The Effectiveness of the Methane Drainage of the Rock-Mass with a Parallel Ventilation Heading during Longwall Mining

Methane drainage is used in Polish coal mines in order to reduce mine methane emission as well as to keep methane concentration in mine workings at safe levels. This article describes the method of methane drainage used in longwall 2 in seam 506. In Poland, coal seams are frequently mined in difficult conditions of very high methane hazard. Under such situations, methane is drained by means of parallel ventilation headings. This paper shows the influence of a specific ventilation system on the drainage efficiency at longwall 2 in seam 506. At this longwall, measurements of methane emission and the efficiency of drained methane were conducted. They consisted in gauging methane concentration, air velocity, absolute air pressure and the amount of methane removed via a drainage system. Experimental data were used to estimate the variations in absolute methane-bearing capacity, ventilation air methane and most importantly, to gauge the efficiency of methane drainage.

Numerical Simulation Study of Goaf Methane Drainage and Spontaneous Combustion Coupling

In order to study the coupling problem between methane drainage and spontaneous combustion of residual coal in the collapsed zone after mining ignitable coal seams with high methane,we have analyzed the effects of differ-ent methane drainage modes on spontaneous combustion of residual coal through numerical simulation. The results show that deep and large flux methane drainage modes increases the air leakage from work faces to the goaf and formed new spontaneous combustion zones induced by drainage near vents,which increases the risk of self-ignition of coal—reducing the self-ignition period and enlarging the scale of self-ignition. The spontaneous upstream combustion oxidation of the main fire zone can be suppressed when both drainage and nitrogen injection were adopted. Our research results provide an effective technical measure and theoretical basis to determine the best methane drainage scheme and drainage parameters.

Method for designing the optimal sealing depth in methane drainage boreholes to realize efficient drainage

The purpose of underground methane drainage technology is to prevent methane disasters and enable the efficient use of coal mine methane(CMM),and the sealing depth is a key factor that affects the performance of underground methane drainage.In this work,the layouts of in-seam and crossing boreholes are considered to analyze the stress distribution and failure characteristics of roadway surrounding rock through a numerical simulation and field stress investigation to determine a reasonable sealing depth.The results show that the depths of the plastic and elastic zones in two experimental coal mines are 16 and 20 m respectively.Borehole sealing minimizes the air leakage through the fractures around the roadway when the sealing material covers the failure and plastic zones,and the field test results for CMM drainage at different sealing depths indicate that the CMM drainage efficiency increases with increasing sealing depth but does not change once the sealing depth exceeds the plastic zone.Moreover,sealing in the high-permeability roadway surrounding rock does not have a strong influence on the borehole sealing performance.Considering these findings,a new CMM drainage system for key sealing in the low-permeability zone was developed that is effective for improving the CMM drainage efficiency and prolonging the high-concentration CMM drainage period.The proposed approach offers a valuable quantitative analysis method for selecting the optimum sealing parameters for underground methane drainage,thereby improving considerably the drainage and utilization rates of CMM.

Possibilities of Increasing the Effectiveness of Mining Methane Drainage in Conditions of Low Permeability of Coal Seams

There is very low permeability of coal seams in Polish coal mines. For this reason, pre-mining methane drainage is conducted to a small extent, which rarely brings expected results. Methane emission from roof and floor sub-economic seams has the greatest share in total methane emission to workings. Effective CMM （coal mine methane） capture is used from goaf in advance or after mining. However, due to longwall mining and ventilation systems, it is not always possible to capture methane from strata. This paper presents a method of increasing the permeability of coal seams and a method of drilling boreholes towards goaf. Initial results of the effectiveness of methane capture after applying these methods are presented.

Application of gas wettability alteration to improve methane drainage performance:A case study

Hydraulic fracturing technique is widely used for methane drainage and has achieved good effects in numerous coal mines,but negative effects may occur as the fracturing fluids are absorbed into the coal seam.Gas wettability alteration(GWA)technology can be used as it can enhance the gas and water mobility during dewatering process as a result of capillary pressure change.However,there have been few reported field tests in coal mines using GWA technology.This paper describes a pilot-scale field test in Xinjing coal mine,Yangquan,China.The fluorocarbon surfactants perfluorooctyl methacrylate monomer-containing polymethacrylate(PMP)was used to alter the wettability of coal seam to strong gas-wetness during the hydraulic fracturing process.The study focuses on the comparison of two boreholes(Boreholes#9 and#10)and one other borehole(Borehole#8)with and without using GWA approach.A well-defined monitoring program was established by measuring the dewatering volume of the fracturing fluid and the drainage volume of methane as well as the concentration.The field test results showed that the average methane drainage rates of Boreholes#9(39.28 m^(3)/d)and#10(51.04 m^(3)/d)with GWA treatment exceeded that of Borehole#8(21.09 m^(3)/d)without GWA treatment,with an increase of 86.3%and 142.1%,respectively.The average methane concentrations of Boreholes#9(4.05%)and#10(6.18%)were 64.6%and 151.2%higher than that of Borehole#8(2.46%),respectively.On the other hand,the dewatering ratio of Boreholes#9(4.36%)and#10(3.11%)was almost 19 times and 13 times greater than that of Borehole#8(0.22%).These field test results were in agreement with the experimental data.The significant increase in both methane concentration and dewatering ratio demonstrated that GWA technology could be applied for enhanced methane drainage in coal mines.Important lessons learned at Xinjing coal mine might be applied to other coal mines in China and elsewhere.

Study on the law of methane seepage in the wall of drainage roadway in mining seam-group

Based on the equation of the gas flow continuity and state, Darcy law and Langmuir equation, the law of methane seepage in the wall of drainage roadway was studied. The governing equation of methane one-way seepage in the seam was founded. By solving the equation, the calculation of methane seepage velocity in the coal wall was worked out. The result has really applied worth and will give beneficial references to re-lated research, it provides preventing coal and gas outbursts with theoretical gist.

Applicability of surface directional wells for upper Silesia Basin coal seams' drainage ahead of mining

Methods of exploitation drainage, which is presently applied in polish hard coal mines in Upper Silesian Coal Basin(Poland), are not effective enough, high risk of methane hazard can be observed, and production capacity of the mining plant is not fully used. Methane hazard, which may occur during planned coal exploitation, is presented in this paper. Following parameters are taken into consideration in the forecasts: coal extraction parameters, geological and mining conditions, deposit's methane saturation degree and impact of coal exploitation on the degasification coefficient of the seams, which are under the influence of relaxation zone. This paper presents the results of the analysis aiming to verify applicability of drainage ahead of mining of the coal seams by using surface directional wells. Based on the collected data(coal seams' structural maps, profiles of the exploratory wells, geological cross-sections), the lab tests of drilling cores and direct wells' tests, static model of the deposit was constructed and suitable grid of directional wells from the surface was designed. Comparison of forecasted methane emission volume between the two methods is investigated. The results indicated the necessity of performing appropriate deposit's stimulations in order to increase effectiveness of drainage ahead of mining.

A Numerical Investigation of the Stress Relief Zones Around a Longwall Face in the Lower Seam for Gas Drainage Considerations

Extraction of a protective coal seam (PVCS)-below or above a coal seam to be mined with the potential of coal andgas outburst risk-plays an important role not only in decreasing the stress field in the surrounding rock mass but alsoin increasing the gas desorption capacity and gas flow permeability in the protected coal seam (PTCS). The PVCSis mined to guarantee the safe mining of the PTCS. This study has numerically evaluated the stress redistributioneffects using FLAC3D model for a longwall face in Shanxi Province. The effects of mining depth, mining height andinter-burden rock mass properties were evaluated using the stress relief angle and stress relief coefficient. Verticalstress distribution, stress relief angle and stress relief coefficient in the PTCS were analyzed as the face advancedin the PVCS. The results showed that the stress relief achieved in different locations of the PTCS varied as the faceadvanced. Sensitivity analyses on the pertinent variables indicate that the stress relief in the PTCS is affected mostby the mining depth followed by the inter-burden lithology and the mining height. Furthermore, the elastic moduliof different layers within the inter-burden rock mass are more important than their uniaxial compressive strength(UCS) and Poisson’s ratio. These observations can guide gas drainage borehole design to minimize the accidentsof coal and gas outbursts.

Current situation of simultaneous coal and methane extraction tech- nology in pressure-relieved coalbed group

The importance of simultaneous coal and methane extraction and its significance on green exploitation is stated, and current research situation of simultaneous coal and methane and faced new problems are introduced. The research progress on movement of overlying strata and stresses change in them, cracks development during mining in overlying strata and meth- ane emission under disturbance of mining as well as the changing rules of permeability and methane flow under the disturbance of mining is analyzed. The progress on practice of simultaneous coal and methane extraction is analyzed. The deficiencies of current research and further researching fields on simultaneous coal and methane extraction are pointed out.

Reservoir reconstruction technologies for coalbed methane recovery in deep and multiple seams

Multiple coal seams widely develop in the deep Chinese coal-bearing strata. Ground in situ stress and coal seam gas pressure increase continuously with the increase of the mining depth, and coal and gas outburst disasters become increasingly severe. When the coal is very deep, the gas content and pressure will elevate and thus coal seams tends to outburst-prone seams. The safety and economics of exploited firstmined coal seams are tremendously restricted. Meanwhile, the multiple seams occurrence conditions resulted in different methane pressure systems in the coal-bearing strata, which made the reservoir reconstruction of coal difficult. Given the characteristics of low saturation, low permeability, strong anisotropy and soft coal of Chinese coal seams, a single hydraulic fracturing surface well for reservoir reconstruction to pre-drain the coalbed methane(CBM) of multiple seams concurrently under the different gas pressure systems has not yet gained any breakthroughs. Based on analyses of the main features of deep CBM reservoirs in China, current gas control methods and the existing challenges in deep and multiple seams, we proposed a new technology for deep CBM reservoir reconstruction to realize simultaneous high-efficiency coal mining and gas extraction. In particular, we determined the first-mined seam according to the principles of effectiveness and economics, and used hydraulic fracturing surface well to reconstruct the first-mined seam which enlarges the selection range of the first-mined seam. During the process of mining first-mined seam, adjacent coal seams could be reconstructed under the mining effect which promoted high-efficiency pressure relief gas extraction by using spatial and comprehensive gas drainage methods(combination of underground and ground CBM extraction methods). A typical integrated reservoir reconstruction technology, ‘‘One well for triple use", was detailed introduced and successfully applied in the Luling coal mine. The application showed that the proposed technology could effectively promote coal mining safety and simultaneously high-efficiency gas extraction.

FEASIBILITY ANALYSIS OF SAFETY SIMULTANEOUS EXTRACTION OF COAL AND COALBED METHANE

Coalbed methane is of great value to extract and utilize in China, but the result of such research is not satisfied yet today.The paper analyzed the storage characteristics of coalbed methane, and then studied the behavior of coalbed methane using the key stratum theory of strata control.According to the features related to coalbed methane accumulations and delivery, the technique for safely simultaneous extraction of coal and coalbed methane is proposed, and benefit analysis is made too.