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JC 9065 
 
 Bureau of Mines Information Circular/1986 
 
 Evaluation of Safety Shutoff Valve 
 System on Methane Gas Pipelines 
 Under Mine Fire Conditions 
 
 By Patrick A. Kinek, Thomas E. Marshall, 
 and Gerald L. Finfinger 
 
 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 
 
•jcAjf^h, 
 
 Information Circular 9065 
 
 ,1 A 
 
 Evaluation of Safety Shutoff Valve 
 System on Methane Gas Pipelines 
 Under Mine Fire Conditions 
 
 By Patrick A. Kinek, Thomas E. Marshall, 
 and Gerald L. Finfinger 
 
 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 
 Donald Paul Hodel, Secretary 
 
 BUREAU OF MINES 
 Robert C. Horton, Director 
 

 Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data: 
 
 Kinek, Patrick A 
 
 Evaluation of safety shutoff valve system on methane gas pipelines 
 under mine fire conditions. 
 
 (Information circular / United States Department of the Interior, 
 Bureau of Mines ; 9065) 
 
 Bibliography: p. 7. 
 
 Supt. of Docs, no.: I 28.27: 9065. 
 
 1. Coalbed methane drainage. 2. Relief valves. 3. Mine fires. 
 4. Coalbed methane — Pipe lines. I. Marshall, Thomas E. II. Fin- 
 finger, Gerald L. III. Title. IV. Series: Information circular (United 
 States. Bureau of Mines) ; 9065. 
 
 TN295.U4 [TN3051 622s [6 22'. 81 85-600311 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 Page 
 
 Abstract 1 
 
 Introduction 2 
 
 Acknowledgments 2 
 
 Survey of valve manufacturers 2 
 
 Investigation of insulation techniques 3 
 
 Field tests of ball valves 3 
 
 Field test of the "fire bag" 6 
 
 Conclusions 6 
 
 References 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 1. Test setup for temperature durability evaluations 4 
 
 2. Components of brass valve 5 
 
 3. Results of fire test 5 
 
 4. Closeup of a brass valve protected with a "fire bag" 6 
 

 UNIT OF MEASURE 
 
 ABBREVIATIONS 
 
 USED IN 
 
 THIS REPORT 
 
 °c 
 
 degree Celsius 
 
 
 lb/ft 3 
 
 pound per cubic foot 
 
 ft 2 
 
 square foot 
 
 
 min 
 
 minute 
 
 gal 
 
 gallon 
 
 
 psig 
 
 pound per square inch, 
 gauge 
 
 h 
 
 hour 
 
 
 s 
 
 second 
 
 in 
 
 inch 
 
 
 
 
 lb 
 
 pound (mass) 
 
 
 
 
EVALUATION OF SAFETY SHUTOFF VALVE SYSTEM ON METHANE GAS 
 PIPELINES UNDER MINE FIRE CONDITIONS 
 
 By Patrick A. Kinek, 1 Thomas E. Marshall, 2 and Gerald L. Finfinger 3 
 
 ABSTRACT 
 
 The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the integrity of the 
 existing shutoff valves and actuators used under high-temperature condi- 
 tions in the Bureau of Mines' horizontal borehole methane drainage pipe- 
 line system and to determine the potential for improvement in the 
 system. 
 
 In the field tests, both fire-safe ball valves and standard brass ball 
 valves were initially subjected to a 30-min pan fire without thermal 
 protection. Neither valve could maintain line pressure beyond 11 min in 
 a fire that reached temperatures between 500° and 700° C. 
 
 Based on the test results, it was concluded that the brass ball valve 
 used in the Bureau's methane drainage pipeline system can be retrofitted 
 with an inexpensive "fire bag" to substantially increase its integrity 
 under mine fire conditions. 
 
 1 Mining engineer. 
 ^Engineering technician. 
 •^Supervisory geologist. 
 Pittsburgh Research Center, Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh, PA. 
 
 tm 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 Methane gas is an inherent safety haz- 
 ard in underground coal mining. In re- 
 sponse to this hazard, the Bureau of 
 Mines instituted a methane drainage pro- 
 gram that has undertaken numerous im- 
 provements over the years ( 1-3 ). 4 A ma- 
 jor objective of these improvements has 
 been in the area of the pipeline safety 
 system. This system consists of numerous 
 fail-safe mechanisms that control drain- 
 age of methane gas under normal and emer- 
 gency conditions. One emergency condi- 
 tion for which the system had not been 
 tested was its behavior when subjected to 
 a mine fire. Although the occurrence of 
 a mine fire in the life of a mine is very 
 infrequent, the effects of mine fires can 
 be dramatically worsened by gas leaks 
 from underground methane gas pipelines. 
 
 The Bureau and the Mine Safety and 
 Health Administration (MSHA) are con- 
 cerned about this fire hazard because the 
 implementation of methane drainage pro- 
 grams in U.S. coal mines will increase as 
 gassier mines are worked. Although only 
 a handful of drainage programs currently 
 exist, one mine with a methane drainage 
 operation has already had a fire that re- 
 sulted in extensive property damage (4_) . 
 
 At the request of MSHA, the Bureau un- 
 dertook the present investigation to de- 
 termine the integrity of the existing 
 shutoff valves and actuators used in its 
 methane drainage pipeline system when 
 subjected to high temperatures such as 
 those encountered in a mine fire, and to 
 study the potential for improvement in 
 the system. 
 
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 
 
 The cooperation and efforts of members 
 of the Fire and Explosions Group, Bureau 
 of Mines, Pittsburgh Research Center, 
 are greatly appreciated. In particular, 
 Charles P. Lazzara, Supervisory Research 
 Chemist, and Frank Perzak, Research 
 
 Chemist, were instrumental in the initial 
 investigation of valve manufacturing and 
 insulation techniques. The authors would 
 also like to thank Frank Perzak for his 
 effort in setting up and monitoring the 
 fire tests at Lake Lynn Laboratories. 
 
 SURVEY OF VALVE MANUFACTURERS 
 
 The investigation began with an inquiry 
 to determine whether any ball valve manu- 
 facturer or commercial testing company 
 did any high-temperature performance de- 
 sign and testing on ball valves used to 
 regulate gas. It was found that all 
 high-temperature ball valve designs as- 
 sumed that a liquid was being regulated 
 (usually a petroleum product), and that 
 all performance criteria (leakage rates) 
 during testing of valves were based upon 
 the regulation of a test liquid (water). 
 It appeared that previous to the Bureau 
 inquiry, no one had ever asked for a ball 
 valve that would regulate gas under fire 
 conditions. The basis for the industry's 
 current design of fire-safe valves is 
 the ability of a liquid under pressure to 
 create a "bubble seal" between the ball 
 
 and the valve body after the Teflon 5 seat 
 has burned away. Since a single gas 
 phase does not have this property, exist- 
 ing fire-safe valves are not applicable 
 to the methane drainage system. 
 
 One manufacturer suggested the use of 
 either ball valves with seats, seals, and 
 body parts made out of expensive ma- 
 terials (i.e., graphite, stainless steel, 
 etc.) or more expensive, custom-designed 
 wafer valves. However, both of these 
 solutions would have meant an 8- to 10- 
 fold increase over the cost of the pre- 
 sently used valves. Accordingly, it was 
 decided to see if the present ball valve 
 or a more expensive, fire-safe ball valve 
 could be insulated from the high temper- 
 atures resulting from a mine fire. 
 
 Underlined numbers in parentheses re- 
 fer to items in the list of references at 
 the end of this report. 
 
 ^Reference to specific products does 
 not implv endorsement by the Bureau of 
 Mines. 
 
INVESTIGATION OF INSULATION TECHNIQUES 
 
 The insulation technique had to be (1) 
 relatively inexpensive, (2) easily retro- 
 fitted, and (3) accessible when valve 
 maintenance was required. Only two insu- 
 lation techniques are currently being 
 used in the valve and actuator industry. 
 The first technique is the application of 
 a thin coating of epoxy-based substance 
 which during a fire swells up and chars 
 (an intumescence) , forming an insulation 
 barrier. However, its use was not recom- 
 mended because of the temperatures and 
 duration of the type of fire under con- 
 sideration and because of expense. 
 
 The alternative available insulation 
 technique was a "fire bag" made from 
 inexpensive ceramic fiber and fiber- 
 glass (Kaowool, $1.70/ ft 2 ). 6 A 2-in- 
 thick, 8-lb/f t 3 -density material was 
 used. The fiberous material is wrapped 
 in an inexpensive, fire-resistant jacket 
 ($0.80/ft 2 ), having a silicon rubber 
 
 coating with a fiberglass base that pro- 
 vides a weather-resistant barrier. The 
 total cost of materials used to construct 
 the "fire bag" (1 ft 2 of Kaowool, 2 ft 2 
 of fire-resistant jacket material, and 
 two hose clamps) was approximately $6. 
 This more than satisfied the first speci- 
 fication of low relative cost. 
 
 The second requirement was that the in- 
 sulation technique had to be easily re- 
 trofitted. The "fire bag" was measured 
 and cut in the field with a tape measure 
 and a simple utility knife. Approxi- 
 mately 10 to 15 min was required to con- 
 struct it. Since all the valve-actuator 
 components in a mine would be identical, 
 the same pattern can be used for all the 
 valves. 
 
 The third requirement of valve accessi- 
 bility was achieved as the fire-resistant 
 jacket can be easily removed and replaced 
 by loosening the two hose clamps. 
 
 FIELD TESTS OF BALL VALVES 
 
 Field tests were conducted at the 
 Bureau's Lake Lynn Laboratory. A series 
 of pan fire tests was performed on the 
 ball valves , using kerosene as the bulk 
 fuel and heptane as the starter fuel. 
 The test set up consisted of two 
 10-ft sections of 2-in-diam, standard, 
 schedule 40 steel pipe connected to 
 either end of the ball valve. The ends 
 of the pipe were supported, so that the 
 valve was suspended over the fire pan 
 (fig. 1). One pipe section was sealed 
 and pressurized with nitrogen gas. The 
 nitrogen gas leakage rate was monitored 
 with a pressure gauge and a flow meter. 
 Three thermocouples were used to monitor 
 the temperature of the fire, the outside 
 valve body temperature, and the internal 
 temperature of the valve body around the 
 Teflon seat (fig. 2). The pressure 
 gauge, flow meter, and elapsed time were 
 continuously monitored with a video 
 camera. Thermocouple temperatures were 
 monitored using strip chart recorders and 
 a microprocessor. 
 
 ^Prices for equipment are based on July 
 1984 data. 
 
 Two ball valves were initially tested 
 without an actuator or any thermal pro- 
 tection: a fire-safe valve and the 
 brass valve currently used by the Bureau. 
 The fire-safe ball valve was constructed 
 of stainless steel with a Teflon seat and 
 an asbestos stem seal. The Bureau valve 
 has a brass body with a Teflon seat and a 
 Teflon stem seal; its cost is about one- 
 fourth that of the fire-safe valve. 
 
 For each test the valves were turned to 
 the closed position so that nitrogen gas 
 could fill the pipeline. A line pressure 
 of 20 psig was put on the valves to simu- 
 late the low pressures observed in a 
 shutoff methane drainage pipeline. Line 
 pressure in a shutoff methane drainage 
 pipeline can reach in situ gas pressures 
 well in excess of 20 psig if allowed to 
 build for 24 h or more. However, in a 
 mine fire emergency, shutoff valves at 
 the collars of the holes would be closed 
 as soon as the fire was detected by the 
 pipeline safety system or by mine person- 
 nel. Thus, during the subsequent criti- 
 cal minutes of the early life of the 
 fire, line pressure would remain low. 
 
FIGURE I. - Test setup for temperature durability evaluations. 
 
FIGURE 2. - Components of brass valve. 
 
 Initially, in each test, a pan fire 
 using 15 gal of kerosene was ignited un- 
 der the unprotected valve, producing tem- 
 peratures of 500° to 700° C over a 30-min 
 period. Both valves recorded an in- 
 ternal temperature of 500° to 550° C on 
 the seats at 11 min (fig. 3); this is the 
 temperature range in which Teflon polymer 
 begins decomposing extensively. Not sur- 
 prisingly, for tests with both valves the 
 flow meter began rising after approxi- 
 mately 11 min, indicating a leak in the 
 system through the valve. 
 
 An important observation was that the 
 inexpensive brass valve performed as well 
 as the more expensive fire-safe valve. 
 Low line pressure and the absence of a 
 liquid medium rendered the fire-safe 
 valve as ineffective at high temperatures 
 as the brass valve. Given this finding, 
 it was decided to use only the brass 
 valve for the "fire bag" tests. 
 
 800 
 
 20 
 TIME, min 
 
 FIGURE 3. - Results of fire test. 
 
FIGURE 4. - Closeup of a brass valve protected with a "fire bag. 
 
 FIELD TEST OF THE "FIRE BAG" 
 
 A complete shutoff valve system was 
 constructed for the "fire bag" tests. An 
 air actuator was attached to the normally 
 closed brass valve, and 60 psig of air 
 was applied to the actuator through 1/2- 
 in PVC pipe to keep the valve open (fig. 
 4) . The initial reason that PVC pipe was 
 chosen to carry air to the actuators was 
 that it is inexpensive and would break 
 easily if there were a roof fall on the 
 pipeline ( 1_) . Line pressure would drop 
 once the pipe was broken, causing all 
 valves in the system to move to the 
 closed position and thus halting methane 
 gas flow. Given the fact that the PVC 
 pipe being used had a low melting point, 
 it could also serve as a fire warning 
 mechanism. The same series of shutoff 
 events would occur once the PVC pipe 
 burned through as when the pipe was 
 broken by a roof fall. 
 
 Once the shutoff valve system was con- 
 structed, the valve was wrapped in the 
 "fire bag." Twenty gallons of kerosene 
 was used for these tests to extend the 
 life of the fire from 30 min to 40 min. 
 The kerosene was ignited, and after 
 20 s the PVC pipe burst, confirming its 
 effectiveness as a fire warning mecha- 
 nism. As a result, air pressure on the 
 actuator was released, causing the valve 
 to close and stopping the flow of nitro- 
 gen gas. After 40 min of fire exposure 
 at temperatures between 500° and 700° C, 
 the ball valve seat and stem seal were 
 still intact and maintaining line pres- 
 sure. The internal temperature on the 
 Teflon seat was only 380° C at the end of 
 the 40-min period (fig. 3) , as compared 
 with 550° C after 11 min without the 
 "fire bag" (fig. 3) . 
 
 CONCLUSIONS 
 
 The results of the investigation indi- 
 cate that the ball valves now used in the 
 Bureau's methane drainage pipeline system 
 can be retrofitted with an inexpensive 
 "fire bag" to substantially increase the 
 system's short-term integrity under mine 
 fire conditions. It was also established 
 that the more expensive fire-safe ball 
 valves are no more effective at sealing 
 
 a low-pressure gas line under high- 
 temperature conditions than a thermally 
 unprotected brass ball valve. 
 
 It was also found that normal 1/2-in 
 PVC pipe can function not only as a roof 
 fall warning system, but also, because of 
 its low melting point, as a fire warning 
 system for methane gas pipeline. 
 
REFERENCES 
 
 1. Tongue, D. W. , D. D. Schuster, R. 
 Niedbala, and D. M. Bondurant. Design 
 and Recommended Specifications for a Safe 
 Methane Gas Piping System (contract 
 J0155145, Energy Applications Inc.). Bu- 
 Mines OFR 109-76, 1976, 97 pp.; NTIS PB 
 259 340/ AS. 
 
 2. Prosser, L. J., G. L. Finfinger, 
 and J. Cervik. Methane Drainage Study 
 Using an Underground Pipeline, Marianna 
 Mine 58. BuMines RI 8577, 1981, 29 pp. 
 
 3. Irani, M. C, F. F. Kapsch, P. W. 
 Jeran, and S. J. Pepperney. A Fail-Safe 
 Control System for a Mine Methane Pipe- 
 line. BuMines RI 8424, 1980, 11 pp. 
 
 4 . Mann , F . C . , J . V . Bowman , and 
 W. W. Hulvey. Report of Investigation 
 (Underground Coal Mine) . Mine Fire and 
 Explosion, VP-5 Mine (ID No. 44-03795), 
 VP-5 Mining Company, Vansant, Buchanan 
 County, Virginia. Mine Safety and Health 
 Administration, Apr. 15, 1982, 14 pp. 
 
 ■nnnmwinamM^mnfifi 
 
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