the miners and the toxic mine environment. It includes a breathable air supplier with chemical oxygen generators that produce clean oxygen, and a carbon dioxide removal system with filters that eliminate toxic gases, creating a protected atmosphere inside the cabin.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates an inert, breathable atmosphere inside the refuge cabin by continuously generating oxygen through chemical reactions and removing carbon dioxide and other toxic gases through filtration, maintaining a safe oxygen-rich environment that prevents asphyxiation and gas inhalation.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If miners flee through mining passageways during accidents, then they can escape the toxic environment, but the passageways are blocked or submerged making survival minimal
Solution Approach 1:
The refuge cabin extracts miners from the toxic mine environment and relocates them to a self-contained safe zone. The cabin is designed to be deployed at mine entrances or accessible locations, removing miners from the hazardous atmosphere and providing a protected environment where they can wait for rescue.
4Reliability
If a refuge cabin is deployed to isolate miners from toxic gases, then survival conditions are provided, but the system requires complex air circulation and oxygen generation mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The air circulation system uses an automatic blower mechanism that continuously moves air through the carbon dioxide filters and chemical oxygen generators without requiring manual intervention. The system self-regulates by drawing in fresh air, processing it through the filtration and oxygen generation systems, and expelling processed air, maintaining autonomous operation throughout the refuge period.
Solution Approach 2:
The carbon dioxide removal system and oxygen generation system operate continuously without interruption. The blower mechanism maintains constant air circulation, the chemical oxygen generators continuously produce oxygen, and the carbon dioxide filters continuously eliminate toxic gases, ensuring uninterrupted life support throughout the entire refuge period.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The refuge cabin effectively isolates miners from toxic gases, provides breathable air through oxygen generation and recycling, and ensures survival by quickly deploying a safe and sustainable air supply system, reducing the risk of fatalities in mining accidents.
Implementation Method 1
The breathable air supplier includes a shell and oxygen generating agent equipped between the air inlet and the air outlet
Implementation Method 2
The air outlet of the air inflation device is linked with the air inlet of the supporting air bag through an air supply passage
Implementation Method 3
A blowing mechanism is installed at the joint of the air outlet and the lower part of the interior cavity of the body shell
Implementation Method 4
an adjuster is installed in the body shell and contains the toxic gas filtering agent
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates a refuge used in underground mines, and more particularly to a type of isolated refuge cabin used in underground mines, including the supporting airbag (1), the body shell (2) equipped outside the supporting air bag (1), a breathable air supplier (4) and an air inflation device (3); the air outlet (5) of the air inflation device (3) is linked with an air outlet (7) of the supporting air bag (1) through an air supply passage (6); the air inlet (8) of the breathable air supplier (4) is connected to the interior cavity of the body shell (2) through an air intake passage (9); the air outlet (10) of the breathable air supplier (4) is linked with the lower part of the interior cavity of the body shell (2) through the air outlet passage (11); the breathable air supplier (4) includes a shell (12), the oxygen generating agent (13) equipped inside the shell (12); the emergency exit (14) is installed on the body shell (2). The present invention provides an isolated refuge cabin of a simple structure, which can be operated safely and easily to effectively separate the exterior environment of the mining accident areas and provide conditions for survival for human beings involved in the mine accidents.