Definition, theory, methods, and applications of the safe and efficient simultaneous extraction of coal and gas

Simultaneous extraction of the coal and gas is an effective method of eliminating coal mine gas disasters while safely exploiting the coal and achieving efficient gas drainage in China, which is widely accepted by the main coal-producing countries around the world. However, the concrete definition of simultaneous extraction is vague and there is little accurate theoretical support for the simultaneous extraction of coal and gas, which makes it difficult to determine an efficient gas drainage method appropriate to the features of coal seams. Based on theoretical analysis, laboratory tests and field observations, a specific definition of simultaneous extraction of coal and gas is proposed after analyzing the characteristics of coal seam occurrences in China, and we developed the mechanism of mining-enhanced permeability and established the corresponding theoretical model. This comprises a process of fracture network formation, in which the original fractures are opened and new fractures are produced by unloading damage. According to the theoretical model, the engineering approaches and their quantitative parameters of ＇unloading by borehole drilling＇ for single coal seams and ＇unloading by protective seam mining＇ for groups of coal seams are proposed, and the construction principles for coal exploitation and gas-drainage systems for different conditions are given. These methods were applied successfully in the Tunlan Coal Mine in Shanxi Province and the Panyi Coal Mine in Anhui Province and could assure safe and efficient simultaneous extraction of coal and gas in these outburst coal mines.

Elimination mechanism of coal and gas outburst based on geo‑dynamic system with stress–damage–seepage interactions

Coal and gas outburst is a complex dynamic disaster during coal underground mining.Revealing the disaster mechanism is of great signifcance for accurate prediction and prevention of coal and gas outburst.The geo-dynamic system of coal and gas outburst is proposed.The framework of geo-dynamic system is composed of gassy coal mass,geological dynamic environment and mining disturbance.Equations of stress–damage–seepage interaction for gassy coal mass is constructed to resolve the outburst elimination process by gas extraction with boreholes through layer in foor roadway.The results show the occurrence of outburst is divided into the evolution process of gestation,formation,development and termination of geo-dynamic system.The scale range of outburst occurrence is determined,which provides a spatial basis for the prevention and control of outburst.The formation criterion and instability criterion of coal and gas outburst are established.The formation criterion F1 is defned as the scale of the geo-dynamic system,and the instability criterion F2 is defned as the scale of the outburst geo-body.According to the geo-dynamic system,the elimination mechanism of coal and gas outburst—‘unloading+depressurization’is established,and the gas extraction by boreholes through layer in foor roadway for outburst elimination is given.For the research case,when the gas extraction is 120 days,the gas pressure of the coal seam is reduced to below 0.4 MPa,and the outburst danger is eliminated efectively.

Theory and practice of integrated coal production and gas extraction

The integrated extraction of coal and gas combines coal mining with gas capture. Taking into account the gas deposition and flow conditions in the Chinese coal basins, this paper describes the status of the theory and key technologies of this integrated extraction system, and presents its application and practice in the Shaqu, Zhongxing, Fenghuangshan and Pingmei mines. Areas for further improvements in future studies are discussed, focusing in particular on the fundamentals of the extraction system to make it greener, more scientific, and more advanced in both the exploitation and utilization of coal and the gas in coal.

Development and application of an efficient gas extraction model for low-rank high-gas coal beds

To promote gas extraction in low-rank high-gas coal beds, the pore structure characteristics of the coal and their effect on gas desorption were studied. The results show that micropores are relatively rare in low-rank coal; mesopores are usually semi-open and inkpot-shaped whereas macropores are usually slit-shaped. Gas desorption is relatively easy at high- pressure stages, whereas it is difficult at low-pressure stages because of the ＇bottleneck effect＇ of the semi-open inkpot-shaped mesopores. A ＇two-three-two＇ gas extraction model was established following experimental analysis and engineering practice applied in the Binchang mining area. In this model, gas extraction is divided into three periods： a planning period, a transitional period and a production period. In each period, surface extraction and underground extraction are performed simultaneously, and pressure-relief extraction and conventional extraction are coupled to each other. After applying this model, the gas extraction rate rose to 78.8 %.

Theory of gas extraction from coal seams and its use

Gas extraction is one of the main measures of control and use of gas of coal mines. At present, the design method is under the experimental period and do not satisfy the need of practice. In this paper, the theory of gas extraction of coal seams based upon Darcy law was studied. Mathematical model of gas extraction of coal seams was established and two kinds of solv- ing approaches based on computer software and linear approximation were given. The rightness and the validities of the model were examined with a practical example. Results obtained can be used to determine and optimize the parameters related etc.

Application of deep borehole blasting on fully mechanized hard top-coal pre-splitting and gas extraction in the special thick seam

In order to solve the problems of top-coal inadequate destruction and large amounts of gas emission in mining extra thick and hard coal seam,this study investigated the pre-splitting for deep borehole blasting and gas pre-draining technologies on top coal.The mechanism of the technologies was systematically expounded based on hard top-coal cracks development obtained by numerical simulation and theoretical analysis.The results show that explosive blasting in the hard rock results in a large number of cracks and large displacement in the rock mass due to the effect of explosion stress.Meanwhile,the thick top-coal caves,and desorbing gas flows along the cracks improve gas extraction.Finally,the pre-splitting for deep borehole blasting and gas pre-draining technologies was applied in No.3802 working face of Shui Liandong Coal Mine,which increases monthly output in the face to 67.34 kt and the drained gas concentration to 86.2%.The drained gas average concentration from each borehole reaches 40%,and the effect is remarkable.

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.

Characteristics and applications of gas desorption with excavation disturbances in coal mining

According to the deficiency of experiment system for gas adsorption and desorption in coal mass, a large scale experiment system is developed independently by researchers. This experiment system is composed of primary and auxiliary boxes, power transmission system, mining system, loading system, gas charging system, data monitoring and intelligent acquisition system. The maximum experiment coal consumption is 1200 kg, the mining system is developed to conduct experiment for gas desorption under excavating disturbance, and the plane-charging cribriform ventilation device is developed to realize uniform ventilation for experiment coal sample, which is accord with the actual gas source situation of coal bed. The desorption characteristics of gas in coal are experimentally studied under the conditions of nature and mining using the experiment system. The results show that, compare with nature condition, the permeability of coal and the velocity of gas desorption could significantly increase under the influence of coal pressure relief and destruction caused by mining, and the degree of gas desorption could somewhat increase too. Finally, pressure relief gas extraction of current seam and adjacent seams after mining in a certain coal mine of Yangquan mining area are introduced, and the gas desorption experiment results is verified by analyzing the effect of gas extraction.

Current situation of simultaneous coal and methane extraction tech- nology in pressure-relieved coalbed group

The importance of simultaneous coal and methane extraction and its significance on green exploitation is stated, and current research situation of simultaneous coal and methane and faced new problems are introduced. The research progress on movement of overlying strata and stresses change in them, cracks development during mining in overlying strata and meth- ane emission under disturbance of mining as well as the changing rules of permeability and methane flow under the disturbance of mining is analyzed. The progress on practice of simultaneous coal and methane extraction is analyzed. The deficiencies of current research and further researching fields on simultaneous coal and methane extraction are pointed out.

Influence of Water Injection Fracturing on Crack Damage in Soft Coal and Application in Gas Extraction

In order to study the hypotonic and rheological particularity of “three soft” coal seam in west Henan, China, this paper explored the stress and damage characteristics of crack in coal under condition of water injection fracturing based on ABAQUS platform;The cohesive element in T-P damage evolution criterion was used to describe the approximately linear relationship between crack width and extending distance in soft coal. The simulation results show that stress evolution and crack damage in soft coal is a gradually developing process under condition of water injection fracturing. When the static pressure is 4 - 10 MPa, and the injection time is about 1 - 2 hours, the damage range of crack in soft coal can basically reach an ideal data of 80 - 100 m, and then greatly improve the hypotonic performance of “three soft” coal seam.

Hydraulic drill hole reaming technology with large flow and draining of coal mine gas

This paper takes Zhaozhuang mine in Shanxi province as an example to study the technology of hydraulic reaming drill hole for improving the gas extraction.The influence of the physical properties of coal seam on the hydraulic reaming drill holes and the draining of coal mine gas were analyzed and discussed for different coal structure areas,and the following conclusions were made.Hydraulic drill hole reaming has had a positive impact in Zhaozhuang Mine,and can improve the efficiency of gas extraction to different degrees.The water jet pressure used in hydraulic drill hole reaming mainly depends on the structure of the coal.When the coal seam basically becomes integrated,the critical water jet pressure increases,the discharge becomes relatively easy to achieve,the blocking effect on the gas extraction decreases,and the gas extraction significantly increases after the reaming process.When the coal seam is broken,the critical water jet pressure decreases,the discharge becomes difficult to achieve,the blocking effect on the gas extraction becomes obvious,and the gas extraction changes slightly after reaming.

Comparison of simultaneous distillation extraction and solid-phase micro-extraction for determination of volatile constituents in tobacco flavor

The volatile and semi-volatile components in tobacco flavor additives were extracted by both simultaneous distillation extraction and solid-phase micro-extraction. Extraction conditions for solid-phase micro-extraction were optimized with information theory. Then, detection were accomplished by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Characteristic of each method was compared. Qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis of 6# tobacco flavor sample were accomplished through both simultaneous distillation extraction and solid-phase micro-extraction. The experimental results show that solid-phase micro-extraction method is the first choice for qualitative analysis and simultaneous distillation extraction is another good selection for quantitative analysis. By means of simultaneous distillation extraction, 20 components are identified, accounting for 92.77% of the total peak areas. Through solid-phase micro-extraction, there are 17 components identified accounting for 91.49% of the total peak areas. The main aromatic components in 6# tobacco flavor sample are propanoic acid, 2-hydroxy-, ethyl ester, menthol and menthyl acetate. The presented method has been successfully used for quality control of tobacco flavor.

Coupling mechanism of THM fields and SLG phases during the gas extraction process and its application in numerical analysis of gas occurrence regularity and effective extraction radius

The analysis of the coupling mechanism of thermal-hydraulic-mechanical(THM)fields,and solid-liquidgas(SLG)phases during gas extraction process is of profound significance to explore its numerical application in the gas occurrence regularity and its effective extraction radius.In this study,the Hudi coal mine in Qinshui basin is taken as the research area,the influencing factors of gas occurrence were analyzed,the differences in overburden load for gas pressure distribution and the factors influencing the effective extraction radius were further discussed by using the COMSOL software.The results show that the derivation of mathematical model in gas extraction shows that the process is a process the THM fields restrict each other,and the SLG phases influence each other.The longer the extraction time,the larger the influencing range of borehole,and the better the extraction effect.The larger the diameter of borehole,the larger the effective extraction radius,and the influence on gas extraction effect is smaller in the early stage and larger in the late stage.The borehole arrangement should be flexibly arranged according to the actual extraction situation.The higher the porosity,the higher the permeability,the better the gas extraction effect.The larger the overburden load of reservoir,the stronger the effective stress,which will result in the more severe the strain,and the closure of pore and fracture,which in turn will lead to the decrease of permeability and slow down the gas extraction.The relationship among extraction time,borehole diameter,negative pressure of gas extraction,permeability with effective extraction radius is exponential.This study has important theoretical and practical significance for clarifying and summarizing the gas occurrence regularity and its engineering practice.

Study on comprehensive gas control techniques and practice in coal mines

The origins and main control methods of gas in coal seams were introduced cursorily, and the processes that need to be done in controlling gas, which includes prediction of gas emissions, drainage systems, the means of prevention of gas outbursts, and some suggestions were put forward. The characteristic of different gas emissions and the corresponding counter measures were presented, and ＆ case study of simultaneous extraction of coal and gas in Xieyi Coal Mine was carried out by coal mining and gas extraction without coal-pillar. The field application shows that gas drainage ratio in panel 5121（0） averages about 90% and reaches as high as 95~/0, which will give beneficial references to gas control in coal mines.

Heat-fluid-solid coupling model for gas-bearing coal seam and numerical modeling on gas drainage promotion by heat injection

Improving the absorbed gas to active desorption and seepage and delaying gas drainage attenuation are considered as key methods for increasing drainage efficiency and gas output.According to the solid mechanics theory,the nonlinear Darcy seepage theory and thermodynamics,the heat-fluid-solid coupling model for gassy coal has been improved.The numerical model was founded from the improved multi-field coupling model by COMSOL Multiphysics and gas drainage by borehole down the coal seam enhanced by heat injection was modelled.The results show that the heatfluid-solid model with adsorption effects for gassy coal was well simulated by the improved multi-field model.The mechanism of coal seam gas desorption seepage under the combined action of temperature,stress and adsorption can be well described.Gas desorption and seepage can be enhanced by heat injection into coal seams.The gas drainage rate was directly proportional to the temperature of injected heat in the scope of 30-150 ℃ and increasing in the whole modelleddrainage process (0-1000 d).The increased level was maximum in the initial drainage time and decreasing gradually along with drainage time.The increasing ratio of drainage rate was maximum when the temperature raised from 30 to 60 ℃.Although the drainage rate would increase along with increasing temperature,when exceeding 60 ℃,the increasing ratio of drainage rate with rising temperature would decrease.Gas drainage promotion was more effective in coal seams with lower permeability than with higher permeability.The coal seam temperature in a 5 m distance surrounding the heat injection borehole would rise to around 60 ℃ in 3 months.That was much less than the time of gas drainage in the coal mines in sites with low permeability coal seams.Therefore,it is valuable and feasible to inject heat into coal seams to promote gas drainage,and this has strong feasibility for coal seams with low permeability which are widespread in China.

Oxidation of Lingwu Coal Extraction Residue in Aqueous Sodium Hypochlorite under Mild Conditions

To investigate the structural features and provide an alternative method for high value-added utilization of coal, Lingwu coal was first extracted with organic solvent at room temperature. Then its extraction residue was oxidized in aqueous sodium hypochlorite(ASHC) under mild conditions. The effects of oxidation conditions, such as temperature, reaction time, the ratio of Lingwu coal extraction residue(LCER, g) to ASHC(m L) and p H value, on the product distributions and compositions were investigated. The results of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry(GC/MS) suggested that 53 kinds of methyl esterified products were detected in total, and benzene carboxylic acids were the main oxidation products, while chloro-substituted benzene carboxylic acids were the main by-products. Higher yield and fewer kinds of organic acids could be obtained at lower p H value, especially for the main objective product, benzene carboxylic acids.

Effect of damage zone around borehole on carbon dioxide injection promoted gas extraction in soft and low-permeability coal seam

Injecting external CO_(2) into soft and low-permeability coal seams can improve CH4 extacctinn efficiency, and also benefit in CO_(2) sequestration. However, the distribution law of damage zone around borehole in soft coal seam and its effect on the efficiency of CO_(2) injection promoted CH4 extraction are not clear. In this paper, a multi-physics coupling mathematical model considering damage effect is established for simulating the process of CO_(2) injection promoted CH4 extraction in soft and low-permeability coal seam. The distribution of damage zone and permeability around boreholes under different diameters and coal strengths are analyzed. The gas pressure and gas content in coal seam during CO_(2) injection promoted CH4 extraction when the model considered damage effect are compared with that of ignored. The results show that small borehole diameter corresponds to narrow damage zone around the borehole in coal seam. The damage zone expands with the increase of the borehole diameter. The damage zone increases exponentially with the borehole diameter, while decreases exponentially with the compressive strength of coal seam. The highest permeability in the damage zone has increased by nearly 300 times under the condition of simulated case. CH4 pressure around the extraction borehole reduces, and the reduction area expands with the increase of time. Compared with the result of considering the damage effect, the reduction area of ignoring it is smaller, and the reducing speed is slower. The integrated effect of CO_(2) injection and CH4 extraction leads to rapid decrease of CH4 content in coal seam near the boreholes. The CO_(2) pressure and content increase around the injection borehole, and the increasing area gradually extends to the whole coal seam. In soft coal seams, failure to consider the damage effect will underestimate the efficiency of CH4 extraction and CO_(2) sequestration, resulting conservative layout of boreholes.

Experimental investigation into stress-relief characteristics with upward large height and upward mining under hard thick roof

According to geological conditions of No. 3 and No. 4 coal seams （namely A3 and B4） of the Pan＇er coal mine and the parameters of panels 11223, 11224, and 11124 with fully-mechanical coal mining, we built 2D similar material simulation and FLAC3D numerical simulation models to investigate the development of mining-induced stress and the extraction effect of pressure-relief gas with large height and upward mining. Based on a comprehensive analysis of experimental data and observations, we obtained the deformation and breakage characteristics of strata overlying the coal seam, the development patterns of the mining-induced stress and fracture, and the size of the stress-relief area. The stress-relief effect was investigated and analyzed in consideration with mining height and three thick hard strata. Because of the group of three hard thick strata located in the main roof and the residual stress of mined panel 11124, the deformation, breakage, mining-induced stress and fracture development, and the stress-relief coefficient were discontinuous and asymmetrical. The breakage angle of the overlying strata, and the compressive and expansive zones of coal deformation were mainly controlled by the number, thickness, and strength of the hard stratum. Compared with the value of breakage angle derived by the traditional empirical method, the experimental value was lower than the traditional results by 3°-4°below the hard thick strata group, and by 13°-19° above the hard thick strata group. The amount of gas extracted from floor drainage roadway of B4 over 17 months was variable and the amount of gas per month differed considerably, being much smaller when panel 11223 influenced the area of the three hard thick strata. Generally, the stress-relief zone of No. 4 coal seam was small under the influence of the hard thick strata located in the main roof, which played an important role in delaying the breakage time and increasing the breakage space. In this study we gained understanding of the stress-relief mechanism influenced by the hard thick roof. The research results and engineering practice show that the main roof of the multiple hard thick strata is a critical factor in the design of panel layout and roadways for integrated coal exploitation and gas extraction, provides a theoretical basis for safe and high-efficient mining of coal resources.

Study on "fracturing-sealing" integration technology based on high-energy gas fracturing in single seam with high gas and low air permeability

To improve the gas extraction efficiency of single seam with high gas and low air permeability,we developed the"fracturing-sealing"integration technology,and carried out the engineering experiment in the3305 Tunliu mine.In the experiment,coal seams can achieve the aim of antireflection effect through the following process:First,project main cracks with the high energy pulse jet.Second,break the coal body by delaying the propellant blasting.Next,destroy the dense structure of the hard coal body,and form loose slit rings around the holes.Finally,seal the boreholes with the"strong-weak-strong"pressurized sealing technology.The results are as follows:The average concentration of gas extraction increases from8.3%to 39.5%.The average discharge of gas extraction increases from 0.02 to 0.10 m^3/min.The tunneling speeds up from 49.5 to 130 m/month.And the permeability of coal seams improves nearly tenfold.Under the same conditions,the technology is much more efficient in depressurization and antireflection than common methods.In other words,it will provide a more effective way for the gas extraction of single seam with high gas and low air permeability.

Progress on the hydraulic measures for grid slotting and fracking to enhance coal seam permeability

A method of hydraulic grid slotting and hydraulic fracturing was proposed to enhance the permeability of low permeability coal seam in China. Micro-structural development and strength characteristics of coal were analysed to set up the failure criterion of coal containing water and gas, which could describe the destruction rule of coal containing gas under the hydraulic measures more accurately. Based on the theory of transient flow and fluid grid, the numerical calculation model of turbulence formed by high pressure oscillating water jet was used. With the high speed photography test, dynamic evolution and pulsation characteristics of water jet water analysed which laid a foundation for mechanism analysis of rock damage under water jet. Wave equation of oscillating water jet slotting was established and the mechanism of coal damage by the impact stress wave under oscillation jet was revealed. These provide a new method to study the mechanism of porosity and crack damage under high pressure jet.Fracture criterion by jet slotting was established and mechanism of crack development controlled by crack zone between slots was found. The fractures were induced to extend along pre-set direction,instead of being controlled by original stress field. The model of gas migration through coal seams after the hydraulic measures for grid slotting and fracking was established. The key technology and equipment for grid slotting and fracking with high-pressure oscillating jet were developed and applied to coal mines in Chongqing and Henan in China. The results show that the gas permeability of coal seam is enhanced by three orders of magnitude, efficiency of roadway excavation and mining is improved by more than 57%and the cost of gas control is reduced by 50%.