Locating miners in smoke-filled mine openings with infrared imagers. Report of investigations 1976

Calculations based on data obtained from measurements of smoke from coal-fired powerplants predict that infrared imagers will be useful tools for smoke vision. Infrared imagers operating in the 3- to 5-micrometers spectral region have been evaluated for this purpose. A mine opening 110 meters long was filled with smoke from burning coal, and two men, wearing breathing apparatuses, moved through the smoke to serve as targets. The men were detected and identified at 80 meters.