Response characteristics of gas pressure under simultaneous static and dynamic load:Implication for coal and gas outburst mechanism

Coal and gas outbursts are dynamic disasters in which a large mass of gas and coal suddenly emerges in a mining space within a split second.The interaction between the gas pressure and stress environment is one of the key factors that induce coal and gas outbursts.In this study,first,the coupling relationship between the gas pressure in the coal body ahead of the working face and the dynamic load was investigated using experimental observations,numerical simulations,and mine-site investigations.It was observed that the impact rate of the dynamic load on the gas-bearing coal can significantly change the gas pressure.The faster the impact rate,the speedier the increase in gas pressure.Moreover,the gas pressure rise was faster closer to the impact interface.Subsequently,based on engineering background,we proposed three models of stress and gas pressure distribution in the coal body ahead of the working face:static load,stress disturbance,and dynamic load conditions.Finally,the gas pressure distribution and outburst mechanism were investigated.The high concentration of gas pressure appearing at the coal body ahead of the working face was caused by the dynamic load.The gas pressure first increased gradually to a peak value and then decreased with increasing distance from the working face.The increase in gas pressure plays a major role in outburst initiation by resulting in the ability to more easily reach the critical points needed for outburst initiation.Moreover,the stronger the dynamic load,the greater the outburst initiation risk.The results of this study provide practical guidance for the early warning and prevention of coal and gas outbursts.

Experimental investigations on effects of gas pressure on mechanical behaviors and failure characteristic of coals

The mechanical behavior of coal is the key factor affecting underground coal mining and coalbed methane extraction.In this study,triaxial compression and seepage tests were carried out on coal at different gas pressures.The mechanical properties and failure process of coal were studied,as well as the acoustic emission(AE)and strain energy.The influence of gas pressure on the mechanical parameters of this coal was analyzed.Based on the conventional energy calculation formula,the pore pressure was introduced through the effective stress formula,and each energy component of coal containing gas was refined innovatively.The contribution of gas pressure to the total energy input and dissipation during loading was quantitatively described.Finally,the influence of gas pressure on coal strength was theo-retically analyzed from the perspectives of MohreCoulomb criterion and fracture mechanics.The results show that the total absorbed energy comprises the absorbed energy in the axial pressure direction(positive)and in the confining pressure direction(negative),as well as that induced by the pore pressure(initially negative and then positive).The absorbed energy in the axial pressure direction accounts for the main proportion of the total energy absorbed by coal.The quiet period of AE in the initial stage shortens,and AE activity increases during the pre-peak stage under high gas pressure.The fractal characteristics of AE in three stages are studied using the correlation dimension.The AE process has different forms of self-similarity in various deformation stages.

Self-absorption effects of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy under different gases and gas pressures

The self-absorption effect is one of the main factors affecting the quantitative analysis accuracy of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy.In this paper,the self-absorption effects of laserinduced 7050 Al alloy plasma under different pressures in air,Ar,and N2have been studied.Compared with air and N2,Ar significantly enhances the spectral signal.Furthermore,the spectral self-absorption coefficient is calculated to quantify the degree of self-absorption,and the influences of gas species and gas pressure on self-absorption are analyzed.In addition,it is found that the spectral intensity fluctuates with the change of pressure of three gases.It can also be seen that the fluctuation of spectral intensity with pressure is eliminated after correcting,which indicates that the self-absorption leads to the fluctuation of spectral intensity under different pressures.The analysis shows that the evolution of optical thin spectral lines with pressure in different gases is mainly determined by the gas properties and the competition between plasma confinement and Rayleigh–Taylor instability.

Self-sealing of fractures in indurated claystones measured by water and gas flow

Self-sealing of fractures in the indurated Callovo-Oxfordian(COX)and Opalinus(OPA)claystones,which are considered as host rocks for disposal of radioactive waste,was investigated on artificially fractured samples.The samples were extracted from four lithological facies relatively rich in clay mineral,carbonate and quartz,respectively.The self-sealing of fractures was measured by fracture closure,water permeability variation,gas penetration,and recovery of gas-induced pathways.Most of the fractured samples exhibited a dramatic reduction inwater permeability to low levels that is close to that of intact rock,depending on their mineralogical composition,fracture intensity,confining stress,and load duration.The self-sealing capacity of the clay-rich samples is higher than that of the carbonate-rich and sandy ones.Significant effects of sample size and fracture intensity were identified.The sealed fractures become gas-tight for certain in-jection pressures.However,the measured gas breakthrough pressures are still lower than the confining stresses.The gas-induced pathways can recover when contacting water.These important findings imply that fractures in such indurated claystones can effectively recover to hinder water transport but allow gas release under relatively low pressures without compromising the rock integrity.

Revaluating coal permeability-gas pressure relation under various gas pressure differential conditions

Identifying changes in coal permeability with gas pressure and accurately codifying mean efective stresses in laboratory samples are crucial in predicting gas-fow behavior in coal reservoirs. Traditionally, coal permeability to gas is assessed using the steady-state method, where the equivalent gas pressure in the coal is indexed to the average of upstream and downstream pressures of the coal, while ignoring the nonlinear gas pressure gradient along the gas fow path. For the fow of a compressible gas, the traditional method consistently underestimates the length/volume-averaged pressure and overestimates mean efective stress. The higher the pressure diferential within the sample, the greater the error between the true mean pressure for a compressible fuid and that assumed as the average between upstream and downstream pressures under typical reservoir conditions. A correction coefcient for the compressible fuid pressure asymptotes to approximately 1.3%, representing that the error in mean pressure and efective stress can be on the order of approximately 30%, particularly for highly pressure-sensitive permeabilities and compressibilities, further amplifying errors in evaluated reservoir properties. We utilized this volume-averaged pressure and efective stress to correct permeability and compressibility data reported in the literature. Both the corrected initial permeability and the corrected pore compressibility were found to be smaller than the uncorrected values, due to the underestimation of the true mean fuid pressure, resulting in an overestimation of reservoir permeability if not corrected. The correction coefcient for the initial permeability ranges from 0.6 to 0.1 (reservoir values are only approximately 40% to 90% of laboratory values), while the correction coefcient for pore compressibility remains at approximately 0.75 (reservoir values are only approximately 25% of laboratory value). Errors between the uncorrected and corrected parameters are quantifed under various factors, such as confning pressure, gas sorption, and temperature. By analyzing the evolutions of the initial permeability and pore compressibility, the coupling mechanisms of mechanical compression, adsorption swelling, and thermal expansion on the pore structure of the coal can be interpreted. These fndings can provide insights that are useful for assessing the sensitivity of coal permeability to gas pressure as truly representative of reservoir conditions.

Effect of rock joints on lined rock caverns subjected to high internal gaspressure

The storage of hydrogen gas in lined rock caverns(LRCs)may enable the implementation of the firstlarge-scale fossil-free steelmaking process in Sweden,but filling such storage causes joints in the rockmass to open,concentrating strains in the lining.The structural interaction between the LRC componentsmust be able to reduce the strain concentration in the sealing steel lining;however,this interaction iscomplex and difficult to predict with analytical methods.In this paper,the strain concentration in LRCsfrom the opening of rock joints is studied using finite element(FE)analyses,where the large-and small-scale deformation behaviors of the LRC are coupled.The model also includes concrete crack initiation anddevelopment with increasing gas pressure and rock joint width.The interaction between the jointed rockmass and the reinforced concrete,the sliding layer,and the steel lining is demonstrated.The results showthat the rock mass quality and the spacing of the rock joints have the greatest influence on the straindistributions in the steel lining.The largest effect of rock joints on the maximum strains in the steellining was observed for geological conditions of“good”quality rock masses.

Experimental study of water curtain performance for gas storage in an underground cavern

An artificial water curtain system is composed of a network of underground galleries and horizontal boreholes drilled from these galleries.Pre-grouting measures are introduced to keep the bedrock saturated all the time.This system is deployed over an artificial or natural underground cavern used for the storage of gas（or some other fluids） to prevent the gas from escaping through leakage paths in the rock mass.An experimental physical modeling system has been constructed to evaluate the performance of artificial water curtain systems under various conditions.These conditions include different spacings of caverns and cavern radii located below the natural groundwater level.The principles of the experiment,devices,design of the physical model,calculation of gas leakage,and evaluation of the critical gas pressure are presented in this paper.Experimental result shows that gas leakage is strongly affected by the spacing of water curtain boreholes,the critical gas pressure,and the number and proximity of storage caverns.The hydraulic connection between boreholes is observed to vary with depth or location,which suggests that the distribution of water-conducting joint sets along the boreholes is also variable.When designing the drainage system for a cavern,drainage holes should be orientated to maximize the frequency at which they encounter major joint sets and permeable intervals studying in order to maintain the seal on the cavern through water pressure.Our experimental results provide a significant contribution to the theoretical controls on water curtains,and they can be used to guide the design and construction of practical storage caverns.

Experimental study on the infrared precursor characteristics of gas-bearing coal failure under loading

The stress and gas pressure in deep coal seams are very high,and instability and failure rapidly and intensely occur.It is important to study the infrared precursor characteristics of gas-bearing coal instability and failure.In this paper,a self-developed stress-gas coupling failure infrared experimental system was used to analyse the infrared radiation temperature(IRT)and infrared thermal image precursor characteristics of gas-free coal and gas-bearing coal.The changes in the areas of the infrared temperature anomalous precursor regions and the effect of the gas on the infrared precursors were examined.The results show that high-temperature anomalous precursors arise mainly when the gas-free coal fails under loading,whereas the gas-bearing coal has high-temperature and low-temperature anomalous precursors.The area of the high-temperature anomalous precursor is approximately 30%–40%under gasbearing coal unstable failure,which is lower than the 60%–70%of the gas-free coal.The area of the low-temperature abnormal precursor is approximately 3%–6%,which is higher than the 1%–2%of the gas-free coal.With increasing gas pressure,the area of the high-temperature anomalous precursor gradually decreases,and the area of the low-temperature anomalous precursor gradually increases.The highand low-temperature anomalous precursors of gas-bearing coal are mainly caused by gas desorption,volume expansion,and thermal friction.The presence of gas inhibits the increase in IRT on the coal surface and increases the difficulty of infrared radiation(IR)monitoring and early warning for gas-bearing coal.

Experimental research into the effect of gas pressure,particle size and nozzle area on initial gas-release energy during gas desorption

Coal and gas outburst is a violent disaster driven by released energy from gas desorption.The initial expansion energy of released gas(IEERG)is a new method to predict coal and gas outburst.In this paper,an instrument for IEERG measurement was developed.Compared with previous setups,the new one which is equipped with three convergent nozzles and quick-release mechanism gets improved in data acquisition and gas sealing and releasing performance.To comprehensively know the effect of gas pressure,particle size,and nozzle area on IEERG,a series of experiments were carried out with this new setup.The variable control test results indicated that the gas pressure-IEERG curves remain the linear trend and the particle size-IEERG curves maintain the negative exponential trend for nozzle areas at 1.13,2.26,and3.39 mm2,respectively.The increase in nozzle area leads to deceases in value of IEERG and absolute value of slope of fitting curves in each test.In addition,the orthogonal experiment showed that the influence of gas pressure,nozzle area,and particle size on IEERG decreases in turn.Only gas pressure had a marked impact on IEERG.This work offers great importance in improving the accuracy of prediction of coal and gas outburst.

An experimental study on microscopic characteristics of gas-bearing sediments under different gas reservoir pressures

Gas-bearing sediments are widely distributed in five continents all over the world.Most of the gases exist in the soil skeleton in the form of discrete large bubbles.The existence of gas-phase may increase or decrease the strength of the soil skeleton.So far,bubbles’structural morphology and evolution characteristics in soil skeleton lack research,and the influence of different gas reservoir pressures on bubbles are still unclear.The micro characteristics of bubbles in the same sediment sample were studied using an industrial CT scanning test system to solve these problems.Using the image processing software,the micro variation characteristics of gas-bearing sediments in gas reservoir pressure change are obtained.The results show that the number and volume of bubbles in different equivalent radius ranges will change regularly under different gas reservoir pressure.With the increase of gas reservoir pressure,the number and volume of tiny bubbles decrease.In contrast,the number and volume of large bubbles increase,and the gas content in different positions increases and occupies a dominant position,driving the reduction of pore water and soil skeleton movement.

Evolution characteristics of precursor information of coal and gas outburst in deep rock cross‑cut coal uncovering

As mines become deeper,the potential for coal and gas outbursts in deep rock cross-cut coal uncovering is enhanced.The outburst precursors are unclear,which restricts the effectiveness and reliability of warning systems.To reveal the evolution characteristics of coal and gas outburst precursor information in deep rock cross-cut coal uncovering,briquette specimens are constructed and experiments are conducted using a self-developed true triaxial outburst test system.Using acoustic emission monitoring technology,the dynamic failure of coal is monitored,and variations in the root mean square(RMS)of the acoustic emissions allow the effective cracking time and effective cracking gas pressure to be defined.These characteristics are obviously different in deep and shallow coal.The characteristic parameters of gas outburst exhibit stepwise variations at different depths.The RMS and cumulative RMS have stepped failure characteristics with respect to changes in gas pressure.The characteristic parameters of coal failure are negatively correlated with the average in-situ stress and effective stress,but positively correlated with the lateral pressure coefficient of in-situ stress and the critical gas pressure.The transition characteristics are highly sensitive in all cases.The critical depth between deep and shallow coal and gas outbursts is 1700 m.The expansion multiple of acoustic emission intensity from the microfracture stage to the sharp-fracture stage of coal is defined as the outburst risk index,N1.For depths of 1100–1700 m,N1≥7 denotes a higher risk of outburst,whereas at depths of 1700–2500 m,N1≥3 indicates enhanced risk.

Influence of Argon Gas Pressure on the ZnO:Al Films Deposited on Flexible TPT Substrates at Room Temperature by Magnetron Sputtering

Aluminium doped ZnO thin films（ZnO︰Al） were deposited on transparent polymer substrates at room temperature by rf magnetron sputtering method from a ZnO target with Al2O3 of 2.0 wt%. Argon gas pressure varied from 0.5 Pa to 2.5 Pa with radio frequency power of 120 W. XRD results showed that all the ZnO︰Al films had a polycrystalline hexagonal structure and a （002） preferred orientation with the c-axis perpendicular to the substrate. The grain sizes of the films were 6.3-14.8 nm.SEM images indicated the ZnO︰Al film with low Argon gas pressure was denser and the deposition rate of the films depended strongly on the Argon gas pressure, increasing firstly and then decreasing with increasing the pressure. The highest deposition rate was 5.2 nm/min at 1 Pa. The optical transmittance of the ZnO︰Al films increased and the blue shift of the absorption edge appeared when the Argon gas pressure increased. The highest transmittance of obtained ZnO︰Al films at 2.5 Pa was about 85% in the visible region. The electrical properties of the films were worsened with the increase of the Argon gas power from 1 Pa to 2.5 Pa. The resistivity of obtained film at 1.0 Pa was 2.79×10-2 Ω·cm.

Mechanism of Surface Vertical Deformation in Parts of the Underground Gas Storage Reservoir of Hutubi, Xinjiang, China

The Underground Gas Storage( UGS) in Hutubi( HTB),Xinjiang is the largest gas storage reservoir in China and it has significance for coordinating the gas supply and demand relationship,peak-load regulation,implementation of strategic reserves,national security, and social economic sustainable development. Therefore, the deformation monitoring and simulation analysis of UGS operation has important technical support and reference value for the stability and safe operation of the underground gas storage. In this paper,we use the elevation data obtained from 7 periods of second-order leveling surveys in the Hutubi underground gas storage area in 2013- 2015 to analyze the influence of gas well pressure on the vertical deformation of the underground gas storage reservoir.Research has shown that the absolute vertical subsidence rate is approximately in the range from 11. 8mm to 16. 1mm and the relative subsidence change is about 4. 3mm,near the surface deformation of Hutubi underground gas storage area except for the annual subsidence rate of- 2. 86 mm by the basic influence of uplift of the Tianshan Mountains.Groundwater over-extraction in the Hutubi area also has an impact on the vertical variation of the surface in this region. The land surface change per unit pressure of gas storage has an impact of about 0. 625mm- 1. 125 mm. 17 scenes Terra SAR-X radar images acquired from August,2013 to August,2014 are exploited by Small Baseline Subset( SBAS) In SAR method to obtain the surface deformation time series during the operation of UGS in Hutubi,meanwhile combined with the pressure data of injection / productionwells,the multi-point source Mogi model is used to simulate the UGS deformation field in Hutubi. The results show that the deformation characteristics of the whole UGS area is a discontinuous distribution with the peak deformation value of 10 mm and- 8mm in the satellite line of sight( LOS) during gas injection and production,respectively and the retrieved deformation sequences correspond very well to the gas injection / production pressure changes. Based on the multi- point source Mogi model, we simulate the deformation process of UGS,HTB,and with the adaptive forward search method,the radius and depth of point source are obtained. The simulated results indicate that when the average injection / production pressure of UGS,HTB is 18 MPa and 15 MPa, LOS deformation is up to 7mm and- 4mm,respectively,and surface deformation is related to the density of gas injection( production) wells. The UGS gas distribution is not uniform,indicating that the structure of underground gas storage is complex. Thus using a more elaborate geomechanical model and other deformation observation data will be helpful for better simulating the UGS internal structure and explaining the mechanism of deformation.

Temperature influence on macro-mechanics parameter of intact coal sample containing original gas from Baijiao Coal Mine in China

Investigation of temperature effect on mechanical parameters of coal is very important for understanding the mechanical response of coal bed at high temperature.It is especially benefcial for mitigating the thermal-induced disasters occurred in those coal mines suffering from heat hazard.In this work,coal samples,obtained from the No.2442 working face of Baijiao Coal Mine,were subjected to uniaxial compression ranging from 20 to 40℃ with an interval of 5℃.The apparatus used was designed to obtain deformation of a stressed sample,as well as the emission of gases desorbing from coal matrix.The adsorbed gas desorption caused by heating is measured during the entire testing.It is evident that the concentrations of releasing gas(containing methane,carbon dioxide and ethane)slightly rise with increasing temperature.Gas movement observed is closely related to the deformation of coal sample.Both uniaxial compressive strength and elastic modulus of coal samples tend to reduce with temperature.It reveals that increasing temperature can not only result in thermal expansion of coal,but also lead to desorption of preexisting gas in coal which can in turns harden coal due to shrinks of the coal matrix.Even though desorption of adsorbed gas can contribute to the hardening effect for the heated coal,by comparison to the results,it could be inferred that the softening of coal resulted from thermal expansion still predominates changes in mechanical characters of coal sample with temperature at the range from20 to 40℃.

Structural integrity evaluation of irradiated LEU targets for the production of molybdenum‑99 using thermo‑mechanical behavior simulation coupled with pressure of fission gas release calculation

Irradiated low-enriched uranium as target plates is used to produce,via neutron radiation and from the molybdenum-99 fission product,technetium-99m,which is a radio-element widely used for diagnosis in the field of nuclear medicine.The behavior of this type of target must be known to prevent eventual failures during radiation.The present study aims to assess,via prediction,the thermal–mechanical behavior,physical integrity,and geometric stability of targets under neutron radiation in a nuclear reactor.For this purpose,a numerical simulation using a three-dimensional finite element analysis model was performed to determine the thermal expansion and stress distribution in the target cladding.The neutronic calculation results,target material properties,and cooling parameters of the KAERI research group were used as inputs in our developed model.Thermally induced stress and deflection on the target were calculated using Ansys-Fluent codes,and the temperature profiles,as inputs of this calculation,were obtained from a CFD thermal–hydraulic model.The stress generated,induced by the pressure of fission gas release at the interface of the cladding target,was also estimated using the Redlich–Kwong equation of state.The results obtained using the bonded and unbonded target models considering the effect of the radiation heat combined with a fission gas release rate of approximately 3%show that the predicted thermal stress and deflection values satisfy the structural performance requirement and safety design.It can be presumed that the integrity of the target cladding is maintained under these conditions.

Effect of carrier gas pressure on vapor condensation and mass flow-rate in sonic nozzle

Non-equilibrium vapor condensation of moist gas through a sonic nozzle is a very complicated phenomenon and is related to the measurement accuracy of sonic nozzle.A gas-liquid two-phase model for the moist gas condensation flow was built and validated by moist nitrogen experiment of homogeneous nucleation through a transonic nozzle.The effects of carrier gas pressure on position and status of condensation onset in sonic nozzle were investigated in detail.The results show that condensation process is not easy to occur at lower carrier pressure and throat diameter.The main factors influencing condensation onset are boundary layer thickness,heat capacity of carrier gas and expansion rate.All of results can be used to further analyze the effect of condensation on mass flow-rate of sonic nozzle.

Development of a 100 MPa water–gas two-phase fluid pressurization device

This paper introduces a 100 MPa water gas twophase fluid pressurization device.The device can provide 100 MPa gas pressure and 200 MPa liquid pressure for small volume(<20 mL)high-pressure experimental devices.This device can make the pressure control independent of the temperature control without changing the material components of the system.The resolution of this device in adjusting the pressure is±0.2 MPa in the process of boosting and depressurizing.This pressure boosting device generates very little vibration during work and it can be used in experiments with strict requirements on vibration.As a thermodynamic parameter,pressure has a great influence on matter.In the field of experimental geochemistry,pressure is not only an experimental method and an extreme condition but an important physical parameter independent of temperature and chemical composition.

Effect of gas pressure on ion energy at substrate side of Ag target radio-frequency and very-high-frequency magnetron sputtering discharge

The effect of gas pressure on ion energy distribution at the substrate side of Ag target radio-frequency(RF)and very-high-frequency(VHF)magnetron sputtering discharge was investigated.At lower pressure,the evolution of maximum ion energy(E)with discharge voltage(V)varied with the excitation frequency,due to the joint contribution of the ion generation in the bulk plasma and the ion movement across the sheath related to the ion transit sheath timeτiand RF periodτRF.At higher pressure,the evolution of E–V relationships did not vary with the excitation frequency,due to the balance between the energy lost through collisions and the energy gained by acceleration in the electric field.Therefore,for RF and VHF magnetron discharge,lower gas pressure can have a clear influence on the E–V relationship.

Effects of gas pressure on plasma characteristics in dual frequency argon capacitive glow discharges at low pressure by a self-consistent fluid model

A self-consistent fluid model for dual radio frequency argon capacitive glow discharges at low pressure is established. Numerical results are obtained by using a finite difference method to solve the model numerically, and the results are analyzed to study the effect of gas pressure on the plasma characteristics. It shows that when the gas pressure increases from 0.3 Torr （1 Torr=1.33322102 Pa） to 1.5 Torr, the cycle-averaged plasma density and the ionization rate increase; the cycle-averaged ion current densities and ion energy densities on the electrodes electrode increase; the cycle-averaged electron temperature decreases. Also, the instantaneous electron density in the powered sheath region is presented and discussed. The cycle-averaged electric field has a complex behavior with the increasing of gas pressure, and its changes take place mainly in the two sheath regions. The cycle-averaged electron pressure heating, electron ohmic heating, electron heating, and electron energy loss are all influenced by the gas pressure. Two peaks of the electron heating appear in the sheath regions and the two peaks become larger and move to electrodes as the gas pressure increases.

An approximate analytical solution for transient gas flows in a vertically fractured well of finite fracture conductivity

An analytical solution in physical variable space is presented for transient gas flows during constant-rate production from a vertically-fractured well in an infinite homogeneous reservoir with finite fracture conductivity.The solution is based on the short-time asymptotic solution and a new approximate transient elliptical flow solution,which covers transient flows from the bilinear flow regime to the pseudo-radial flow regime.The solution covers the well-known asymptotic solutions in both short-and long-time limits of bilinear and pseudo-radial flows.The analytical model provides a practical and reliable engineering tool to evaluate the fractured reservoir properties,which can be programmed using a spreadsheet.