Analyze the importance of flame-resistant conveyor belt from the fire accident of Taichung power plant conveyor belt

A few hours ago, Taiwan’s “China Times Electronic News” reported that in the early morning of the 10th, a fire on the conveyor belt of the Taichung Thermal Power Plant in Taichung Harbor was suspected to have spread all the way to a coal-burning warehouse, causing a fire and heavy smoke at the scene. Billowing. At present, the open flame has not been extinguished.
It is understood that the Taichung Power Plant is a coal-fired power plant located in Taiwan. With an installed capacity of 5780 MW, it is the world's largest coal-fired power station. The power plant consists of ten coal-fired units with a nominal capacity of 550 MW.

In the past due to safety considerations and many fire accidents, the Taichung Power Plant’s management has equipped its coal conveyor belt system with a fire detection system to monitor the temperature along the conveyor belt and quickly alert the operator in the event of a fire in order to prevent damage drop to lowest. Even in this case, such a serious fire accident of the conveyor belt still occurs, and people have to pay more attention to the flame resistant performance of the conveyor belt.

The use of flame-resistant conveyor belts in coal mines is conducive to reducing the incidence of both above ground and underground fires. The working environment of coal mines is relatively complicated, coal dust and gas are dangerous factors, and the coal mines being transported are also flammable substances. If electric sparks are generated during transportation, it is easy to cause fires. The use of flame-resistant conveyor belts for coal mines reduces the possibility of electrostatic sparks during coal transportation, and even if static sparks occur, the flame-resistant conveyor belts for coal mines have high flame resistance and will not catch fire.

JIS/ISO/DIN tests involve exposing six individual samples of a belt to a naked flame causing them to burn. The source of the flame is then removed and the combustion time (duration of flame) of the test piece is recorded. A current of air is then applied to the test piece for a specified time after the removal of the flame. The flame should not reignite. The time it takes for the belt sample to self-extinguish after the source of ignition (flame) has been removed is then measured. The duration of continued burning (visible flame) should be less than 15 sec. for each sample with an absolute maximum cumulative duration of 45 sec.

Pulley friction test is the single biggest difference in the safety classifications (standards) between belting used above ground and belting used underground. If certification is required then these tests must be carried out by an independent test organization. The test standards demand that there should be no evidence of flame or glow during or after the test. This is only achievable by using a PVC belt because the thermoplastic melts/breaks before it reaches 325˚C, the SUNGDA maximum average is around 260 – 270˚C.

The flame-resistant management of coal mine flame-resistant conveyor belts must be done in the selection of conveyor belts, and the conveyor belts should be selected according to the different underground coal mine use conditions. At present, there are mainly three types of flame-resistant conveyor belts for coal mines: fabric layer flame-resistant conveyor belts, steel cord conveyor belts, solid woven conveyor belt. Among the three types of flame-resistant conveyor belts for coal mines, the first type of conveyor belt, that is, the fabric layer conveyor belt for coal mines is widely used, with a market share of more than 80%, has stronger flame retardancy, and has lower weight and cost.

Therefore, in order to prevent the occurrence of similar conveyor belt fire accidents, a conveyor belt with excellent flame resistant properties must be selected, which can delay or even prevent the occurrence of fire accidents caused by the conveyor belt to the greatest extent.