Grout injection into bed separation to control surface subsidence during longwall mining under villages: case study of Liudian coal mine,China

Surface subsidence can cause many environmental problems and hazards (including loss of land area and damage to buildings), and such hazards are particularly serious in coal mining districts. Injecting grout into the bed separation in the overburden has been proposed as an effective control measure against surface subsidence during longwall mining. However, no field trials of this technique have been implemented in mines under villages in China, and thus, its ability to control subsidence in such areas has yet to be demonstrated. In this study, field trials using this technique were carried out during longwall mining under villages in the Liudian coal mine, China. The maximum surface subsidence observed after the extraction was only 0.298 m, which accounts for 10 % of the mining height and is 79 % less than the predicted subsidence. Moreover, no damage occurred to the village buildings either during or after extraction and these buildings remain stable. Thus, this study represents the first successful attempt to control surface subsidence under villages in China using grout injection during longwall mining.     

Mining subsidence and its effect on the environment: some differing examples

 The impact of mining subsidence on the environment can occasionally be very catastrophic, destroying property and even leading to the loss of life. Usually, however, such subsidence gives rise to varying degrees of structural damage that can range from slight to very severe. Different types of mineral deposits have been mined in different ways and this determines the nature of the associated subsidence. Some mining methods result in contemporaneous subsidence whereas, with others, subsidence may occur long after the mine workings have been abandoned. In the latter instance, it is more or less impossible to predict the effects or timing of subsidence. A number of different mineral deposits have been chosen to illustrate the different types of associated subsidence that result and the problems that arise. The examples provided are gold mining in the Johannesburg area; bord and pillar mining of coal in the Witbank Coalfield, South Africa; longwall mining of coal in the Ruhr district; mining of chalk and limestone in Suffolk and the West Midlands, respectively; and solution mining of salt in Cheshire. These mineral deposits have often been worked for more than 100 years and, therefore, a major problem results from abandoned mines, especially those at shallow depth, the presence of which is unrecorded. Abandoned mines at shallow depth can represent a serious problem in areas that are being developed or redeveloped. Abstraction of natural brine has given rise to subsidence with its own particular problems and cannot be predicted. Although such abstraction is now inconsequential in Cheshire, dereliction associated with past subsidence still remains. Received: 21 October 1999 · Accepted: 14 February 2000     

Analysis of subsidence caused by underground mining

Summary Some aspects of subsidence caused by longwall coal mining are analysed using the finite element method. Results of the analysis are compared with a true mine panel, where measurements on subsidence were available. Rock deformations in the overburden were modelled by using an elasto-plastic constitutive model. The study indicates that the shape of the subsidence profile can be predicted reasonably well by using nonlinear finite element analysis.     

Subsidence prediction method of solid backfilling mining with different filling ratios under thick unconsolidated layers

Solid backfill mining for coal pillar recovery in industrial squares has to ensure that the mine infrastructure, such as the shafts and substations, is not degraded or has its utility impaired by that mining. At the same time, it is important to recover as much coal as possible. As a result, it is necessary to predict mining subsidence during solid backfilling mining of coal pillars in industrial squares and to optimize the design of the working faces. At the Baishan coal mine in Anhiu province, China, there are thick layers of unconsolidated overburden above the coal seam so it is not appropriate to use the surface subsidence prediction method of equivalent mining height to predict subsidence during the mining of the coal pillars there. In order to find a reasonable coal pillar recovery scheme for the Baishan mine, a numerical simulation method is used to determine the relationships between the compression ratio of the backfilling material and the surface subsidence prediction parameters. Research was done to determine the appropriate parameters, and based on the final prediction parameters and taking the mandated protection standards for buildings and structures into account, surface subsidence is predicted and a backfill mining scheme for pillar recovery is proposed. The results show that of the six mining schemes considered, scheme 5 is the best scheme for coal pillar recovery in the industrial square at the Baishan mine. The research results are significant for similar mines with thick unconsolidated overburden anywhere in the world.     

Application of a Generalised Influence Function Method for Subsidence Prediction in Multi-seam Longwall Extraction

The purpose of mining subsidence prediction is to produce a reliable assessment of ground movement arising from underground mineral extraction. The results of the prediction are used to assess the likelihood of the associated effects on surface structures. In most countries, the assessment of mining subsidence has become an essential part of mining plans, which must be approved by relevant government bodies and mining regulators. It is therefore important to develop a subsidence prediction method that is suitable for a particular country or mine field. Further to the recent development of a Generalised Influence Function Method (GIFM) for subsidence prediction at RMIT University, a case study in Hunter coalfield of in New South Wales, Australia is presented to illustrate the applicability of the GIFM approach for subsidence prediction in multi-seam longwall mining. A computer program is used to calculate subsidence, horizontal displacement and principle strains arising from the extraction of longwall panels. The observed subsidence across the longwall panels and the corresponding ground movements are compared to the model’s output and the results analysed. A discussion of the discrepancies between the GIFM models and the behaviour of complex geological strata is presented. The GIFM method is found to be a powerful tool when applied to complex extraction configurations and can produce useful output for mining subsidence assessments. Of particular importance is its ability to provide both tensile and compressive strain information over the whole affected areas which would otherwise not have been available for the assessment of damage potential to surface structures.     

Applications of numerical modelling in underground mining and construction

Numerical modelling has been used to investigate a variety of problems in underground mining and tunnelling: subsidence induced by longwall coal mining; stresses generated when an open stope is filled cemented backfill and the stability of exposures created during subsequent mining of adjacent stopes; the interaction of two tunnels; and the effects of under-mining a pre-existing tunnel and shaft. In each case, results from nonlinear stress analyses can be used to guide the design of excavations and rock support mechanisms.     

山西阳泉矿区刘村采煤塌陷机理及数值模拟

选取山西阳泉矿区单煤层开采引发的强烈地面塌陷作为研究对象,在详细介绍刘村采煤塌陷所处地质环境背景及其发育变形特征的基础上,根据区域岩体工程地质特征,将其划分为12层岩组;运用关键层、复合关键层理论对采煤塌陷机理进行了分析,获取Hoek-Brown岩体力学参数;采用Flac5.0 Extrusion对刘村采煤塌陷坑进行了反演模拟。数值模拟反映各阶段采动裂缝在地表的发育分布情况并计算了最终沉降量,覆盖层裂缝自然修复周期为2个月,基岩裂缝自然修复周期为3个月;采动裂缝最终在平面上呈“θ”形,塌陷中心1和塌陷中心2最终沉降量分别达到4.5 m和4 m,塌陷面积是工作面面积的1.85倍。模拟结果与调查监测数据高度吻合,客观地反映了地表变形和深部覆岩塌陷的发展变化过程,为塌陷机理分析起到了帮助作用。该套岩体力学参数与模拟方法适用于阳泉矿区采煤塌陷精准预测。     

Numerical Investigation of the Dynamic Mechanical State of a Coal Pillar During Longwall Mining Panel Extraction

This study presents a numerical investigation on the dynamic mechanical state of a coal pillar and the assessment of the coal bump risk during extraction using the longwall mining method. The present research indicates that there is an intact core, even when the peak pillar strength has been exceeded under uniaxial compression. This central portion of the coal pillar plays a significant role in its loading capacity. In this study, the intact core of the coal pillar is defined as an elastic core. Based on the geological conditions of a typical longwall panel from the Tangshan coal mine in the City of Tangshan, China, a numerical fast Lagrangian analysis of continua in three dimensions (FLAC^3D) model was created to understand the relationship between the volume of the elastic core in a coal pillar and the vertical stress, which is considered to be an important precursor to the development of a coal bump. The numerical results suggest that, the wider the coal pillar, the greater the volume of the elastic core. Therefore, a coal pillar with large width may form a large elastic core as the panel is mined, and the vertical stress is expected to be greater in magnitude. Because of the high stresses and the associated stored elastic energy, the risk of coal bumps in a coal pillar with large width is greater than for a coal pillar with small width. The results of the model also predict that the peak abutment stress occurs near the intersection between the mining face and the roadways at a distance of 7.5 m from the mining face. It is revealed that the bump-prone zones around the longwall panel are within 7–10 m ahead of the mining face and near the edge of the roadway during panel extraction.     

典型曲线法在山东龙口软岩煤矿区开采沉陷预测中的应用

为丰富矿区开采沉陷的预计方法,提高预测的精度,在综合大量文献的基础上,提出了典型曲线法。典型曲线法避免了由理论模型的假设和简化而造成预计公式的误差,提高了预计的精度,通过开发预计程序,方便了数据的处理,实现了典型曲线法沉陷预计的电算化。以山东龙口软岩矿区为例,详细介绍了典型曲线的建立和应用方法,预计结果和实测最大下沉值的绝对偏差为9mm,相对误差为1.1%。     

A study of surface subsidence and coal pillar safety for strip mining in a deep mine

Some villages and bridges are located on the ground surface of the working district no. 7 in the Wanglou Coal Mine. If longwall mining is adopted, the maximum deformation of the ground surface will exceed the safety value. Strip mining is employed for the working district no. 7 which is widely used to reduce surface subsidence and the consequent damage of buildings on the ground surface. To ensure the safety of coal pillars and improve the recovery coefficient, theoretical analysis and numerical simulation (FLAC 3D) were adopted to determine the coal pillar and mining widths and to discuss the coal pillar stress distribution and surface subsidence for different mining scenarios. The results revealed that the width of coal pillars should be larger than 162 m, and the optimized mining width varies from 150 to 260 m. As the coal seam is exploited, vertical stress is mainly applied on the coal pillar, inducing stress changes on its ribs. The coefficient of mining-induced stress varies from 2.02 to 2.62 for different mining scenarios. The maximum surface subsidence and horizontal movement increase as the mining width increases. However, when the mining width increases to a certain value, increasing the pillar width cannot significantly decrease the maximum subsidence. To ensure the surface subsidence less than 500 mm, the mining width should not be larger than 200 m. Considering the recovery coefficient and safety of the coal pillar, a pillar width of 165 m is suggested.     

利用光学卫星遥感数据监测抚顺地区煤矿开采引起的地貌变化

抚顺市是中国重要的采煤城市之一,100多年的煤矿开采已经使抚顺地区的地貌特征发生了重大变化。由于长期的露天开采,抚顺西露天矿形成了一个海拔约为-300m的深坑;煤矿的地下开采造成了大面积的地表沉陷;与此同时,煤矸石的露天堆积形成了3个排土场。本研究利用多时相的美国Landsat MSS（Multispectral Scanner）,TM（Thematic Mapper）,ETM⁺（Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus）,以及日本ASTER（Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer）卫星遥感数据分析过去近30年来抚顺地区煤矿开采所引起的地貌变化。多时相卫星遥感图像的对比分析显示,由于地面沉陷引起的地表积水面积在近5年（2001～2006年）内出现明显增大的趋势,增加了1.73km。同期的ASTER DEM数据对比分析还发现,西露天矿的开采深度在不断增加,最大增加量为55m,与此同时出现的新增排土场造成地面高程增加量最大为25m。这一研究表明利用遥感技术可以定量监测人类矿产开发活动所引起的地貌特征变化及其过程。     

Geology and mining practice in relation to shallow subsidence in the Northern Coalfield,New South Wales

The former Northern Coalfield, comprising much of the Newcastle‐Maitland‐Cessnock‐Lake Macquarie region, has now been mined for two hundred years. Most of the twenty‐odd seams in the Newcastle, Tomago and Greta Coal Measures have been worked, but the bulk of production has been drawn from just four coalbeds: the Borehole, Greta, Homeville and Great Northern Seams. Literally hundreds of mine names are on record for the coalfield, the great majority working these seams at depths of less than 30 m. This paper reviews regional subsidence problems in the context of mining history, past mining practices and coal measures geology. Subsidence over shallow bord‐and‐pillar workings may result in highly disturbed ground, open fissures, cratering, seam fires and ‘creeps’ (slow surface movements caused by gradual closure of mine cavities). This form of subsidence differs from that over modern longwall mines in being less predictable, affecting much smaller areas, and occurring sometimes decades after mine abandonment. The geological factors contributing to this subsidence hazard include the multiplicity of seams, the strong roof sandstones, stiff coal and relatively soft floors, and the presence of faults and dykes. The working of thick seams like the Borehole Coal in up to three phases, leaving high, slender pillars, also contributed to later ground instability. Contrary to expectation, the main problem areas are not over haphazardly laid‐out convict‐era pits, but rather above small hand‐worked scavenger mines (‘ratholes’) which operated as late as the 1950s. Many of these short‐lived collieries still contain large voids at shallow depth, sometimes only a few metres, which must eventually collapse or be backfilled.     

Domestic water supply impacts by underground coal mining in Virginia, USA

 Underground coal mining can affect wells and springs used as water supplies. In Virginia, concerns over such impacts are felt by both surface owners and coal-mining firms. Virginia's geologic history has caused faults and fractures to be common in its coalfield region, relative to other Appalachian coal-mining areas. The results of 73 investigations of alleged domestic water supply impacts by underground mining were analyzed; the investigations were conducted by the Virginia Division of Mined Land Reclamation (VDMLR). This analysis was conducted with reference to guidelines that define a primary zone of underground mining influence where dewatering of aquifers is to be expected. The VDMLR data set included 27 investigations of alleged water supply impacts by partial-extraction room-and-pillar mines, 41 investigations of high-extraction room-and-pillar mines, and 4 investigations of longwall mines. VDMLR investigators found that 14 of 16 water supplies within the primary zone of influence were likely to have been affected by pillar-retreat mining, but no water supplies within the primary zone of influence for longwall and room-and-pillar mines were represented in the data base. VDMLR investigators found 42 of 56 water supplies outside of the primary zones were likely to have been affected by mining; these cases represented room-and-pillar, pillar-retreat, and longwall mining. Geologic circumstances not directly related to subsidence were found to be responsible for 31 of these 42 impacts. These geologic circumstances included subsurface fractures and other geologic features acting as aquifers that were drained by underground mining operations. VDMLR investigators also found some of the investigated water losses to have been caused by factors other than mining. These results demonstrate the inherent difficulties of any attempt to rigidly define a "zone of underground mining impact" based solely on mine subsidence effects, especially in regions where geologic faults and fractures are common such as the southwest Virginia coalfield. Received: 4 August 1995 · Accepted: 23 October 1995     

The future use of refrigeration in British coal mines

Summary This paper examines the methods presently available to apply refrigeration to a longwall district of a coal mine with particular reference to both the sources of heat and humidity around a district, and the specific locations which require cooling. Other methods to improve climatic conditions are also investigated and computer-predicted results from a district temperature prediction program are used for discussion.An approach to the solution of a climatic problem is explained with reference to other coal mine contaminants and an environmental design philosophy for deep high production districts in British coal mines is described.     

A Comprehensive Study on Subsidence Control Using COSFLOW

Increasingly, mine subsidence is becoming a major issue of community concern. Among the measures of subsidence control, a more effective and economical technology, namely Overburden Grout Injection Technology (OGIT), is recently developed in China and Australia by injecting waste material into the bed separations during longwall mining to achieve subsidence control. The OGIT is proposed for the subsidence control in West Cliff Colliery located at the Southern Coalfield of the Sydney Basin, Australia. The three-dimensional finite element code COSFLOW is applied to investigate in a detail the bed separation developing with longwall mining and the effect of grout injecting into the separations in order to guide the subsidence control design when using the OGIT in West Cliff Colliery longwall mining practice.     

Numerical Study of Mine Site Specific Multiseam Mining and Its Impact on Surface Subsidence and Chain Pillar Stress

This paper investigates various multiseam mining related parameters using mine site specific data and numerical simulations. Two important mining effects—subsidence and stress—are analysed for different possible mining layouts. A geological mine dataset has been used to generate a numerical model. The predicted surface subsidence magnitude and surface profile have been compared under different scenarios to assess potential options in multiseam mining strategies. The effects that seam separation distances, mining offset, panel layout and panel orientation each have on surface subsidence and chain pillar stress magnitude have been investigated. The numerical simulation shows that ascending or descending mining directions have little impact on controlling the surface subsidence in multiseam mining and predicted an almost identical maximum stress development at the chain pillars. Numerical simulations infer that the orientation of the top panels control the subsidence profile.     

Numerical modelling of multistage caving processes: insights from multi‐seam longwall mining‐induced subsidence

Evaluating the induced subsidence is a critical step in multi‐seam longwall mining. Numerical modelling can be a cost‐effective approach to this problem. Numerical evaluation of longwall mining‐induced subsidence is much more complicated when more than one seam is to be extracted. Only a few research works have dealt with this problem. This paper discusses the essential requirements of a robust numerical modelling approach to simulation of multi‐seam longwall mining‐induced subsidence. In light of these requirements, the previous works on this topic are critically reviewed. A simple yet robust FEM‐based modelling approach is also proposed that is capable of simulating caving process, rock mass deterioration and subsidence around multi‐seam excavations. The effectiveness of this approach in comparison with two other conventional FEM approaches is demonstrated through numerical examples of two different multi‐seam mining configurations. Results show that the proposed numerical modelling approach is the only robust method, which is capable of simulating multi‐seam subsidence in both demonstrated cases. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

波兰煤矿瓦斯高效抽放技术特点

目前,在波兰41对主要生产矿井中,有23对高瓦斯矿井进行了瓦斯抽放。2004年瓦斯平均抽放率为30%,平均利用率为39%。根据瓦斯地质条件、瓦斯涌出特点和采区通风方式,着重介绍了波兰煤矿强化煤层、围岩和采空区瓦斯抽放,提高矿井瓦斯抽放效率的工艺技术特点。在工作面的瓦斯排放中,注重开采、通风与瓦斯抽放一体化,通过优化抽放钻孔布置,取得钻孔瓦斯抽放的最佳效果,是波兰煤矿瓦斯治理的一项成功经验,成为煤矿持续安全高效生产的重要技术保障。     

长壁孤岛工作面冲击失稳能量场演化规律

煤矿冲击地压一直是困扰中国煤矿安全的主要问题,而煤矿开采过程中跳采形成的孤岛工作面由于容易产生应力集中,来压强度提高,极容易发生冲击地压。基于唐山矿T2193下孤岛工作面的地质条件,从数值分析的角度研究了煤岩体材料的非均匀性,揭示了孤岛工作面顶板周期来压时煤岩体能量释放的动态特征,分析了工作面前方能量释放激增机制。数值模拟结果显示,长壁工作面回采过程中直接顶的不断垮落造成了老顶悬空距离的不断增大,工作面周期来压时,积聚于老顶岩层内的弹性应变能将瞬间释放,容易引发工作面及巷道的冲击失稳。孤岛工作面由于其特有的矿压显现特征,老顶周期破断时所释放的弹性应变能将更加剧烈,冲击地压势必愈加强烈。孤岛工作面顶底板和煤层的能量释放激增可以作为判断煤岩体冲击失稳的前兆信息。孤岛工作面前方发生冲击破坏的主要原因是由于工作面回采过程中围岩所积聚的大量弹性能在顶板断裂时所伴随的巨大能量释放而造成的。     

A study on the development of subsidence due to the extraction of 1203 slice with its associated factors around Barapukuria underground coal mining industrial area,Dinajpur, Bangladesh

Subsidence as a result of an underground coal mine is a hazard to human life, properties and environment. This incidence usually occurs over a long period of time which directly or indirectly pertinent with various factors that needs to be carefully considered and systematically analyzed when exploring land subsidence. In reality the relationships among factors, their effects and the subsidence are crucial to have the suitable management plan for the mine-induced ground subsidence around the mining area. In this research, primarily the development of subsidence caused by the extraction of 1203 slice has been evaluated under the profile functions and influence functions methods. The results show that the calculated subsidence profile is almost trough-like subsidence where the maximum amount of subsidence is about 0.89 m. Secondly, based on this result, the analysis on different factors such as the deeper coal bed (420 m depth level) and higher angle of draw (42.5^o) show less subsidence which are 0.58 and 0.87 m, respectively, whereas the dip of the coal bed up to 20^o does not have significant effect on subsidence. In latter cases, the different preceding scientific papers have been consulted and analyzed for recognizing various influencing factors of subsidence which replicate that the geology and stratigraphic configuration, structural setting of the coal basin, hydro-geological characteristics, less competent nature of overlying rock body, applied mining method, presence of multi-coal seams, ultra thicken coal seam and so on are the major factors in affecting the subsidence event in the area. Moreover, intensive site investigations revealed similar pattern of subsidence and its associated factors around the mine.