Key technologies and equipment for a fully mechanized top-coal caving operation with a large mining height at ultra-thick coal seams

Thick and ultra-thick coal seams are main coal seams for high production rate and high efficiency in Chinese coal mines, which accounts for 44 % of the total minable coal reserve. A fully mechanized top-coal caving mining method is a main underground coal extraction method for ultra-thick coal seams. The coal extraction technologies for coal seams less than 14 m thick were extensively used in China. However, for coal seams with thickness greater than 14 m, there have been no reported cases in the world for underground mechanical extraction with safe performance, high efficiency and high coal recovery ratio. To deal with this case, China Coal Technology ＆ Engineering Group, Datong Coal Mine Group, and other 15 organizations in China launched a fundamental and big project to develop coal mining technologies and equipment for coal seams with thicknesses greater than 14 m. After the completion of the project, a coal extraction method was developed for top-coal caving with a large mining height, as well as a ground control theory for ultra-thick coal seams. In addition, the mining technology for top-coal caving with a large mining height, the ground support technology for roadway in coal seams with a large cross-section, and the prevention and control technology for gas and fire hazards were developed and applied. Furthermore, a hydraulic support with a mining height of 5.2 m, a shearer with high reliability, and auxiliary equipment were developed and manufactured. Practical implication on the technologies and equipment developed was successfully completed at the No. 8105 coal face in the Tashan coal mine, Datong, China. The major achievements of the project are summarized as follows： 1. A top-coal caving method for ultra-thick coal seams is proposed with a cutting height of 5 m and a top-coal caving height of 15 m. A structural mechanical model of overlying strata called cantilever beam-articulated rock beam is established. Based on the model, the load resistance of the hydraulic support with a large mining height for top-coal caving method is determined. With the analysis, the movement characteristics of the top coal and above strata are evaluated during top-coal caving operation at the coal face with a large mining height. Furthermore, there is successful development of comprehensive technologies for preventing and controlling spalling of the coal wall, and the top-coal caving technology with high efficiency and high recovery at the top-coal caving face with a large mining height. This means that the technologies developed have overcome the difficulties in strata control, top-coal caving with high efficiency and high coal recovery, and enabled to achieve a production rate of more than 10 Mtpa at a single top-coal caving face with a large mining height in ultra-thick coal seams; 2. A hydraulic support with 5.2 m supporting height and anti-rockburst capacity, a shearer with high reliability, a scraper conveyor with a large power at the back of face, and a large load and long distance headgate belt conveyor have been successfully developed for a top-coal caving face with large mining height. The study has developed the key technologies for improving the reliability of equipment at the coal face and has overcome the challenges in equipping the top-coal caving face with a large mining height in ultra-thick coal seams; 3. The deformation characteristics of a large cross-section roadway in ultra-thick coal seams are discovered. Based on the findings above, a series of bolt materials with a high yielding strength of 500-830 MPa and a high extension ratio, and cable bolt material with a 1 × 19 structure, large tonnage and high extension ratio are developed. In addition, in order to achieve a safe roadway and a fast face advance, installation equipment for high pre-tension bolt is developed to solve the problems with the support of roadway in coal seams for top-coal caving operation with a large mining height; 4. The characteristics of gas distribution and uneven emission at top-coal caving face with large mining height in ultra-thick coal seams are evaluated. With the application of the technologies of gas drainage in the roof, the difficulties in gas control for high intensive top-coal caving mining operations, known as ＂low gas content, high gas emission＂, are solved. In addition, large flow-rate underground mobile equipment for making nitrogen are developed to solve the problems with fire prevention and safe mining at a top-coal caving face with large mining height and production rate of more than 10 Mtpa. A case study to apply the developed technologies has been conducted at the No. 8105 face, the Tashan coal mine in Datong, China. The case study demonstrates that the three units of equipment, i.e., the support, shearer and scraper conveyor, are rationally equipped. Average equipment usage at the coal face is 92.1%. The coal recovery ratio at the coal face is up to 88.9 %. In 2011, the coal production at the No. 8105 face reached 10.849 Mtpa, exceeding the target of 10 Mtpa for a topcoal caving operation with large mining height performed by Chinese-made mining equipment. The technologies and equipment developed provide a way for extracting ultra-thick coal seams. Currently, the technologies and equipment are used in 13 mining areas in China including Datong, Pingshuo, Shendong and Xinjiang. With the exploitation of coal resources in Western China, there is great potential for the application of the technologies and equipment developed.

Evaluation of roof cutting by directionally single cracking technique in automatic roadway formation for thick coal seam mining

Automatic roadway formation by roof cutting is a sustainable nonpillar mining method that has the potential to increase coal recovery,reduce roadway excavation and improve mining safety.In this method,roof cutting is the key process for stress relief,which significantly affects the stability of the formed roadway.This paper presents a directionally single cracking(DSC)technique for roof cutting with considerations of rock properties.The mechanism of the DSC technique was investi-gated by explicit finite element analyses.The DSC technique and roof cutting parameters were evaluated by discrete element simulation and field experiment.On this basis,the optimized DSC technique was tested in the field.The results indicate that the DSC technique could effectively control the blast-induced stress distribution and crack propagation in the roof rock,thus,achieve directionally single cracking on the roadway roof.The DsC technique for roof cutting with optimized parameters could effectively reduce the deformation and improve the stability of the formed roadway.Field engineering application verified the feasibility and effectiveness of the evaluated DSC technique for roof cutting.

Behaviors of overlying strata in extra-thick coal seams using top-coalcaving method

Accidents such as support failure and excessive deformation of roadways due to drastic changes in strata behaviors are frequently reported when mining the extra-thick coal seams Nos.3e5 in Datong coal mine with top-coal caving method,which significantly hampers the mine's normal production.To understand the mechanism of strata failure,this paper presented a structure evolution model with respect to strata behaviors.Then the behaviors of strata overlying the extra-thick coal seams were studied with the combined method of theoretical analysis,physical simulation,and field measurement.The results show that the key strata,which are usually thick-hard strata,play an important role in overlying movement and may influence the mining-induced strata behaviors in the working face using top-coal caving method.The structural model of far-field key strata presents a 'masonry beam' type structure when'horizontal O-X' breakage type happens.The rotational motion of the block imposed radial compressive stress on the surrounding rock mass of the roadway.This can induce excessive deformation of roadway near the goaf.Besides,this paper proposed a pre-control technology for the hard roof based on fracture holes and underground roof pre-splitting.It could effectively reduce stress concentration and release the accumulated energy of the strata,when mining underground coal resources with top-coal caving method.

Study on Supporting of Seam Roadways in Deeply Inclined Coal Seams

Based on the present problems of the support method of gateways in complex surrounding rock in steeply inclined seams, this paper discusses the support selection of lasting gateways in steeply inclined seams, and evaluates the support effects. It draws the conclusion that the support of bolt-mesh-anchor is the most effective support of this sort of gateways by using scale model simulation in lab and practice application.The support effects of practice application are satisfactory. It will give a beneficial reference to other analogical mine and has an extensive application prospect.

Dynamic behavior of outburst two-phase flow in a coal mine T-shaped roadway:The formation of impact airflow and its disaster-causing effect

The study of the dynamic disaster mechanism of coal and gas outburst two-phase flow is crucial for improving disaster reduction and rescue ability of coal mine outburst accidents.An outburst test in a T-shaped roadway was conducted using a self-developed large-scale outburst dynamic disaster test system.We investigated the release characteristics of main energy sources in coal seam,and obtained the dynamic characteristics of outburst two-phase flow in a roadway.Additionally,we established a formation model for outburst impact flow and a model for its flow in a bifurcated structure.The results indicate that the outburst process exhibits pulse characteristics,and the rapid destruction process of coal seam and the blocking state of gas flow are the main causes of the pulse phenomenon.The outburst energy is released in stages,and the elastic potential energy is released in the vertical direction before the horizontal direction.In a straight roadway,the impact force oscillates along the roadway.With an increase in the solid–gas ratio,the two-phase flow impact force gradually increases,and the disaster range extends from the middle of the roadway to the coal seam.In the area near the coal seam,the disaster caused by the two-phase flow impact is characterized by intermittent recovery.In a bifurcated roadway,the effect of impact airflow on impact dynamic disaster is much higher than that of two-phase flow,and the impact force tends to weaken with increasing solid-gas ratio.The impact force is asymmetrically distributed;it is higher on the left of the bifurcated roadway.With an increase in the solid-gas ratio,the static pressure rapidly decreases,and the bifurcated structure accelerates the attenuation of static pressure.Moreover,secondary acceleration is observed when the shock wave moves along the T-shaped roadway,indicating that the bifurcated structure increases the shock wave velocity.

Prediction of upper limit position of bedding separation overlying a coal roadway within an extra-thick coal seam

Failure of the surrounding rock around a roadway induced by roof separation is one major type of underground roof-fall accidents.This failure can especially be commonly-seen in a bottom-driven roadway within an extra-thick coal seam("bottom-driven roadway"is used throughout for ease of reference),containing weak partings in their roof coal seams.To determine the upper limit position of the roof interlayer separation is the primary premise for roof control.In this study,a mechanical model for predicting the interlayer separation overlying a bottom-driven roadway within an extra-thick coal seam was established and used to deduce the vertical stress,and length,of the elastic,and plastic zones in the rock strata above the wall of the roadway as well as the formulae for calculating the deflection in different regions of rock strata under bearing stress.Also,an approach was proposed,calculating the stratum load,deflection,and limiting span of the upper limit position of the interlayer separation in a thick coal seam.Based on the key strata control theory and its influence of bedding separation,a set of methods judging the upper limit position of the roof interlayer separation were constructed.In addition,the theoretical prediction and field monitoring for the upper limit position of interlayer separation were conducted in a typical roadway.The results obtained by these two methods are consistent,indicating that the methods proposed are conducive to improving roof control in a thick coal seam.

Layout and support design of a coal roadway in ultra-close multiple-seams

A roadway within ultra-close multiple-seams(RUCMSs) is one of the most difficult supported coal roadways to deal with in underground coal mines. This is usually due to the unknown stress distributions, improper roadway layout, and unreasonable support parameters. In order to solve this support problem and effectively save RUCMSs from frequent and abrupt disasters(such as serious deformation of the surrounding rock, roof cave ins, and coal side collapse), a comprehensive method is adopted here which includes theoretical analysis, numerical simulation, and field monitoring. A mechanical model was constructed to determine the stress distribution in the coal pillar after two sides of a longwall panel had been mined. Based on this model, the horizontal, vertical, and tangential stress equations for the plane below the floor of the upper-left coal pillar were deduced. In addition, a typical coal mine(the Jinggonger colliery, located in Shuozhou city, Shanxi province, China) with an average distance between its 9# and 11# coal seams of less than 8.0 was chosen to conduct research on the proper layout and reasonable support required for a typical coal roadway located within coal seam 11#. Using FLAC3D(Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua in 3-Dimensions) numerical software, eight schemes were designed with different horizontal distances(d) between the center lines of the coal pillar and the roadway in the lower coal seam(RLCS). The simulations and detailed analysis indicate that the proper distances required are between 22.5 and 27.5 m. A total of 20 simulation schemes were used to investigate the factors influencing the support provided by the key bolts(bolt length, spacing, distance between two rows, installation angle, and pre-tightening force). The results were analyzed and used to determine reasonable values for the support parameters. Field results show that the stability and strength of the RLCS can be effectively safeguarded using a combination of researched stress distribution characteristics, proper layout of the RLCS, and correct support parameters.

Experimental investigation on behaviors of bolt-supported rock strata surrounding an entry in large dip coal seam

In order to investigate the behaviors and stability of rock strata surrounding an entry with bolt supporting in large dip coal seams (LDCSs) dipping from 25° to 45°, a self-developed rotatable experimental frame for similar material simulation test was used to build the model with the dip of 30°, based on analyses of geological and technological conditions in Huainan mine area, Anhui, China. The strata behaviors, such as extracting- and mining-induced stresses development, deformation and failure modes, were synthetically integrated during working face advancing. Results show that the development characteristics of mining-induced stress and deformation are asymmetrical in the roadway. The strata behaviors are totally different in different sections of the roadway. Because of asymmetrically geometrical structure influenced by increasing dip, strata dislocating, rock falling and breaking occur in roof. Then, squeezing, collapsing and caving of coal happen in upper- and lower-rib due to shearing action caused by asymmetrical roof bending and dislocating. Owing to the absence of supporting, floor heaving is very violent and usually the zone of floor heaving develops from the lower-rib to upper-rib. Engineering practices show that, due to the asymmetrical characteristics of rock pressure and roadway configuration, it is more difficult to implement bolt supporting system to control rock stability of roadways in LDCSs. The upper-rib and roof of entries are the key sections. Consequently, it is reliable to use asymmetrical bolt-mesh-cable supporting system to control rock stability of roadways based on the asymmetrical characteristics of roadway configuration and strata behaviors.

Stability analysis and control technology of gob‑side entry retaining with double roadways by flling with high‑water material in gently inclined coal seam

To ameliorate the defects of insufcient support resistance of traditional roadside flling bodies for gob-side entry retaining(GER),overcome the inability to adapt to the deformation of surrounding rock,and isolate the goaf efectively,a new type of high-water material as a roadside flling body for GER technology with double roadways was proposed.The instability analysis and control technology of GER with double roadways by flling high-water material into a gently inclined coal seam were studied.The basic mechanical properties of the new high-water material were investigated through laboratory experiments,and their main advantages were identifed.The reasonable width of the roadside flling wall of a high-water material was obtained by combining ground pressure observation and theoretical calculations.The distribution characteristics of the stress and plastic zone of surrounding rock of GER after being stabilized by the disturbance of the working face were studied using numerical simulations,and the failure range of GER by flling with high-water material was revealed.Based on this,a coupling control technology of anchor cables and bolts+single props+metal mesh+anchor bolts is proposed.Through the coupling methods of arranging borehole peeping and observing the convergences of surrounding rock,the results demonstrate that GER with double roadways by flling with a 1.8-m-wide high-water material has a good control efect.The above research will play an active role in promoting the application of high-water materials in GER roadside flling.

Study on ascending mining roadway layout of close distance coal seams in deep mine

To solve the problems appeared in mining process of No.2 seam, the ascending stress-releasing mining method was adopted. Studying on the reasonable layout of actual mining roadway in upper coal seams is the precondition of successful ascending mining. By using ＂device of leak measuring by blocking up double ends＂, it detected the height of overburden water flowing fractured zone originated from sub-coal seams mining. Thus it proved that the actual mining roadway of No.2 upper ascending seam was located in the smooth sagging zone. On the basis of analyzing the stress-releasing effect of sub-coal seams mining to upper coal seams by using RFPA software, it analyzed the stability of up-face coal seams and the reasonable location of starting cut in up-face coal seams. It also analyzed the reasonable gateway location in upper coal seams, which ensured the crossheading in upper coal seams out of the effect of sub-coal work face mining by using theory of underground pressure. Meanwhile, the reasonable pillars dimensions in upper coal seams by building the structure mechanics model of stope were researched. It can make the roadway driven along next goaf to be located in low stress zone, and be beneficial to keeping roads stable owing to less stress of surrounding rock. Finally, it tested the rationality of the layout method of roads in upper coal seams by engineering field measurement in 3221 working face.

Development and prospect on fully mechanized mining in Chinese coal mines

Fully mechanized mining(FMM)technology has been applied in Chinese coal mines for more than 40 years.At present,the output of a FMM face has reached 10-million tons with Chinese-made equipment.In this study,the new developments in FMM technology and equipment in Chinese coal mines during past decades are introduced.The automatic FMM technology for thin seams,complete sets of FMM technology with ultra large shear height of 7 m for thick seams,complete sets of fully mechanized top coal caving technology with large shear height for ultra-thick seams of 20 m,complete sets of FMM technology for complex and difficult seams,including steeply inclined seams,soft coal seams with large inclination angle,and the mechanized filling mining technology and equipment are presented.Some typical case studies are also introduced.Finally,the existing problems with the FMM technology are discussed,and prospect of FMM technology and equipment applied in Chinese coal mines is put forward.

Experimental and theoretical investigation on mechanisms performance of the rock-coal-bolt(RCB)composite system

For coal mines,rock,coal,and rock bolt are the critical constituent materials for surrounding rock in the underground engineering.The stability of the“rock-coal-bolt”(RCB)composite system is affected by the structure and fracture of the coal-rock mass.More rock bolts installed on the rock,more complex condition of the engineering stress environment will be(tensile-shear composite stress is principal).In this paper,experimental analysis and theoretical verification were performed on the RCB composite system with different angles.The results revealed that the failure of the rock-coal(RC)composite specimen was caused by tensile and shear cracks.After anchoring,the reinforcement body formed inside the composite system limits the area where the crack could occur in the specimen.Specifically,shearing damage occurred only around the bolt,and the stress-strain curve presented a better post-peak mechanical property.The mechanical mechanism of the bolt under the combined action of tension and shear stress was analyzed.Additionally,a rock-coal-bolt tensile-shear mechanical(RCBTSM)model was established.The relationship(similar to the exponential function)between the bolt tensile-shear stress and the angle was obtained.Moreover,the influences of the dilatancy angle and bolt diameter of the RCB composite system were also considered and analyzed.Most of the bolts are subjected to the tensile-shearing action in the post-peak stage.The implications of these results for engineering practice indicated that the bolts of the RCB composite system should be prevented from entering the limit shearing state early.

Characteristics of stress distribution in floor strata and control of roadway stability under coal pillars

Given the difficulties encountered in roadway support under coal pillars,we studied the characteristics of stress distribution and their effect on roadway stability,using theoretical analysis and numerical simulation.The results show that,under a coal pillar,vertical stress in a floor stratum increases while horizontal stress decreases.We conclude that the increased difference between vertical and horizontal stress is an important reason for deformation of the surrounding rock and failures of roadways under coal pillars.Based on this,we propose control technologies of the surrounding rock of a roadway under a coal pillar,such as high strength and high pre-stressed bolt support,cable reinforcement support single hydraulic prop with beam support and reinforcement by grouting of the surrounding rock,which have been successfully applied in a stability control project of a roadway under a coal pillar.

Technique of coal mining and gas extraction without coal pillar in multi-seam with low permeability

Aimed at the low mining efficiency in deep multi-seams because of high crustalstress,high gas content,low permeability,the compound 'three soft' roof and the trouble-somesafety situation encountered in deep level coal exploitation,proposed a new idea ofgob-side retaining without a coal-pillar and Y-style ventilation in the first-mined key pressure-relieved coal seam and a new method of coal mining and gas extraction.The followingwere discovered:the dynamic evolution law of the crannies in the roof is influenced bymining,the formative rule of 'the vertical cranny-abundant area' along the gob-side,thedistribution of air pressure field in the gob,and the flowing rule of pressure-relieved gas ina Y-style ventilation system.The study also established a theoretic basis for a new miningmethod of coal mining and gas extraction which is used to extract the pressure-relievedgas by roadway retaining boreholes instead of roadway boreholes.Studied and resolvedmany difficult key problems,such as,fast roadway retaining at the gob-side without a coalpillar,Y-style ventilation and extraction of pressure-relieved gas by roadway retainingboreholes,and so on.The study innovated and integrated a whole set of technical systemsfor coal and pressure relief gas extraction.The method of the pressure-relieved gasextraction by roadway retaining had been successfully applied in 6 typical working faces inthe Huainan and Huaibei mining areas.The research can provide a scientific and reliabletechnical support and a demonstration for coal mining and gas extraction in gaseous deepmulti-seams with low permeability.

Analysis of the danger zone liable to spontaneous ignition around coal roadway at fully mechanized long-wall top-coal caving face

The intensity of heat output of coal, the rate of oxygen consumption and the influence function of coal size are tested by the big coal spontaneous combustion experiment unit. The independence of the coefficient of heat convection is studied. And based on the conservation principle of energy and the real conditions, such as coal temperature,air temperature, the geometry size of roadway, air flux, the oxygen concentration in the loose coal around the roadway, the threshold parameters resulting coal spontaneous combustion are put forward, and the index determining the danger zone liable to self ignite are evaluated. Finally, the method determining the danger zone liable to spontaneous ignition around coal roadway at fully mechanized long wall top coal caving face is put forward. Based on the determination method and real conditions in the roadway, the coal around roadway can be divided four zones.

Roadway failure and support in a coal seam underlying a previously mined coal seam

The influence of an upper,mined coal seam on the stability of rock surrounding a roadway in a lower coal seam is examined.The technical problems of roadway control are discussed based on the geological conditions existing in the Liyazhuang Mine No.2 coal seam.The stress distribution and floor failure in the lower works after mining the upper coal is studied through numerical simulations.The failure mechanism of the roof and walls of a roadway located in the lower coal seam is described.The predicted deformation and failure of the roadway for different distances between the two coal seams are used to design two ways of supporting the lower structure.One is a combined support consisting of anchors with a joist steel tent and a combined anchor truss.A field test of the design was performed to good effect.The results have significance for the design of supports for roadways located in similar conditions.

Numerical simulation and experimental research of surrounding rock deformation of floor roadway under short-distance coal seam group combined mining

According to the influence of the combination of short-distance coal seam group on mining roadway, using numerical simulation software FLAG2D to draw the abutment pressure distribution ahead the working face and the area of influence in fully-mechanized mining conditions, the variation rules of surrounding rock supporting pressure of floor roadway and the deformation rules were summarized. GYS-300 anchor dynamometer was used to measure the roadway surface displacement, and the conclusions of numerical simulation were verified.

Study on creep deformation and energy development of underground surrounding rock under four‐dimensional support

There is an urgent need to develop optimal solutions for deformation control of deep high‐stress roadways,one of the critical problems in underground engineering.The previously proposed four‐dimensional support(hereinafter 4D support),as a new support technology,can set the roadway surrounding rock under three‐dimensional pressure in the new balanced structure,and prevent instability of surrounding rock in underground engineering.However,the influence of roadway depth and creep deformation on the surrounding rock supported by 4D support is still unknown.This study investigated the influence of roadway depth and creep deformation time on the instability of surrounding rock by analyzing the energy development.The elastic strain energy was analyzed using the program redeveloped in FLAC3D.The numerical simulation results indicate that the combined support mode of 4D roof supports and conventional side supports is highly applicable to the stability control of surrounding rock with a roadway depth exceeding 520 m.With the increase of roadway depth,4D support can effectively restrain the area and depth of plastic deformation in the surrounding rock.Further,4D support limits the accumulation range and rate of elastic strain energy as the creep deformation time increases.4D support can effectively reduce the plastic deformation of roadway surrounding rock and maintain the stability for a long deformation period of 6 months.As confirmed by in situ monitoring results,4D support is more effective for the long‐term stability control of surrounding rock than conventional support.

Semi-Industrial Test of Underground Coal Gasification In Well No.2 in Xinhe, Xuzhou

The necessity of underground coal gasification is explained. The condition,technology character,and process of the semi-industrial test of underground coal gasification in well No. 2 at Xinhe, Xuzhou,are introduced. The test results indicate that the technique of long tunnel,large sectiou,two stage underground coal gasification can obtain a large output of coal gas with a high heat value, making the working process stable. So the feasibility of the new techuology is verified. It can be concluded that there will have a good application prospect of the technique in China.

Ground pressure law of fully mechanized large cutting height face in extremely-soft thick seam and stability control in tip-to-face area

When stepped coal getting technology was applied to high seam mining working face, with field observations the following aspects of working face were analyzed based on the inherent conditions of extremely soft thick seam mined by Liangbei Mine, such as the brokenness and activity law of rock seam in the working face, the law of load-bearing of its supports, and the instability character of coal or rock in tip-to-face area. The following are the major laws. Pressure intensity of roof in high seam mining with extremely soft thick seam is stronger than one in slicing and sublevel-caving as a whole. But the greater crushing deformation of coal side makes pressure intensity of roof in the middle of working face be equivalent to one in sublevel-caving. In the middle of working face the roof brokenness has less dynamic load effect than roof brokenness in the two ends of working face. The brokenness instability of distinct pace of roof brings several load-bearings to supports. In condition of extremely soft thick seam, the ratio of resistance increment of supports in two ends of working face is obviously greater than that of supports in the middle. Most sloughing in coal side is triangular slop sloughing caused by shear slipping in high seam mining with extremely soft thick seam. Ultrahigh mining is the major reason for roof fall. Instability of coal or rock in tip-to-face area can be controlled effectively with the methods such as improving setting load of supports, mining along roof by reinforcing floor and protecting the immediate roof in time, and so on.