Product quality constraints and logistics dictate that very limited action can
be taken Once pile overheating is suspected. Water cannot be used to reduce pile
temperatures. The dismantling for cooling and rebuilding of a pile are time eonsuming, expensive and possibly dangerous. Where possible compressed air injection can be used for cooling but the dangers of accelerated heating remain.
Monitoring of bagasse stockpile behaviour is most conveniently undertaken
by thermocouple temperature probing. In the absence of any confirmed critical
temperatures in the pile heating sequence, periodic monitoring should occur at
the zone of maximum temperature until this temperature exceeded 80 °C. From
this time, more frequent monitoring should occur at several depths in the one
location (0.5, 1.0, 1.5 m). When the position of the maximum temperature begins
moving toward the pile surface, consideration should be given to undertaking
detailed temperature measurements and bagasse sampling. However the time
scale of the maximum temperature displacement toward the pile surface is
unknown. Results of the Mourilyan stockpile investigations (Figure 2) show that
thermal runaway leading to flaming combustion is imminent once the maximum
pile temperature approaches 90 °C at a depth of 1.0 m.