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.

Stability analysis of longwall top-coal caving face in extra-thick coal seams based on an innovative numerical hydraulic support model

The relationship between support and surrounding rock is of great significance to the control of surrounding rock in mining process.In view of the fact that most of the existing numerical simulation methods construct virtual elements and stress servo control to approximately replace the hydraulic support problem,this paper establishes a new numerical model of hydraulic support with the same working characteristics as the actual hydraulic support by integrating numerical simulation software Rhino,Griddle and FLAC3D,which can realize the simulation of different working conditions.Based on this model,the influence mechanism of the supporting strength of hydraulic support on surrounding rock stress regulation and coal stability in front of the top coal caving face in extra thick coal seam were researched.Firstly,under different support intensity,the abutment pressure of the bearing coal and the coal in front of it presents the “three-stage”evolution characteristics.The influence range of support intensity is 15%–30%.Secondly,1.5 MPa is the upper limit of impact that the support strength can have on the front coal failure area.Thirdly,within a displacement range of 2.76 m from the coal wall,a support strength of1.5 MPa provides optimal control of the horizontal displacement of the coal.

Support-surrounding rock relationship and top-coal movement laws in large dip angle fully-mechanized caving face

When mining the fully-mechanized longwall caving face along strike, the unstable equipment, the low top-coal recovery ratio and the difficulty in controlling surrounding rock may occur due to large dip angle. Considering the effects of strike angle on support stability, the ‘‘support-surrounding rock"mechanical models of support topple and support slip were established in this paper. On the basis, the influencing factors of support stability were analyzed and the technical measures of controlling support and surrounding rock stability were put forward. Then the loose particles simulation experiment was conducted to analyze the impacts of caving directions and methods on the top-coal recovery in large dip angle fully-mechanized caving face. Finally, the ‘‘upward sequence and double-openings doublerounds" caving technology was determined. The research results are of great scientific significance and practical values to improve large dip thick seam mining technology.

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.

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.

Neural Network Identification Model for Technology Selection of Fully-Mechanized Top-Coal Caving Mining

This paper mainly discusses the selection of the technical parameters of fully mechanized top coal caving mining using the neural network technique. The comparison between computing results and experiment data shows that the set up neural network model has high accuracy and decision making benefit.

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.

Effects of caving–mining ratio on the coal and waste rocks gangue flows and the amount of cyclically caved coal in fully mechanized mining of super-thick coal seams

Aimed at determining the appropriate caving–mining ratio for fully mechanized mining of 20 m thick coal seam, this research investigated the effects of caving–mining ratio on the flow fields of coal and waste rocks, amount of cyclically caved coal and top coal loss by means of numerical modeling. The research was based on the geological conditions of panel 8102 in Tashan coal mine. The results indicated the loose coal and waste rocks formed an elliptical zone around the drawpoint. The ellipse enlarged with decreasing caving–mining ratio. And its long axis inclined to the gob gradually became vertical and facilitating the caving and recovery of top coal. The top coal loss showed a cyclical variation; and the loss cycle was shortened with the decreasing in caving–mining ratio. Moreover, the mean squared error(MSE) of the amount of cyclically caved coal went up with increasing caving–mining ratio, indicating a growing imbalance of amount of cyclically caved coal, which could impede the coordinated mining and caving operations. Finally it was found that a caving–mining ratio of 1:2.51 should be reasonable for the conditions.

Structure and deformation measurements of shallow overburden during top coal caving longwall mining

Mining induced pressures are strong and overburden failure areas are large in top coal caving longwall mining, which constrains high production and safety mining. By employing the combination of the full view borehole photography technique and the seismic CT scanner technique, the deformation and failure of overlying strata of fully mechanized caving face in shallow coal seam were studied and the failure development of overburden was determined. Results show that the full view borehole photography can reveal the characteristics of strata, and the seismic CT scanner can reflect the characteristics of strata between the boreholes. The combined measurement technique can effectively determine the height of fractured and caved zones. The top end of the caved zone in Yangwangou coal mine employing the top coal caving longwall mining was at the depth of 171 m and fractured zone was at the depth of 106-110 m. The results provide a theoretic foundation for controlling the overburden strata in the shallow buried top coal caving panel.

Simulation of recovery of upper remnant coal pillar while mining the ultra-close lower panel using longwall top coal caving

With the depletion of easily minable coal seams,less favorable reserves under adverse conditions have to be mined out to meet the market demand.Due to some historical reasons,large amount of remnant coal was left unrecovered.One such case history occurred with the remnant rectangular stripe coal pillars using partial extraction method at Guandi Mine,Shanxi Province,China.The challenge that the coal mine was facing was that there is an ultra-close coal seam right under it with an only 0.8–1.5 m sandstone dirt band in between.The simulation study was carried out to investigate the simultaneous recovery of upper remnant coal pillars while mining the ultra-close lower panel using longwall top coal caving(LTCC).The remnant coal pillar was induced to cave in as top coal in LTCC system.Physical modelling shows that the coal pillars are the abutments of the stress arch structure formed within the overburden strata.The stability of overhanging roof strata highly depends on the stability of the remnant coal pillars.And the gob development(roof strata cave-in)is intermittent with the cave-in of these coal pillars and the sandstone dirt band.FLAC3D numerical modelling shows that the multi-seam interaction has a significant influence on mining-induced stress environment for mining of lower panels.The pattern of the stress evolution on the coal pillars with the advance of the lower working face was found.It is demonstrated that the stress relief of a remnant coal pillar enhances the caveability of the pillars and sandstone dirt band below.

Top coal caving mining technique in thick coal seam beneath the earth dam

It is important to study the mining technology under structures for raising the coal resources recovery ratio. Based on the geological and mining conditions, the top coal caving harmonic mining technique in thick coal seam beneath the earth dam was put forward and studied. The 5 factors such as the panel mining direction, panel size, panel location, panel mining sequence and panel advance velocity were taken into account in this technique. The dam movement and deformation were predicted after the thick coal seam mining and the effects of mining on the dam were studied. By setting up the surveying stations on the dam, the movement and deformation of the dam were observed during mining. By taking some protective measures on the dam, the top coal caving mining technique in thick coal seam beneath the earth dam was carried out successfully. The study demonstrates that harmonic mining in thick coal seam is feasible under the dam. The safety of the earth dam after mining was ensured and the coal resources recovery ratio was improved.

Theoretical description of drawing body shape in an inclined seam with longwall top coal caving mining

Understanding the characteristics of drawing body shape is essential for optimization of drawing parameters in longwall top coal caving mining.In this study,both physical experiments and theoretical analysis are employed to investigate these characteristics and derive a theoretical equation for the drawing body shape along the working face in an inclined seam.By analyzing the initial positions of drawn marked particles,the characteristics of the drawing body shape for different seam dip angles are obtained.It is shown that the drawing body of the top coal exhibits a shape-difference and volume-symmetry characteristic,on taking a vertical line through the center of support opening as the axis of symmetry,the shapes of the drawing body on the two sides of this axis are clearly different,but their volumes are equal.By establishing theoretical models of the drawing body in the initial drawing stage and the normal drawing stage,a theoretical equation for the drawing body in an inclined seam is proposed,which can accurately describe the characteristics of the drawing body shape.The shape characteristics and volume symmetry of the drawing body are further analyzed by comparing the results of theoretical calculations and numerical simulations.It is shown that one side of the drawing body is divided into two parts by an inflection point,with the lower part being a variation development area.This variation development area increases gradually with increasing seam dip angle,resulting in an asymmetry of the drawing body shape.However,the volume symmetry coefficient fluctuates around 1 for all values of the seam dip angle variation,and the volumes of the drawing body on the two sides are more or less equal as the variation development volume is more or less equal to the cut volume.Both theoretical calculations and numerical simulations confirm that the drawing body of the top coal exhibits the shape-difference and volume-symmetry characteristic.

Drawing mechanisms for top coal in longwall top coal caving(LTCC):A review of two decades of literature

This review details the state of the art in research on top coal drawing mechanisms in Longwall top coal caving(LTCC)by examining the relevant literature over the last two decades.It startswith an introduction of the brief history and basic procedures of LTCC.The framework of research on the drawing mechanism,basic concepts,and some theoretical models of LTCC are detailed in sect.research framework of top coal drawingmechanism.The authors note that theTop coal drawbody(TCD),Top coal boundary(TCB)and Top coal recovery ratio(TCRR)are key factors in the drawingmechanism.TheBody-boundary-ratio(BBR)research system has been the classic framework for research over the last 20 years.The modified Bergmark-Roos model,which considers the effects of the supporting rear canopy,flowing velocity of top coal,and its shape factor,is optimal for characterizing the TCD.A 3Dmodel to describe the TCB that considers the thicknesses of the coal seam and roof strata is reviewed.In sect.physical testing and numerical simulation,the physical tests and numerical simulations in the literature are classified for ease of bibliographical review,and classic conclusions regarding the drawing mechanism of top coal are presented and discussedwith elaborate illustrations and descriptions.The deflection of the TCDis noted,and is caused by the shape of the rear canopy.The inclined coal seam always induces a largerTCD,and a deflection in theTCDhas also been observed in it.The effects of the drawing sequence and drawing interval on the TCRR are reviewed,where a long drawing interval is found to lead to significant loss of top coal.Its flowing behavior and velocity distribution are also presented.Sect.practical applications of drawingmechanisms forLTCCmines 4 summarizes over 10 cases where the TCRRof LTCCmines improved due to the guidance of the drawing mechanism.The final section provides a summary of the work here and some open questions.Prospective investigations are highlighted to give researchers guidance on promising issues in future research on LTCC.

A review of cavability evaluation in longwall top coal caving

Longwall Top Coal Caving has been considered as one of the most effective technologies for the extraction of underground thick coal seams. A large number of studies on the applicability of Longwall Top Coal Caving into new mine sites have linked the success of its application to the geo mechanical understanding of the cavability of the top coal. The paper aims to improve the knowledge of the top coal cavability evaluation. A range of parameters that affect the top coal cavability were first identified. Afterward, a number of cavability assessment methods and classifications were reviewed. The result is important in that it assists researchers in developing an advanced and reliable tool for the top coal cavability evaluation.

Technical parameters of drawing and coal-gangue field movements of a fully mechanized large mining height top coal caving working face

Under fully mechanized, large mining height top coal caving conditions, the shield beam slope angle of the support increases due to the enlargement of the top coal breaking and caving space. This results in a change of the caving window location and dimensions and, therefore, the granular coal-gangue movement and flows provide new characteristics during top coal caving. The main inferences we draw are as follows. Firstly, after shifting the supports, the caved top coal layer line and the coal gangue boundary line become steeper and are clearly larger than those under common mining heights. Secondly, during the top coal caving procedure, the speed of the coal-gangue flow increases and at the same drawing interval, the distance between the coal-gangue boundary line and the top beam end is reduced. Thirdly, affected by the drawing ratio, the slope angle of the shield beam and the dimensions of the caving window, it is easy to mix the gangue. A rational drawing interval will cause the coal-gangue boundary line to be slightly behind the down tail boom lower boundary. This rational drawing interval under conditions of large mining heights has been analyzed and determined.

Development of 3D top coal caving angle model for fully mechanized extra-thick coal seam mining

During high-intensity,fully mechanized mining of extra-thick coal seam,the top coal would cave to a certain 3D form.Based on the data collected during drilling,a 3D model of top coal caving surface space was established to determine the relationship between the location of the stope roof and the caving surface,enabling the mathematical computation of the top caving angle(φ).The drilling method was employed to measure the top caving angle on two extra-thick fully mechanized coal caving faces under the conditions of three geological structures,namely,no geological structure,igneous rock structure,and fault structure.The results show that the value of top caving angle could be accurately estimated on-site with the 9-parameter 3D top coal caving surface model built with the drilling method.This method is a novel on-site measurement that can be easily applied.Our findings reveal that the characteristics of the coal-rock in the two mining faces are different;yet their caving angles follow the ruleφ_(igneous rock structure)<φ_(no geological structure)<φ_(fault structure).Finally,through the data fitting with two indexes(the top coal uniaxial compressive strength and the top caving angle),it is found that the relationship between the two indexes satisfies an exponential decay function.

Numerical investigation on the caving mechanism with different standard deviations of top coal block size in LTCC

The size distribution of the broken top coal blocks is an important factor,affecting the recovery ratio and the efficiency of drawing top coal in longwall top coal caving(LTCC)mining panel.The standard deviation of top coal block size(dt)is one of the main parameters to reflect the size distribution of top coal.To find the effect of dt on the caving mechanism,this study simulates experiments with 9 different dt by using discrete element software PFC.The dt is divided into two stages:uniform distribution stage(UDS)whose dt is less than 0.1(Schemes 1–5),and nonuniform distribution stage(NDS)whose dt is more than 0.1(Schemes 6–9).This research mainly investigates the variation of recovery ratio,drawing body shape,boundary of top coal,and contact force between particles in the two stages,respectively.The results showed that with the increasing dt,the recovery ratio of the panel increases first and then decreases in UDS.It is the largest in Scheme 3,which mainly increases the drawing volume at the side of starting drawing end.However,the recovery ratio decreases first and then increases quickly in NDS,and it is the largest in Scheme 9,where the drawing volume at the side of finishing drawing end are relatively higher.In UDS,the major size of top coal is basically medium,while in NDS,the size varies from medium to small,and then to large,with a distinct difference in shape and volume of the drawing body.When the major size of top coal is medium and small,the cross-section width of the initial boundary of top coal at each height is relatively small.Conversely,when the top coal size is large,the initial boundary of top coal has a larger opening range,the rotating angle of lower boundary is relatively small in the normal drawing stage,which is conducive to the development of drawing body and reduces the residual top coal,and the maximum particle velocity and the particles movement angle are both larger.This study lays a foundation for the prediction of recovery ratio,and suggests that the uniform top coal is more manageable and has a larger recovery ratio.

Top coal flows in an excavation disturbed zone of high section top coal caving of an extremely steep and thick seam

与轻轻的剧降相比长墙的探穴，在为极其陡峭、厚的缝接的充分使机械化的最高煤的探穴的一张工作的脸的长度是短的，当它的水平节与增加高时生产。但是探穴比率是低的，在一些灾难的力量结果例如房顶下降，在煤气的累积导致的一张工作的脸和危险由最高的煤的本地、大的区域倒塌导致了它。在裂缝的发展以后并且煤身体变弱，极其陡峭的缝接的最高的煤(小粒的媒介) 的高、破节(超过 60 掳) 表演清除非线性的运动的特征。我们彻底地分析了地质的环境，挖掘的采矿条件扰乱了地区。从大规模 3D 为最高的煤鈥搘a ter 鈥揼a s 的模拟建模并且联合的一个物理实验基于结果，我们断定削弱的最高的煤能被认为是间断媒介。我们使用了一个粒子流动代码程序高比较并且分析移植进程和 30 m 的运动节在在 Weihuliang 煤矿极其陡峭的缝接变弱前后随着时间的过去超过煤。我们的模拟，实验和监视表演的结果水的那注射前并且预先切开爆炸改进探穴能力和对称的探穴，为大区域减轻空间动态倒塌超过煤，延长有害气体的迁居时间并且外面免除他们 mined 区域并且那么在采矿完成安全。