Environmental protection in industrial areas and applying thermal analysis to coal dumps

Complex analysis of thermal and gaseous states of chosen coal dumps performed by the authors made it possible to initially evaluate risk of spontaneous combustion of these objects and their classification based on indicators of a certain risk group. Thanks to the observation of coal dumps using a thermovisual camera, non-contact visualization of temperature distribution of the coal dump was obtained in the form of colored thermograms, which led to identifying areas of higher thermal activity. Use of a thermovisual camera is an example of adaptation of modern technology for research purposes. Properly planned measurement, swift development, and comparison of results gives complex information about object structure and thermal reactions on its surface. Analysis of thermal anomalies found on coal dumps allows us to draw conclusions about the causes of these events and repeating characteristics of environmental physicochemical condition variability accompanying such events. The process of endogenic fire formation is a complex mechanism that is not yet fully understood. Doubts were dispelled in the matter of main spontaneous combustion, which is the oxidation process of coal and which is the main burning by-product material of a mining operation. However, the reason for the activation process of self-heating and leading coal substance to critical temperature (60-80ºC) is not fully understood. According to this, the author has reviewed knowledge related to experiences with spontaneous combustion of coal dumps.