Longwall mining,shale gas production,and underground miner safety and health

This paper presents the results of a unique study conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health(NIOSH)from 2016 to 2019 to evaluate the effects of longwall-induced subsurface deformations on shale gas well casing integrity and underground miner safety and health.At both deep-cover and shallow-cover instrumentation sites,surface subsidence measurements,subsurface inplace inclinometer measurements,and underground pillar pressure measurements were conducted as longwall panels were mined.Comparisons of the deep-cover and shallow-cover test site results with those from a similar study under medium cover reveal an interesting longwall-induced response scenario.Under shallow and medium covers,measured horizontal displacements within the abutment pillar are one order of magnitude higher than those measured under deep cover.On the other hand,measured vertical compressions under deep cover are one order of magnitude higher than those under shallow and medium covers.However,FLAC3 Dsimulations of the casings indicate that,in all three cases,the P-110 production casings remain intact under longwall-induced deformations and compressions,which has serious implications for future mine design in areas where shale gas wells have been drilled ahead of mining.

Effect of longwall-induced subsurface deformations on shale gas well casing stability under deep covers

This paper presents the results of a 2017 study conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health(NIOSH), Pittsburgh Mining Research Division(PMRD), to evaluate the effects of longwall-induced subsurface deformations within a longwall abutment pillar under deep cover. The 2017 study was conducted in a southwestern Pennsylvania coal mine, which extracts 457 m-wide longwall panels under 361 m of cover. One 198 m-deep, in-place inclinometer monitoring well was drilled and installed over a 45 m by 84 m center abutment pillar. In addition to the monitoring well, surface subsidence measurements and underground coal pillar pressure measurements were conducted as the 457 m-wide longwall panel on the south side of the abutment pillar was being mined. Prior to the first longwall excavation, a number of simulations using FLAC3D^(TM) were conducted to estimate surface subsidence, increases in underground coal pillar pressure, and subsurface horizontal displacements in the monitoring well. Comparisons of the pre-mining FLAC3D simulation results and the surface, subsurface,and underground instrumentation results show that the measured in-place inclinometer casing deformations are in reasonable agreement with those predicted by the 3D finite difference models. The measured surface subsidence and pillar pressure are in excellent agreement with those predicted by the 3D models.Results from this 2017 research clearly indicate that, under deep cover, the measured horizontal displacements within the abutment pillar are approximately one order of magnitude smaller than those measured in a 2014 study under medium cover.

Floor dust erosion during early stages of coal dust explosion development

An ignition of methane and air can generate enough air flow to raise mixtures of combustible coal and rock dust.The expanding high temperature combustion products ignite the suspended dust mixture and will continue to propagate following the available combustible fuel supply.If the concentration of the dispersed rock dust is sufficient,the flame will stop propagating.Large-scale explosion tests were conducted within the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health(NIOSH)Lake Lynn Experimental Mine(LLEM)to measure the dynamic pressure history and the post-explosion dust scour depth.The aim of this effort is to provide quantitative data on depth of dust removal during the early stages of explosion development and its relationship to the depth of floor dust collected for assessing the incombustible content most likely to participate in the combustion process.This experimental work on dust removal on is not only important for coal mine safety but also for industrial dust explosions.

Evaluation of stress-control layout at the Subtropolis Mine,Petersburg,Ohio

The Subtropolis room-and-pillar mine extracts the Vanport Limestone(Allegheny Formation,Pennsylvanian System)near Petersburg,Ohio.Strata instability problems associated with excessive concentrations of lateral stress caused the mine operator to implement a change in layout design.This mining method has been identified as a stress control layout and has been used by other underground stone mines in the past with varying degrees of success.Practical experience has shown that entry headings advance in the direction of the principal lateral stress,producing lower stress concentrations with better mining conditions.It is important to minimize stress concentrations along the mining front,so an arrowshaped advance is recommended.This technique advances more developments(headings)in a"good"direction and reduces developments(crosscuts)in the"bad direction."As is expected,the stress control layout enhances the potential for shear failures in crosscuts.It is,therefore,important to focus crosscut engineering interventions that either:(a)lower stress concentrations(for example,an arched roof)or(b)enhance strength of the strata containing the shears(for example,rock reinforcement).This study focuses on observing strata conditions on a regular basis and monitoring the response of these strata to changing geologic and mining conditions through 3D Dynamic LiDAR scans.