Design and application of solid, dense backfill advanced mining technology with two pre-driving entries

New solid backfill mining technology provides unique technical advantages for ‘‘three-under'' coal mining which refers to coal resources trapped under buildings, railways, and water bodies. This technology has a much higher recovery rate and can effectively control the surface subsidence. However, successful application of this technology depends heavily on geological conditions. To avoid the disadvantages associated with downward mining and overhead backfilling with this new technology, a new advanced solid backfill mining design with two pre-driving entries is proposed here to ensure the backfill effect. Taking Huayuan coal mine as an example, this paper tests the double gob-side entries retaining with no pillar left scheme and optimizes an integrated technology setup for backfill mining and gob-side entry retaining. Field applications show that the recovery rate increased from 40% for strip mining to 85% for backfill mining. Moreover, the new backfill technology allowed for better control over the surrounding rock deformation caused by the gob-side entry retaining effect and better control of ground subsidence as compared to strip mining.

Prevention and control of coalfield fire technology:A case study in the Antaibao Open Pit Mine goaf burning area,China

It is very difficult to clearly detect the location of a burning area in a coal mine since it is hidden underground.So we conducted research on the distribution of the burning area before controlling it.Firstly,the original drilling technique was used to analyze and determine the loose and scope of caving of burning area through field test,and then obtained the gases and the temperature data in this area were according to the borehole data.By analyzing these data,we found out that the location of burning area concentrated in the loose and caving area;and finally,the location and development of the burning area within the tested area were accurately determined.Based on this theory,we used the ground penetrating radar(GPR) to find out the loose and caving scale in the burning area during the control process of the burning area,and then located the fire-extinguishing boreholes within target which we used to control burning fire in the section.A mobile comprehensive fire prevention and extinguishing system based on the three-phase foam fire prevention and control technique was then adopted and conducted in the burning area which took only 9 months to extinguish the 227,000 m 2 of burning area of 9# coal.This control technology and experience will provide a very important reference to the control of other coalfield fire and hillock fire in the future.

Instability mechanism and control technology of soft rock roadway affected by mining and high confined water

Based on deformation and failure characteristics of the second belt conveyor roadway at level II of Zhuxianzhuang coal mine, laboratory experiments, numerical calculation and field test were adopted to analyze the composition and microstructure of mudstone, the law of mudstone hydration and its strength weakening induced by water, the characteristics of surrounding rock deformation and failure under the action of confined water. Results showed that montmorillonite clay minerals accounted for as much as 76% of mudstone, with a large number of pores existing in the microstructure. Besides, as the molecular structure of montmorillonite changed, mudstone microstructure damage occurred with the macroscopic manifestation of its rheological instability. Weakening degree of confined water on residual strength of mudstone was almost 50%. The instability mechanism of soft rock roadway caused by high confined water is that surrounding rock circulates the process of ‘‘fracture-seepage-mud ding-closed'' twice, which weakens its strength and leads to roadway instability. A combined support technology, namely the, ‘‘high-toughness sealing layer + hollow grouting cables + full-length anchoring bolts with deep borehole'' was proposed. Based on field observation, the soft rock roadway was controlled effectively, which also verified the effectiveness of new control technology for surrounding rock.

Failure mechanism and control technology of longwall coalface in large-cutting-height mining method

The stability control of longwall coalface is the key technology of large-cutting-height mining method.Therefore,a systematic study of the factors that affect coalface stability and its control technology is required in the development of large-cutting-height mining method in China. After the practical field observation and years of study,it was found that the more than 95% of failures in coalface are shear failure. The shear failure analysis model of coalface has been established,that can perform systematic study among factors such as mining height,coal mass strength,roof load,support resistance,and face flipper protecting plate horizontal force. Meanwhile,sensitivity analysis of factors influencing coalface stability showed that improving support capacity,cohesion of coal mass and decreasing roof load of coalface are the key to improve coalface stability. Numerical simulation of the factors affecting coalface stability has been performed using UDEC software and the results are consistent with the theoretical analysis. The coalface reinforcement technology of large-cutting-height mining method using the grouting combined with coir rope is presented. Laboratory tests have been carried out to verify its reinforcement effect and practical application has been implemented in several coal mines with good results.It has now become the main technology to reduce longwall coalface failure of large-cutting-height mining method.

Application of open-pit and underground mining technology for residual coal of end slopes

Given the conditions of residual coal from the boundary of a flat dipping open-pit mine,which uses strip areas mining and inner dumping with slope-covering,we propose an open-pit and underground integrated mining technology for residual coal of end slopes.In the proposal a conveyance road and ventilation conveyance near the slope are built,corresponding to the pit mining area and the surface coal mine dump,as well as an interval haulage tunnel and air-inlet tunnel.The outcome shows that such mining method may reduce the effect to slope stability from underground mining,it does not affect the dumping advance and has a high recovery rate of residual coal resources.The working face is timbered by single hydraulic props,transported by a scraper conveyor and supported by coal walls.This method of mining is one of layered top coal caving,with high resource recovery,low production cost where positive economic benefit can be realized.

Water protection in the western semiarid coal mining regions of China: A case study

The coal industry in China has been moving from the semiarid eastern to the drier western regions since the beginning of this century.Water protection is of the utmost concern for coal mining in these regions.Lu'an,as one of the state coal mining bases in China,has been seeing increasingly heavier pressure for the protection of water resources.This article considers Lu'an as an example and describes the ways these concerns may be alleviated.High mine-water utilization rates have effectively reduced wasting of water and,consequently,have reduced water demand.Using the top layers of the Ordavician as aquifuge barriers can prevent floor karst water inrush into the longwall face and can protect the regional Ordovician karst water resources at the same time.The strength of the overlying Quaternary clay can protect against roof collapse and has successfully preserved the Quaternary porous water resource.

A New Discovery on the Deformation Behavior of Shale Gas Reservoirs Affecting Pore Morphology in the Juhugeng Coal Mining Area of Qinghai Province, Northwest China

Objective The Juhugeng mining area in Qinghai Province of northwest China has attracted wide attention among geologists for it hosts typical coal measure gases.The shale gas reservoirs were reformed by intensive structural movements during geological periods,

Technology of back stoping from level floors in gateway and pillar mining areas of extra-thick seams

According to the special requirements of secondary mining of resources in gateway-and-pillar goaf in extra-thick seams of Shanxi, this paper presents a technical proposal of back stoping from level floors.Numerical simulation and theoretical analysis are used to investigate the compaction characteristics of cavities under stress as well as an appropriate mining height of the primary-mining layer based on different mining widths and pillar widths. For Yangjian coal mine, the mining thickness of the first seam during back stoping from level floor is determined to be 3 m, which meets the relevant requirements.Gateway-and-pillar goaf of a single layer has a range of influence of 9 m vertically. If gateway-and-pillar goaf occurs both in 9-1 and 9-5 layers, the range is extended to within 11.2 m. When the mining width of a gateway is less than 2 m or larger than 5 m, the gateway-and-pillar goaf in the upper layer of the primary-mining seam can be filled in and compacted after stoping. When the working face is 2 m away from the gateway and pillar before entering into it and after passing through it, the coal body under the gateway and pillar is subjected to relatively high stress. During mining of the upper layer, moreover, the working face should interlock the goaf in primary-mining layer for 20 m.

Monte-Carlo Method for Coalbed Methane Resource Assessment in Key Coal Mining Areas of China

Monte-Carlo method is used for estimating coalbed methane （CBM） resources in key coal mining areas of China. Monte-Carlo method is shown to be superior to the traditional volumetric method with constant parameters in the calculation of CBM resources. The focus of the article is to introduce the main algorithm and the realization of functions estimated by Monte-Carlo method, including selection of parameters, determination of distribution function, generation of pseudo-random numbers, and evaluation of the parameters corresponding to pseudo-random numbers. A specified software on the basis of Monte-Carlo method is developed using Visual C＋＋ for the assessment of the CBM resources. A case study shows that calculation results using Monte-Carlo method have smaller error range in comparison with those using volumetric method.

Application of foam technology for dust control in underground coal mine

In order to effectively control the dust in the underground coal mine,this study proposes and develops a new technology for dust control by foam,and briefly demonstrates the advantage of the foam technology for dust control,such as the good isolation performance,large contact area,high wetting ability,strong adhesion and so on.Besides,the details of the technology are introduced,including the foam agent,foam generator,and foam production process.Then the paper studies the relationship between the foaming agent concentration and liquid surface tension,and explains the principle of the foam generator.The technology is applied in heading face.The application results show that the foam has a remarkable effect on dust control in underground coal mines.

Guiding-controlling technology of coal seam hydraulic fracturing fractures extension

Aiming at the uncontrollable problem of extension direction of coal seam hydraulic fracturing,this study analyzed the course of fractures variation around the boreholes in process of hydraulic fracturing,and carried out the numerical simulations to investigate the effect of artificial predetermined fractures on stress distribution around fractured holes.The simulation results show that partial coal mass occurs relatively strong shear failure and forms weak surfaces,and then fractures extended along the desired direction while predetermined fractures changed stress distribution.Directional fracturing makes the fractures link up and the pressure on coal mass is relieved within fractured regions.Combining deep hole controlling blasting with hydraulic fracturing was proposed to realize the extension guiding-controlling technology of coal seam fractures.Industrial experiments prove that this technology can avoid local stress concentration and dramatically widen the pressure relief scope of deep hole controlling blasting.The permeability of fractured coal seam increased significantly,and gas extraction was greatly improved.Besides,regional pressure relief and permeability increase was achieved in this study.

Numerical simulation of gas flow process in mining-induced crack network

The exploitation of coal bed methane or coal gas is one of the most effective solutions of the problem of coal gas hazard.A better understanding of gas flow in mining-induced cracks plays an important role in comprehensive development and utilization of coal gas as well as prevention of coal gas hazard.This paper presents a case study of gas flow in mining-induced crack network regarding the situation of low permeability of coal seam.A two-dimensional physical model is constructed on the basis of geological background of mining face No.1122(1) in coal seam No.11-2,Zhangji Coal Mine,Huainan Mining Group Corporation.The mining-induced stress and cracks in overburden rocks are obtained by simulating an extraction in physical model.An evolution of mining-induced cracks in the process of advancing of coal mining face is characterized and three typical crack networks are taken from digital photos by means of image analysis.Moreover,the numerical software named COMSOL Multiphysics is employed to simulate the process of gas flow in three representative crack networks.Isograms of gas pressure at various times in mining-induced crack networks are plotted,suggesting a shape and dimension of gas accumulation area.

Construction and stability of an extra-large section chamber in solid backfill mining

In solid backfill mining without gangue removal, the gangue is separated directly underground and backfilled into goaf. This necessitates the underground construction of an extra-large section chamber for separation equipments. For the construction of an extra-large section chamber in the Tangshan mine, we proposed an active support through a combination of bolting, anchor cables, lining, and a reinforced chamber floor by inverted arch pouring. ABAQUS software was used to analyze the surrounding rock deformation and the plastic zone development of the chamber under different excavation schemes.The best excavation scheme was determined, and the effectiveness of the combined supports was verified. In practice, the engineering installation showed good overall control of the movement of the surrounding rock, with roof-to-floor and side-to-side convergences of 154.6 and 77.5 mm, respectively,which meets the requirements for underground coal gangue separation.

Fluidized mining and in-situ transformation of deep underground coal resources: a novel approach to ensuring safe, environmentally friendly, low-carbon, and clean utilisation

Traditional coal mining and utilisation patterns are severely detrimental to natural resources and environments and significantly impede safe, low-carbon, clean, and sustainable utilisation of coal resources. Based on the idea of in situ fluidized coal mining that aims to transform solid coal into liquid or gas and transports the fluidized resources to the ground to ensure safe mining and low-carbon and clean utilisation, in this study, we report on a novel in situ unmanned automatic mining method. This includes a flexible, earthworm-like unmanned automatic mining machine (UAMM) and a coal mine layout for in situ fluidized coal mining suitable for the UAMM. The technological and economic advantages and the carbon emission reduction of the UAMM-based in situ fluidized mining in contrast to traditional mining technologies are evaluated as well. The development trends and possible challenges to this design are also discussed. It is estimated that the proposed method costs approximately 49% of traditional coal mining costs. The UAMM-based in situ fluidized mining and transformation method will reduce CO2 emissions by at least 94.9% compared to traditional coal mining and utilisation methods. The proposed approach is expected to achieve safe and environmentally friendly coal mining as well as lowcarbon and clean utilisation of coal.

Principles and technology for stepwise utilization of resources for mitigating deep mine heat hazards

As is well known, deep mines are hot. As mining depth increases, the temperature of the surrounding rock also increases. This seriously affects mine safety and production and has restricted the exploitation of deep coal resources. Therefore, reducing the working face temperature to improve working conditions by controlling these heat hazards is an urgent problem. Considering problems in cooling deep mines both domestically and abroad along with the actual conditions of the Zhangshuanglou coal mine, we propose a HEMS technology that uses heat resources from deep mines in a stepwise manner. HEMS means a high temperature ex-change machinery system. Mine inrush-water is used as a source of cooling. Twice the energy is extracted from the mine inrush water. Heat is used for building heating in the winter and cold water is used for cooling buildings in the summer. This opens a new technology for stepwise utilization of heat energy in deep mines. Energy conservation and reduced pollution, an improved environment and sustainable economic development are realized by this technique. The economic and social effects are obvious and illustrate a good prospect for the application and extension of the method.

Experimental study on the goaf flow field of the ‘‘U+I” type ventilation system for a comprehensive mechanized mining face

‘‘U" and ‘‘U+I" type ventilation experiments were performed on a three-dimensional fully mechanized caving face simulation experimental platform. The distribution laws of the pressure field and gas field in the mine goaf were obtained. Results show that the flow field in the goaf is generally asymmetric;the location of the gas accumulation area changes with ventilation parameters and can be used as an evaluation indicator to study the air leakage extent in the goaf. Hence, drainage pipes buried in the goaf to intensively extract gas can be designed in such gas areas, which can give considerations in both improving gas drainage efficiency and reducing air leakage. By comparing the gas extraction effect of model experiments with that of on-site underground practices, the basic laws are commonly consistent according to comparative analysis. Thus the experimental results can be used to guide the application of underground gas prevention and control.

Spatio-temporal variation of vegetation in an arid and vulnerable coal mining region

Environmental assessment in an arid coal mining area requires an understanding of the influences of coal mining,the arid climate and ecological remediation.To that end,we selected vegetation as the key environmental factor to observe.Remote sensing approaches to monitoring the spatio-temporal variation of vegetation caused by mining activities,the arid climate and ecological remediation in the Shengdong coal mining area are described.Over a large regional scale it was found that the vegetation was improved as a result of ecological remediation activities.At the local scale,however,the vegetation coverage and soil moisture in the mined areas were slightly lower than those in un-mined areas due to mining subsidence.These differences are partly attributed to ground fissures that injure root systems and increase the depletion of soil moisture.It is recommended that fissures be reduced and filled to lessen their adverse effects on the environment.

Destruction mechanism of gas explosion to ventilation facilities and automatic recovery technology

In order to overcome the heavy casualties caused by gas explosion, we verified the propagation law of shock wave in pipeline and the overpressure distribution of gas explosion by similar experiments according to the analyses of reasons for casualty and ventilation system model destroyed by gas explosion in the mining face. We summarized the gas composition after the explosion and its danger, analyzed the effects of the gas explosion shock wave to ventilation system and facilities and the laws of toxic gas spread and diffusion in the ventilation network after the explosion. We presented a technical proposal to control the smoke and recover the ventilation system after a gas explosion and developed a reserve air door and control system that were embed in the lane, and could close automatically in conditions of no pressure and electricity. The results showed that the reserve air door normally opened and could close automatically controlling the smoke flow and resuming the ventilation system when the gas explosion shock wave destroyed the original shutting air door which resulted in the air short circuit.