Principle and engineering application of pressure relief gas drainage in low permeability outburst coal seam

With the increase in mining depth, the danger of coal and gas outbursts increases.In order to drain coal gas effectively and to eliminate the risk of coal and gas outbursts, we used a specific number of penetration boreholes for draining of pressure relief gas.Based on the principle of overlying strata movement, deformation and pressure relief, a good effect of gas drainage was obtained.The practice in the Panyi coal mine has shown that, after mining the C11coal seam as the protective layer, the relative expansion deformation value of the protected layer C13 reached 2.63%, The permeability coefficient increased 2880 times, the gas drainage rate of the C13 coal seam increased to more than 60%, the amount of gas was reduced from 13.0 to 5.2 m3/t and the gas pressure declined from 4.4 to 0.4 MPa, which caused the danger the outbursts in the coal seams to be eliminated.The result was that we achieved a safe and highly efficient mining operation of the C13 coal seam.

Safety analysis of stability of surface gas drainage boreholes above goaf areas

As longwall caving mining method prevails rapidly in China coal mines, amount of gas emission from longwall faces and goaf area increased significantly. Using traditional gas drainage methods, such as drilling upward holes to roof strata in tailgate or drilling inseam and cross-measure boreholes, could not meet methane drainage requirements in a gassy mine. The alternative is to drill boreholes from surface down to the Iongwall goaf area to drain the gas out. As soon as a coal seam is extracted out, the upper rock strata above the goaf start to collapse or become fractured depending upon the rock characteristics and the height above the coal seam. During overlying rock strata being fractured, boreholes in the area may be damaged due to ground movement after the passage of the Iongwall face. The sudden damage of a borehole may cause a Iongwall production halt or even a serious mine accident. A theoretical calculation of the stability of surface boreholes in mining affected area is introduced along with an example of determination of borehole and casing diameters is given for demonstration. By using this method for the drilling design, the damage of surface boreholes caused by excessive mining induced displacement can be effectively reduced if not totally avoided. Borehole and casing diameters as well as characteristics of filling materials can be determined using the proposed method by calculating the horizontal movement and vertical stain at different borehole depths.

Technology of gas drainage and utilization in Huaibei mining area

With the characteristics of coal seam geology and gas occurrence,a'ground-underground' integrated gas drainage method was formed,which can relieve gaspressure and increase permeability by mining the protection seams in conditional regions.After coal seam gas drainage,high gas outburst seam was converted to low gas safetyseam.In the coal face mining process,safety and high efficient coal mining were realizedby the measure of gas-suction over mining.In addition to the drainage gas for civil gasand gas power generation,the Huaibei Mining Group has actively carried out research onthe utilization technology of methane drainage by ventilation.On the one hand,it can saveprecious energy;on the other hand,it can protect the environment for people's survival.In2007,the amount of coal mine gas drainage was 120 hm3;the rate of coal mine gasdrainage was 44%.Compared with the year 2002,the amount of coal mine gas drainageincreased by two times.Meanwhile,the utilization rate of gas increased rapidly.

Production Characteristics and the Control Factors of Surface Wells for Relieved Methane Drainage in the Huainan Mining Area

Based on the production data of a large number of surface drainage wells in the Huainan mining area,the present study shows that four types of typical production characteristics for relieved methane wells are recognized,of which the stable type for production and gas concentration is the most dominate,as determined by a comprehensive study on the volume and concentration of drained gases, as well as the stress changes of rocks influenced by mining.Some influence factors for the productive differences of the drainage wells were also been discussed.The results indicate that protective coal-seam mining has a significant effect on overlying strata,which promotes the development of pores and fractures of coal reservoirs for methane desorption and migration;however,the production and the stability of drainage wells are affected by deformation and damage of the overlying strata.The second distribution of strata stress is caused by mining engineering,and if the stress load is larger than the carrying capacity of the extraction well,the gas production would be influenced by the drainage well that has been damaged by rock movement.Furthermore,the case damage occurs first in the weak, lithologic interface by its special mechanical properties.The stability of drainage wells and the production status are also influenced by the different drilling techniques,uneven distribution of gas concentration,and combination of gob gas and methane from the protected layer.

Gas emission quantity prediction and drainage technology of steeply inclined and extremely thick coal seams

Gas emissions of workfaces in steeply inclined and extremely thick coal seams differ from those under normal geological conditions, which usually feature a high gas concentration and a large emission quantity. This study took the Wudong coal mine in Xinjiang province of China as a typical case. The gas occurrence of the coal seam and the pressure-relief range of the surrounding rock(coal) were studied by experiments and numerical simulations. Then, a new method to calculate the gas emission quantity for this special geological condition was provided. Based on the calculated quantity, a further gas drainage plan, as well as the evaluation of it with field drainage data, was finally given. The results are important for engineers to reasonably plan the gas drainage boreholes of steeply inclined and extremely thick coal seams.

Influence of deep magma-induced thermal effects on the regional gas outburst risk of coal seams

The thermal effect caused by deep magma intrusion can not only accelerate the metamorphism of coal body,but also bring additional thermal field that changes the mechanical environment of coal seams,thereby affecting the permeability of coal seams.Different from shallow coal resources,deep coal resources are in a mechanical environment characterized by limited stress and strain.Thus,the thermal effect has a more significant influence on the distribution and permeability characteristics of deep coal seams.In this study,the evolution history of highly metamorphic coal seams in Yangquan mining area was analyzed,and the main effect of magmatic activity on coal seams was obtained.Based on the determined vitrinite reflectance data of typical mines in Yangquan mining area,the maximum paleotemperature was calculated by adopting the Barker’s method.Furthermore,the paleotemperature distribution in Yangquan mining area was summarized,and its relationship with the metamorphic degree was acquired.Then,a new permeability model considering the thermal strain was proposed to analyze the permeability evolution in deep coal seams at different ground temperatures.Finally,through a combination of the results of gas pressure and outburst number in Sijiazhuang Mine,Yangquan No.5 Mine and Xinjing Mine,the influence of ground temperature on the gas outburst risk in Yangquan mining area was explored.The following conclusions were drawn:The maximum paleotemperature in Yangquan area can be 303C.In addition,the paleotemperature in the south is higher than that in the north of Yangquan mining area.The various temperatures at different depths bring about different degrees of thermal stress to different coal seams,leading to different strains.Under the fixed displacement boundary conditions in the deep,the coal seam folds and bends to varying degrees.Moreover,the difference in the ground temperature raises the a value of coal seams and lowers the permeability,which promotes the formation of gas-rich zones and increases the risk of coal seam outburst.The research results can help mines to make proper gas disaster prevention plan for different zones.

A New Discovery on the Deformation Behavior of Shale Gas Reservoirs Affecting Pore Morphology in the Juhugeng Coal Mining Area of Qinghai Province, Northwest China

Objective The Juhugeng mining area in Qinghai Province of northwest China has attracted wide attention among geologists for it hosts typical coal measure gases.The shale gas reservoirs were reformed by intensive structural movements during geological periods,

Safety appraisement on building natural gas pipeline over coal mining subsidence area

The target of the text is to scientifically appraise dynamic development of surface deformation in subsidence area and its influence on groundwork stability of natural pipe and then adopt some technological measures to ensure safe circulation of natural pipeline. Analysed the influence on natural pipeline from coal mining subsidence in the way of pipeline grade variation, vertical curve variation, transverse deformation, horizontal pull and compression deformation and pipe stress variation etc., and described detailed surface subsidence product and its used time among initial phase, active phase and decline phase in the course of surface movement deformation time. In the context of considering surface subsidence that doesn＇t reach basic latter end and residual subsidence quantity, the text confirmed the calculation method of residual deformation in surface subsidence area, and gave the technological measures about building natural gas pipeline in subsidence area finally.

Failure characteristics of surface vertical wells for relieved coal gas and their influencing factors in Huainan mining area

Based on data from through-hole and logging,we studied the failure characteristics of surface drainage wells for relieved coal gas in Huainan mining area and its influencing factors.The results show that the damaged positions of drainage wells are mainly located at the thick clay layer in the low alluvium and the lithological interface in the upper section of bedrock in west mining area.The failure depth of casing is 244-670 m and concentrates at about 270-460 m deep.These damaged positions are mainly located in the bending zone according to three zones of rock layers in the vertical section above the roof divided. Generally,the casing begins to deform or damage before the face line about 30-150 m.Special formation structure and rock mass properties are the direct causes of the casing failure,high mining height and fast advancing speed are fundamental reasons for rock mass damage.However,the borehole configuration and spacing to the casing failure are not very clear.

Variation in gas drainage rate from a coal seam during mining

Gas flow patterns during draining of gas from a coal seam during mining are discussed.The coal seam is treated as a dual medium with both pores and cracks.The seepage,diffusion,and desorption processes are treated using a gas flow equation that describes flow around drill holes.MATLAB is used to solve the differential equations.The permeability tracer test results from a mined coal seam are used to study the variation in gas drainage from a coal seam during mining.The results show that mining can increase the permeability of a coal seam,which then increases the gas drainage.There are inflection points in this variation over time.A close relationship between this variation and the rate of change in coal seam permeability is observed.

CFD simulations for longwall gas drainage design optimisation

Computational fluid dynamics(CFD) simulation is an effective approach to develop and optimise gas drainage design for underground longwall coal mining. As part of the project supported by the Australian Government Coal Mining Abatement Technology Support Package(CMATSP), threedimensional CFD simulations were conducted to test and optimise a conceptual design which proposes using horizontal boreholes to replace vertical boreholes at an underground coal mine in Australia.Drainage performance between a vertical borehole and a horizontal borehole was first carried out to compare their capacity and effectiveness. Then a series of cases with different horizontal borehole designs were simulated to optimise borehole configuration parameters such as location, diameter, and number of boreholes. The study shows that the horizontal borehole is able to create low pressure sinks that protect the workings from goaf gas ingresses by changing goaf gas flow directions, and that it has the advantage to continuously maintain such low pressure sinks near the tailgate as the longwall advances. An example of optimising horizontal borehole locations in the longwall lateral direction is also given in this paper.

Features of gas geology and its main controlling factors in Pingxiang Mining Area, Jiangxi Province

Pingxiang Mining Area in Jiangxi Province is one of the major coal-producing areas and is prone to serious coal and gas outburst, therefore, it is of significance to research on gas geological features and its controlling factors. Based on the analysis of gas data collected from geological exploration and coal mining, the research reveals that the features of gas geology vary significantly between west part and east part of Pingxiang Mining Area, and it is characterized by high gas mines with se- rious coal and gas outburst in the west part and low gas mines with no coal and gas outburst in the east part. The main controlling factors to gas geology are discussed, and the great difference of gas geology between west part and east part is the result of comprehensive effect by geological factors. Concerning the gas generation, the coal rank in the west part is higher than that in the east part, which is favorable to generate more gas in the west part than in the east part. Concerning the gas preservation, the structures are characterized by gliding nappe in the west part and by tectonic window in the east part, the surrounding rocks are characterized by poor permeability in the west part and comparatively good permeability in the east part, and the characteristics of coal rank and coal body structure are favorable to gas preservation in the west part and favorable to gas emission in the east part.

Coal seam drainage enhancement using borehole presplitting basting technology——A case study in Huainan

Xinji No. 2 underground coal mine extracts the coal seams #4 and #5. These two seams are highly gassy and gas drainage is required to control mine gas emission and reduce outburst risk. Because the seam permeability coefficient is very low and around 0.1 m^2/(MPa^2·d), a number of technologies have been trialled to enhance the seam permeability prior to gas drainage. Of these technologies trialled, the deep borehole presplitting blasting technology has been proven to be quite effective in increasing permeability. In Xinji No. 2 mine it doubled or sometimes tripled gas drainage volume. This paper describes the technology, its application in the enhancement of seam permeability in Xinji No. 2 coal mine, and its effect on gas drainage performance.

Aspects of surface and environment protection in German mining areas

Hard coal mining in the German Ruhr district has a tradition of more than 200 years. Starting in the south near the river Ruhr with mining of seams near to the surface, mining wandered to the north with coal seams deeper and deeper. In the same way all environmental effects of mining wandered from south to north, as there are abandoned mining sites, contaminated areas, burning mining dumps, subsided areas and gas accesses at day ground. This all happened in a very high populated area with more than four million inhabitants. Therefore Germany has a long tradition in solving environmental problems of mining activities. The very good interaction of mine authority, mining companies and the mine workers’ union is the main reason why the problems of decreasing mining activities in Germany were solved without economic, environmental or social hazards.

Controlling Effects of Surrounding Rock to Coal Seam Gas Occurrence

Surrounding rock of coal seam was one of the important factors to gas occurrence. The coal seam gas occurrence was studied by the index of roof strata thickness or sand content rate;we found that there were certain shortcomings. In order to reasonably evaluate the influence of coal seam surrounding rock on gas occurrence in Panji mining area, we quantitatively evaluated the effect of coal seam surrounding rock on gas occurrence by influence coefficient of roof strata thickness, and built six mathematical models of the variational gas content in the mining area which is divided into six gas geological units. The results shows that the coal seam gas content is mainly influenced by 20 mroof strata in each gas geological unit, the gas content presents the tendency of increase, and with the influence coefficient of strata thickness increases, they exist a significant linear relationship.

Utilisation of transparent synthetic soil surrogates in geotechnical physical models: A review

Coal extraction in Huainan area is basically characterized by one of typical multi-seam mining conditions observed in China, where coal is mined in soft seams characterized by high gas content, high stress, low permeability and difficult geological conditions. The average mining depth in Huainan area is 875 m and continues to increase by 15-25 m annually. The rise in mining depth increases the risk of coal and gas outbursts and makes it more difficult to control outburst risk in Huainan coalmines. This paper reviews the main achievements（e.g. theories, technologies and equipment） in outburst control in Huainan, and tries to analyze some key challenging issues, and to present associated strategies to address these issues.It suggests that the outburst control in Huainan must take a combination approach of both regional and localized control in which the former plays a dominant role. Other outburst prevention principles include（1） non-outburst seams protecting outburst seams,（2） less outburst-prone seams protecting strong outburst-prone seams,（3） stress-releasing mining, and（4） the combination of ground and underground gas drainage（the model is dubbed as ＂walking on two legs＂）. The paper concludes that we should conduct fundamental researches on outburst mechanism, and develop outburst control technologies and equipment to ensure safe and efficient coal mining of deep coal resources in Huainan area.

Study on detecting spatial distribution availability in mine goafs by ultra-high density electrical method

The purpose of this research is to explore the spatial distribution and influence range of the mined-out area of a coal mine in Hebei Province,the advantages of ultra-high density resistivity method,such as large data volume,high efficiency and high precision,are brought into full play,the abnormal patterns of dislocation and partial drainage area of shallow continuous aquifer caused by subsidence zone are detected,and then the spatial distribution patterns of subsidence and fractures caused by deep mining subsidence zone are deduced,this method not only extends the exploration range of high-density resistivity method in mining subsidence disaster assessment,but also improves the accuracy of measurement,the distribution and influence range of mined-out area are revealed accurately,and good exploration results have been obtained in this project.How to select reasonable geophysical prospecting methods and give full play to the role of geophysical prospecting methods according to the geological characteristics of the study area,this exploration work is not only a good combination of geophysical prospecting methods and actual geological conditions,it also provides a valuable reference version for the exploration work under the same geological conditions.

阳泉矿区碎软煤层深孔气动定向钻进关键技术与实践

【目的】针对山西阳泉矿区碎软煤层瓦斯精准、超前、区域治理需求,提出采用气动定向钻进煤层预抽钻孔的技术方案。【方法】在分析气动定向钻进成孔技术难题的基础上,开发了适用于阳泉矿区碎软煤层赋存条件的气动螺杆钻具稳定运转技术、钻孔轨迹精确控制技术、深孔高效排渣技术、气动套铣打捞技术,优化了气动定向钻进装备配套方案,并在阳泉矿区碎软煤层中开展了现场工业性试验。【结果和结论】结果表明:(1)通过优化气动螺杆钻具结构和工艺流程、设计低风阻管路,有效解决了气动螺杆钻具的异常制动,实现了稳定高效运转。(2)通过优化钻孔设计轨迹和工艺参数、设计大角度造斜钻具组合和研制气动冲击螺杆钻具,保障了钻孔轨迹的精确调控,提高了煤层钻遇率。(3)通过复合强排渣技术和短起钻冲孔工艺的应用,有效提升了钻孔排渣效率。(4)通过采用气动套铣打捞技术,配套设计的专用可退式打捞筒,满足阳泉区矿区碎软煤层孔内复杂事故处理需要,并成功处理2起严重卡钻事故。(5)在阳泉矿区某矿施工完成孔径120 mm的10个定向钻孔,成孔深度均达到450 m以上,最大钻孔深度达到607 m,最大单班进尺76 m。碎软煤层定向孔取得了显著的瓦斯抽采效果,单孔日均抽采瓦斯纯量最大达971.96 m^(3),实现了阳泉矿区碎软煤层瓦斯长时间稳定抽采。研究成果为阳泉矿区碎软煤层瓦斯高效治理提供了新的技术途径,具有显著的应用和推广价值。