This product was invented in order to increase safety in mines in a simple and convenient manner. All mines have a potential for explosions. Particularly coal mines where a small explosion can develop into a major disaster because coal dust is thrown into the air in the path of the explosion. It then ignites and the explosion gets more and more extreme. Traditional methods of dealing with this problem involve constructing several ‘barriers’ at head height. These barriers are then filled with stone dust or water. The explosion has the effect of knocking the barriers over and dropping the dust or water into the path of the explosion. With the correct spacing, and sufficient barriers in place, the water or stone dust extinguishes the explosion. However the maintenance of the barriers and the need for precise positioning from the coal face means that the barrier is a very costly to maintain in terms of both human and physical resources.

The new idea consists of a series of containers. Each container is loaded with 25 kg of stone dust. In the event of a sudden change in pressure (From an explosion) the dust is propelled into the air by the force of a strong spring within the container. This means that it is no longer necessary to continually rebuild and replenish the barriers as the coal face moves forward.