Characteristics of Gas Emission at Super-Length Fully-Mechanized Top Coal Caving Face

Characteristics of gas emission at the K8206 working face in the Third mine of the Yangquan Coal Group were investigated. The effects of strata movement,advancing velocity of working face,production capacity of working face and gas extraction capability of strike high-level entry on gas emission at K8206 working face were analyzed. A regression equation,reflecting the relationship between relative gas emission rate and the production capacity of work-ing faces,was established. Another regression equation showing the relationship between the gas emission rate from adjacent layers when the working face was advancing for one metre and advancing velocity was derived. It can be con-cluded that,1) the amount of gas emitted at the K8206 working face is far greater than that of ordinary top coal caving faces with a dip length of 180-190 m; 2) the dynamic process of gas emission from adjacent layers during the initial mining stage is controlled by the movement of key strata; 3) the amount of gas emitted that needs to be forced out by air is greatly affected by the capability of gas extraction; 4) when the advancing velocity is between 3.5-5.5 m/d or when the output is up to 8-12 kt/d,the gas emission from adjacent layers is almost constant.

SAFETY PROBLEMS IN FULLY-MECHANIZED TOP-COAL CAVING LONGWALL FACES

The thick-san top-ctal catrig technology has been in use in China for over a decade,and has given rise to siguscant economic efficiendes. Eftorts in reeent years to extend its applica tion to more complex mining conditions, mostly high-gas seams , with or without proneness ofspontaneous combustion. have brought about new safety problems This paper will highlight thefcatures and problems retared with thick-seam top-coal caving systems, compared with conventionai, fully-mecbanized longwall systems , particularly issues retated to methane, spontaneous combustion and dust,and disam the methods and measures to ded with them.

Study on safe thickness of overlying thin bedrock in fully-mechanized top-coal caving face with thick coal seam

To prevent support crush, the overlying strata safe thickness and its influential elements were studied by the adoption of theoretical analysis, numerical simulation and in-situ measurement. According to the production and geological condition of first face in Sima coal mine, the results indicate that the clay contains large permissible bearing ability and has better arching force. After mining destruction, stable structure is formed in bedrock to ensure face safety. The clay thickness ＆ bedrock thickness are the key influential elements to stable structure. The minimal bedrock thickness is about 40 m to ensure safe mining under loose surface soil condition. When surface soil contains mainly thick clay, it forms steady structure with the composition of thin bedrock, so that it can reduce minimal thickness of bedrock and to ensure safe mining. When clay thickness is 40 m, minimal bedrock thickness is 20 m. When clay thickness is 30 m, minimal bedrock thickness is 30 m. Bearing pressure peak ranges from 5 to 15 m in the front face under thin bedrock condition. The bearing pressure distribution range is 15 m. Main roof break distance is small, and initial weighting of main roof is not distinctive, while first periodic weighting of main roof is quite distinctive.

Analysis on distribution law of the abutment pressure of the integrated coal beside the road-in packing for gob-side entry retaining in fully-mechanized caving face

The three-dimensional damage constitutive relationship of coal is established and distribution law of the abutment pressure of the integrated coal beside the road-in packing for gob-side entry retaining in fully-mechanized caving face under the effect of given deformation of the main roof is analyzed by the damage mechanics theory. And the relationship between distribution of the abutment pressure and thickness of coal seam is explored. The presented result is of great theoretical significance and practical value to the study on stability control of the surrounding rock of road-in packing for gob-side entry retaining in fully-mechanized caving face.

Numerical simulation for determining three zones in the goaf at a fully-mechanized coal face

According to the theory of ventilation network, a model for a filtration flow field in goaf was built and simulation soft- ware for determining the three zones in goaf has been developed. This software uses no-gap-connection between Visual Basic (VB) and Excel to exchange data, uses Component Object Model (COM) component of MATLAB to plot charts of the three zones and to export the corresponding coordinates of the isolines. An example shows that this software is convenient and simple. By using it, the three zones can be easily determined. The software is convenient in studies and analyses of the three zones in goaf.

Study on gob-side entry retaining in fully-mechanized longwall with top-coal caving and its application

Based on the engineering background of gob-side entry retaining in fully-mechanized longwall with top coal caving(GER-FLTC) on N2105 working face of Yuwu coal mine, by adopting the methods of theoretical analysis and numerical calculation, the control techniques of surrounding rocks in GER-FLTC working face are studied in this paper. The two main difficulties of stability of surrounding rocks at gob-side retained entry in fully-mechanized longwall working face are the stability control of top coal and control of large deformation of GER-FLTC working face. Interaction mechanical model between roofing and roadside backfilling in GER-FLTC is established and the equations for the calculation of roof-cutting resistance of roadside backfilling are derived. Results of numerical calculation show that the damage zones of top coal can be categorized into the delaminating zone of top coal above the backfilling, tensile damage zone of top coal above the retained roadway and shear damage zone of the upper rib of the solid coal. Stability control of top coal is the critical part to success of GER-FLTC. With consideration of large deformation of surrounding rocks of gob-side retained entry in fully-mechanized longwall, the support technique of‘‘roofing control and wall strengthening'' is proposed where high strength and highly prestressed anchor rods and diagonal tensile anchor cables support are used for top coal, high strength and highly prestressed yielding anchor rod support is used for solid coal and roadside prestressed load-carrying backfilling is constructed by high-water material, in order to maintain the integrity of the top coal, transfer load, high resistance yielding load-carrying of solid coal, roof-cutting of roadside backfilling and support,and to achieve GER-FLTC. Results from this study are successfully applied in engineering practice.

Analysis of Noise at Coal Face by Fully-Mechanized Coal Winning Technology

The noise level of coal face by full-mechanized coal winning technology was measured in a coal mine. And then it was analyzed and evaluated using environment science, ergonomics and fussy mathematics analysis. Basis of the statistics and analysis of the measured noise level some measures, such as applying the new materials and improving the construction of the equipment, were carried out. The resuts show that they can reduce the noise level, improve the working environment and enhance the work efficiency.

Control on mine pressure of thick and strong roof stratum movement in long wall thick coal caving face

The caving of thick and strong roof stratum causes tremendous rock pressure in mine.The results of the analysis on dynamic natures of actual measurements of some fields,of which the roof pressure can be caused by thick and strong stratum in long wall thick coal caving face,could present the relation between the collapse and movement of thick and strong roof strata and surrounding rock pressure.In order to control the roof pressure effectively,the thick and strong roof strata,can be fractured and softened previ- ously by hydraulic fracturing and low-high pressure water infusion,fracturing and softening method.The results of study can provide basis for strata control and safe management in long wall thick coal caving face.

Waste-filling in fully-mechanized coal mining and its application

A fully-mechanized coal mining (FMCM) technology capable of filling up the goaf with wastes (including solid wastes) is described. Industrial tests have proved that by using this technology not only can waste be re-used but also coal resources can be exploited with a higher recovery rate without removing buildings located over the working faces. Two special devices, a hydraulic support and a scraper conveyor, run side-by-side on the same working face to simultaneously realize mining and filling. These are described in detail. The tests allow analysis of rock pressure and ground subsidence when backfilling techniques are employed. These values are compared to those from mining without using backfilling techniques, under the same geological conditions. The concept of equivalent mining height is proposed based on theoretical analysis of rock pressure and ground subsidence. The upper limits of the rock pressure and ground subsidence can be estimated in backfilling mining using this concept along with traditional engineering formulae.

Deformation mechanism of surrounding rocks and key control technology for a roadway driven along goaf in fully mechanized top-coal caving face

The variation of the stress in the bolted surrounding rocks structure of the roadway driven along goaf in a fully mechanized top coal caving face with moderate stable conditions are studied by using numerical calculation. The essential deformation characteristics of the surrounding rocks in this kind of roadway are obtained and the key technology of bolting support used under these conditions is put forward.

Analysis and key control technologies to prevent spontaneous coal combustion occurring at a fully mechanized caving face with large obliquity in deep mines

In order to prevent spontaneous coal combustion occurring at a fully mechanized caving face with large obliquity in deep mines in China, we have analyzed the characteristics of spontaneous coal combustion and explain theoretically the factors affecting spontaneous coal combustion, such as rock bursts, high temperatures, high ventilation resistance, slow advancing speed and large obliquity mining. Key technologies to prevent spontaneous combustion occurring in sharply inclined seams in deep mines are pro- posed; these include pouring water, stopping leakage in upper and lower comers of the working face, choking off the goaf and cov- eting the coal. CO concentrations were controlled within two years to less than 15×10^-6 at the upper comer by applying these tech- nologies at the 1410 working face of the Huafeng coal mine. Our method has significant theoretical value and is of practical impor- tance in controlling spontaneous coal combustion occurring at a fully mechanized caving face with large obliquity in deep mines.

Investigation on the stress field characteristic of top coal at FMTC faces under the influence of caving thickness

In the background of the technology condition and the geological condition of the 1151（3） fully mechanized top-coal caving face （FMTC face）, and by means of taking nonlinear 3D numerical simulation, the stress redistribution rules of top coal with different thick coal seam were obtained by investigation on the numerical simulation of the redistributions of the stress with different coal seam＇s thickness. The research showes that there exists a certain difference on the stress distributions of the top coal at face, the maximum principal stress is located near to the tailentry＇s corner. The vertical stress＇s peak of the top coal decreases and the distance ahead of face position increases as the once mining thickness of the coal seam increases. At the same coal seam, the vertical stresses＇ peak of top coal gradually decreases from the top to the bottom, the peak＇s position is basically the same and its changes are gradually obvious with the thickness of coal seam increas- ing. The vertical stress of top coal places in a low stress state at a certain range ahead of face and over the face, which reveals the essence that the support loads are generally low under the condition of FMTC. The study supplies the theoretical foundation for the support design and selection, the theory of top coal＇s fragmentation, the movement rules of top coal and improving the recovery of top coal.

Statistic constitutive equation of top-coal damage for fully mechanized coal face with sublevel caving

Under the action of abutment pressure in front of fully mechanized coal face with sublevel caving(CFSC),top-coal over CFSC deformed.In the process of whole de- formation of top-coal,it changed from continuum elastic mass to non-continuum plastic mass contained fissures,become a loose body.According to its bearing characteristics and mechanical properties,top-coal mass can be divided into four deformation zones along the winning direction of CFSC,i.e.initial stress zone,elastic zone,plastic zone and loose zone.Top-coal in plastic zone located in the post-peak zone of the stress-strain curve for top-coal.With equivalent strain principle of damage mechanics and mathemati- cal theory of statistic,combining the movement law of top-coal,set up a constitutive equa- tion with damage statistics for top-coal in different position in CFSC.The equation illus- trated the mathematical relationship among top-coal bearing capacity,horizontal confining pressure along the winning direction of CFSC and mechanical properties of top-coal mate- rial.The conclusions not only provide a basis for numerical computer simulations on damage deformation and failure mechanism for top-coal,but also further promote the ap- plication of damage mechanics in CFSC.

Theoretical analysis on the deformation characteristics of coal wall in a longwall top coal caving face

Against the background of analyzing coal wall stability in 14101 fully mechanized longwall top coal caving face in Majialiang coal mine,based on the torque equilibrium of the coal wall,shield support and the roof strata,an elastic mechanics model was established to calculate the stress applied on the coal wall.The displacement method was used to obtain the stress and deformation distributions of the coal wall.This study also researched the influence of support resistance,protective pressure to the coal wall,fracture position of the main roof and mining height on the coal wall deformation.The following conclusions are drawn:(1) The shorter the distance from the longwall face,the greater the vertical compressive stress and horizontal tensile stress borne by the coal wall.The coal wall is prone to failure in the form of compressive-shear and tension;(2) With increasing support resistance,the revolution angle of the main roof decreases linearly.As the support resistance and protective force supplied by the face guard increases,the maximum deformation of the coal wall decreases linearly;(3) As the face approaches the fracture position of the main roof,coal wall horizontal deformation increases significantly,and the coal wall is prone to instability;and(4) The best mining height of 14101 longwall face is 3.0 m.

Reliability analysis of the velocity matching of coal cutting and caving in fully mechanized top-coal caving face

The matching relationship between coal cutting and caving in fully mechanized top-coal caving face is analyzed in detail from the angle of reliability. The coupling equation of reliability is established correspondingly, and the mathematical equation of the coefficient of velocity matching of coal cutting and caving is obtained, which meets a certain reliability demand for making the working procedure of coal caving not influence coal cutting of coal-cutter. The results show that the relationship between the coefficient of the velocity matching and the reliability of coal cutting and caving system is linear on the whole when R <0.9. It is pointed out that different numerical value should be selected for different coal face according to different demand for reliability.

Back-and-forth mining for hard and thick coal seams—research about the mining technology for fully mechanized caving working face of Datong Mine

The article introduced the key technology, mining process, and back-and-forth mining method for the caving working face of hard-thick coal seams in Datong mine, and researched this innovations process, optimized the systemic design and working face out-play, tried to perfect the caving mining technology of hard-thick coal seams further.

Ground pressure and overlying strata structure for a repeated mining face of residual coal after room and pillar mining

To investigate the abnormal ground pressures and roof control problem in fully mechanized repeated mining of residual coal after room and pillar mining, the roof fracture structural model and mechanical model were developed using numerical simulation and theoretical analysis. The roof fracture characteristics of a repeated mining face were revealed and the ground pressure law and roof supporting condi- tions of the repeated mining face were obtained. The results indicate that when the repeated mining face passes the residual pillars, the sudden instability causes fracturing in the main roof above the old goal and forms an extra-large rock block above the mining face. A relatively stable ＂Voussoir beam＂ structure is formed after the advance fracturing of the main roof. When the repeated mining face passes the old goaf, as the large rock block revolves and touches gangue, the rock block will break secondarily under overburden rock loads. An example calculation was performed involving an integrated mine in Shanxi province, results showed that minimum working resistance values of support determined to be reason- able were respectively 11,412 kN and 10,743 kN when repeated mining face passed through residual pillar and goaf. On-site ground pressure monitoring results indicated that the mechanical model and support resistance calculation were reasonable.

Research on Feasibility of Top-Coal Caving Based on Neural Network Technique

Based on the neural network technique, this paper proposes a BP neural network model which integrates geological factors which affect top coal caving in a comprehensive index. The index of top coal caving may be used to forecast the mining cost of working faces, which shows the model’s potential prospect of applications.

Systematic principles of surrounding rock control in longwall mining within thick coal seams

Effective surrounding rock control is a prerequisite for realizing safe mining in underground coal mines.In the past three decades, longwall top-coal caving mining(LTCC) and single pass large height longwall mining(SPLL) found expanded usage in extracting thick coal seams in China. The two mining methods lead to large void space left behind the working face, which increases the difficulty in ground control.Longwall face failure is a common problem in both LTCC and SPLL mining. Such failure is conventionally attributed to low strength and high fracture intensity of the coal seam. However, the stiffness of main components included in the surrounding rock system also greatly influences longwall face stability.Correspondingly, surrounding rock system is developed for LTCC and SPLL faces in this paper. The conditions for simultaneous balance of roof structure and longwall face are put forward by taking the stiffness of coal seam, roof strata and hydraulic support into account. The safety factor of the longwall face is defined as the ratio between the ultimate bearing capacity and actual load imposed on the coal wall.The influences provided by coal strength, coal stiffness, roof stiffness, and hydraulic support stiffness,as well as the movement of roof structure are analyzed. Finally, the key elements dominating longwall face stability are identified for improving surrounding rock control effectiveness in LTCC and SPLL faces.

Measurement of overburden failure zones in close-multiple coal seams mining

In the Kaiping Coal field,mining of five coal seams,located within 80 m in the Kailuan Group,#5,#7,#8,#9 and#12 coal seam,is difficult due to small interburden thickness,concentrated stress distributions,high coal seam metamorphism,and complex geological conditions.By using the ZTR12 geological penetration radar(GPR)survey combined with borehole observations,the overburden caving due to mining of the five coals seams was measured.The development characteristics of full-cover rock fractures after mining were obtained from the GPR scan,which provides a measurement basis for the control of rock strata in close multiple coal seam mining.For the first time,it was found that the overburden caving pattern shows a periodic triangular caved characteristic.Furthermore,it is proposed that an upright triangular collapsed pile masonry and an inverted triangular with larger fragments piled up alternately appear in the lower gob.The research results show that the roof structure formed in the gob area can support the key overlying strata,which is beneficial to ensure the integrity and stability of the upper coal seams in multiple-seam mining of close coal seams.