Quick-Erect Stopping System for Radiation Protection and Mine Rescue in Small-scale Mining

Abstract

The Quick-Erect Stopping System (QESS) offers a new way of reducing the radon exposures of miners in Germany, especially during remediation work in old mines. The QESS is a light-weight, modular, and reusable construction kit of interlocking telescopic aluminum tubes, radon-proof foil, and expanding foam. It is designed to seal off radon-rich parts of galleries within only a few minutes. Originally, the QESS was developed to protect miners against radon exposures. Then, the QESS found the attention of several mine rescue teams at a German mining conference. The Student Mine Rescue of the Technical University Bergakademie Freiberg and the Wismut Mine Rescue carried out first mine rescue drills in Freiberg and Schlema. Additionally, a mine rescue drill was carried out by the Front Range Mine Rescue in the Edgar Experimental Mine of the Colorado School of Mines. These drills helped to improve the system and highlighted its potential for mine rescue operations. Now, the QESS is well-suited for small-scale mining. The QESS can be used to seal off galleries in only a few minutes to both protect miners from radon exposures and to support mine rescue operations. Moreover, the QESS was also successfully used in ventilation experiments.