Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/142338
techtalk The Science of Suppression the 'Active Barrier' system and its revolutionary ability is set to reduce the incidence of coal-dust explosions. WORDS: RILEY PALMER As long as coal is being mined, it will emit fine particles of highly combustible dust. And this dust, in enclosed spaces and in the presence of atmospheric oxygen, will continue to spontaneously combust. Subsequently, unless we stop mining coal altogether (which is unlikely, in the near future), the precursors to an explosion of this nature must be monitored, and systems and procedures that reduce the risk of such a catastrophe must be implemented – though, in theory, you could liken this method to treating the symptoms of an illness rather than its direct cause. This has been the course of action taken throughout the history of coal mining. But even with the implementation of various countermeasures, coal-dust explosions are still the largest cause of death in underground mines worldwide. Protection solutions currently include strategies such as stone dusting, and the installation of equipment – fire hydrants and hose reels, emergency warning systems and ventilators. As fatality numbers indicate, however, these protective measures are quite passive and aren't always effective. Recently though, BMT WBM, the machinery subsidiary of the British Maritime Technology Group (BMT Group), paired up with Australian company SkillPro Services Pty Ltd (SkillPro) to develop an altogether new technology in the suppression of coal-dust explosions: the Active Barrier system. In August 2012, the conglomerate's Active Barrier prototype was successfully tested in the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research's experimental tunnel in Kloppersbos, South Africa. The system effectively utilised a sensor to detect the approach of a coal-dust explosion. 43