Evaluating the mine explosion that occurred in Amasra district of Bartın, Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Health Sciences Deputy Dean Dr. Nuri Bingöl stated that the danger in mines cannot be completely eliminated, but can be reduced to an acceptable minimum level. Bingöl pointed out that even a mobile phone underground could cause an explosion and added that accidents do not happen out of the blue.
Üsküdar Üniversitesi faculty member Dr. Nuri Bingöl made evaluations regarding the explosion that occurred in Bartın.
Accidents occur as a result of malfunctions
Dr. Bingöl, pointing out that accidents do not happen out of the blue and that there is a malfunction somewhere, said, "The better the precautions taken, the more we can reduce the danger, but when we look at 'What is danger?'; danger is working underground. The danger is flammable materials such as coal and methane gas. Since coal is related to methane gas, we cannot completely eliminate the risks arising from this danger. We can reduce the acceptable risk to a minimal level. What I want to say here is that there is a Turkish hard coal mine. This is the mine presented as an example based on its knowledge. Where there were negligences will be revealed as a result of the technical team's work. The explosion is important here. An explosive environment should not be created. Precautions against explosion must be taken. The explosion must be prevented. After the explosion, there will be a collapse and then a fire. Precautions are needed for these. An automatic fire extinguisher can be used to stop the fire in a short time. Precautions can be taken with various barriers. What I have said is a technical explanation, but we can understand this as a result of a technical examination."
Even a mobile phone can be enough to ignite…
Dr. Bingöl, stating that methane gas, formulated as CH4, is a swamp gas and the raw material of natural gas, said, "It is a gas found in everyone's home. This explosion can happen at home, or in industry. It's not a rule that it will specifically happen in a mine. We call these explosive environments. Odorization is necessary. Coal, which is in blocks due to methane gas, also gets compressed during earthquakes. When the compressed methane gas is released, if you hold a lighter, it will burn. If coal suddenly empties while being extracted in a mine, it is of course possible for sensors to activate, but if you ignite it with any of the thirteen ignition sources; it can be a mobile phone, a cigarette, a lighter, matches, etc. When it meets these, the sudden discharge of gas can certainly explode due to its concentration. There are limits for the formation of an explosive environment. For methane, it's around 5%. This is like; if you leak 5% cubic meters of gas into a 100 cubic meter room, it explodes. It is very important not to reach the 5% mark. Keeping ventilation effective in mines is very important. Potential methane gas should be measured routinely."
Methane gas exceeded the 5% limit
Dr. Nuri Bingöl stated, "We do not expect it to reach the 5% level in a routine operation; there must have been a sudden release, thus indicating that the methane limit has exceeded 5%. One possibility for this is that during the planned blasting of a hard coal block, the compressed gas would be subject to detailed detection by the mining engineers present, and in this context, it would be known. I believe this explosion occurred as a possibility when the gas was suddenly discharged. The inside of the mine is dark, so it is normal for the environment to be invisible. Carbon monoxide is dense. I assume the work has been stopped. At least until the gas there is evacuated. Coal, in this context, is a flammable material. The temperature level could not be lowered. If there had been any error in ventilation, we should have seen that smoke at that time. I think it is a different situation."
It is necessary to trust professional teams
Dr. Bingöl stated, "It is possible to extinguish the fire even now, but extinguishing the fire will be laborious. Firefighters and rescue teams will carry out operations with full protection masks and heat-resistant but flammable clothes. My suggestion is this: there are professional teams there, and we need to trust them. AFAD is there; let's trust the teams. On one hand, it is necessary to ensure that search and rescue and fire extinguishing efforts are proceeding equally."