Manvers Main

Whilst I may be wrong and it was indeed methane being burnt (the yellow flame would indicate this) however, you are also wrong about Carbon Monoxide being inflammable - it burns with a blue/violet flame. CO was a major component of town gas and was the toxic element which lead many suicide victims to put their heads in gas ovens. Natural gas is almost entirely methane which is non toxic.

I studied Chemistry at Batchelors degree level many decades ago....

 

I'm sure the presence of monoxide was why some lads used to get sleepy in fast ends or at the back of the chocks.

 

Seemed to effect Pit Electricians more than most .

 

Very likely.

 

how did these lamps work and why would they be taken home rather than left in a pit head store?

Couldn't see any colliers carrying food/drink !

 

My dad worked the majority of his working life at Elsecar

 

As tired as ten electricians was a popular analogy.
Also the phrase keep conk or keep crow if you were the designated look out for lads who needed to rest their eyes a bit on the night shift.

 

I always thought CO was a product of incomplete combustion, I never knew it was a major component of town gas,CH4 also burns with a blue flame, the yellow is what’s left as the components are burnt off and impurities are left
CH4 is indeed non toxic but it kills by displacing oxygen

I studied mine gasses when doing my HNC and HND. And I’ve lost count of the times I tested for CH4 with both a flame safety lamp and a D6

 

That’s not why mate, to get carbon monoxide underground ( in the quantities to put you to sleep or kill you)you’d have to have a source for it, ie a fire or a heating in the gob or at the back of rings
Mine tube bundle systems would pick up on carbon monoxide if there was any and the source would be found and dealt with
I worked at armthorpe, you avatar pic, and we picked up on a heating and it was at the back of a junction , up in the shoulder, it was dealt with by filling and sealing off the area that had heated up

 

I was at Armthorpe.

 

I was there when it was owned by coal investment

 

I left in 93, had my name down in case it restarted but never heard anything.

 

CO is produced in the coking process which is why I thought the flame was CO. You're right that CO is a product of incomplete combustion in a low oxygen environment which is essentially what the coking process is. CO is a useful byproduct, often being used for heating or power generation.

 

Trust me, if you we're as tired as 10 electricians you'd be dead.