Research on mining-induced deformation and stress,insights from physical modeling and theoretical analysis

The dynamic change of mining-induced stress is the main reason for large deformation of surrounding rock. To investigate the influence of mining-induced stress and deformation is important for appropriate supportive design. It also helps to raise the safety and productivity of longwall mining operations. In this paper, Weijiagou Coal Mine in Southwest China was selected as the case study. In order to research on the deformation and breakage of overlying strata, physical modeling test was carried out on the self-developed rotatable physical similar test system. By using digital image correlation (DIC) technique, the deformation of strata and development of cracks in the process of coal seam excavation were acquired, meanwhile, mining-induced stress was also monitored by pressure cell and strainmeter. According to the mechanical structure of stope, the height of the destressed zone has a significant influence on stress distribution. In order to minimize the discrepancy between the physical model test and theoretical analysis, the dimension of the plastic zone of roadway was added into the mining panel width, and the gap between the experimental and theoretical results reduced.     

Economic potentials of industrial rocks and minerals in the Azraq basin,NE Jordan

The Azraq basin (the Badia region in NE-Jordan) is rich in its industrial rocks and minerals. Most of the commodities are concentrated in one area, which is the Azraq depression (El-Qa’). The climatic changes (wet and dry) of Azraq closed lake contributed in the formation of industrial rocks and minerals in the El-Qa’. Basalt, pyroclastics, zeolites, diatomaceous earth, bentonite, palgorskite, porcelanite, saline brines, chalk, limestone, and gypsum are the potential industrial commodities. The basaltic rocks are of high alkalis content and good homogeneity and are of good potential use in constructions and cast basalt. The scoriaceous pyroclastic material proved to be of excellent properties for use as lightweight aggregates, cultivation purposes, and for the production of pozzolanic cement. Smectite-rich beds (bentonite) from Ein El Badia could be used as binder, absorbent, and additives for feeding farm animals. Palygorskite is potential for use in drilling mud, paint, pharmaceuticals, and as a filtering medium. The diatomaceous earth deposits are Moler type and could be used as filter aid and absorbent. Zeolites are efficient for agricultural purposes, animal waste, and wastewater treatment plants. Saline brine is exploited in the Azraq mudflat area for table salt. Porcelanite could be used as an absorbent of hazardous elements, abrasive, and filler. The softness and high purity of chalk enable its use as filler and in the lime production. The large limestone concretions are of high quality for use as a building stone. Gypsum (gypcrete) could be used after the removal of the undesired chert impurities. The Badia region is a highly potential area for future exploration and mining industry in a manner that achieves the required outcomes and minimizes impacts on ecosystems.     

Relationship in metastasis of coal fire and land use/cover using thermal imagery and support vector machine classifier

The objective of the present study was to delineate temporal and spatial changes in the coal fire and land use/cover within Bastacolla area of Jharia coal field. Studying this variation helped to decipher interconnection among the dynamics of the coal fire and concomitant changes in land use/cover. The detection of coal fires during a span of 14 years along with transitioning land use/cover was cost-effective and enabled planning for management of coal resources and environment. Landsat series of satellite data of 2002, 2009, 2013, and 2016 were processed for generating land surface temperature profiles vis-a-vis classified land use/cover of the study area. A single cut-off temperature was derived for mapping of coal fires using land surface temperature profile from 2002 to 2016. The satellite images were classified using support vector machines, and for depicting land use/cover change, post-classification change detection was done. Classification accuracy obtained was excellent with kappa coefficient ranging from 0.897 for classified image of 2002 to 0.799 for classified image of 2016. Results revealed that coal fires had shifted to the central west part of the area. Furthermore, pockets of coal fire from northern and eastern part of the study area have diminished. OB dumps and coal quarry/coal dump may be attributed towards the spatial change in coal fire while; OB dumps showed connotation with the highest temperature zones. Ground verifications for temperature profiles and coal fires were carried out using thermal camera which enunciated good agreement with results.     

Experimental study of the mechanical properties of expansive soil with added nanomaterials

The main purpose of this paper is to describe ways to improve the microstructure of expansive soil by adding nanomaterials. Mechanical tests were done to explore the changes in shear strength and compression index of expansive soil that was modified by adding different amounts of two kinds of nanomaterials (nano-alumina and nano-silica). The test results show that adding 1.2% nano-alumina and about 2% nano-silica to expansive soil provides the optimal compression index. The test results show that adding 1.2% nano-alumina and about 1.5% nano-silica to expansive soil provides the optimal unconfined compression stress. Scanning electron microscopy of the microstructure of expansive soil modified by nanomaterials provided a deeper understanding of the effects of nanomaterials on improving expansive soil.     

Stability study on the northern batter of MBC Open Pit using Plaxis 3D

Cracks appeared on the northern batter at Maddingley Brown Coal Open Pit Mine, Victoria, Australia, on 8 November 2013 and a 2-day rainfall event happened 5 days later. This study models the stability of the northern batter considering the effect of the rainfall event and an emergency buttress using finite element method (FEM) encoded in Plaxis 3D. It is found that the batter tended to lead to block sliding after overburden removal. The observed vertical crack would be a combined action of the overburden removal and groundwater flow. The simulated location of cracks agrees well with the actual location, and the simulated heave of the coal seam is in good agreement with the experience in Victoria brown coal open pit mining. The rainfall accelerated the development of the cracks. With the construction of the emergency buttress, the batter became stable that is in good agreement with the monitored data.     

Exploratory Factor Analysis of Wireline Logs Using a Float-Encoded Genetic Algorithm

In the paper, a novel inversion approach is used for the solution of the problem of factor analysis. The float-encoded genetic algorithm as a global optimization method is implemented to extract factor variables using open-hole logging data. The suggested statistical workflow is used to give a reliable estimate for not only the factors but also the related petrophysical properties in hydrocarbon formations. In the first step, the factor loadings and scores are estimated by Jöreskog’s fast approximate method, which are gradually improved by the genetic algorithm. The forward problem is solved to calculate wireline logs directly from the factor scores. In each generation, the observed and calculated well logs are compared to update the factor population. During the genetic algorithm run, the average fitness of factor populations is maximized to give the best fit between the observed and theoretical data. By using the empirical relation between the first factor and formation shaliness, the shale volume is estimated along the borehole. Permeability as a derived quantity also correlates with the first factor, which allows its determination from an independent source. The estimation results agree well with those of independent deterministic modeling and core measurements. Case studies from Hungary and the USA demonstrate the feasibility of the global optimization based factor analysis, which provides a useful tool for improved reservoir characterization.     

Anisotropic Continuous-in-Scale Universal Multifractal Cascades: Simulation,Analysis and Correction Methods

Continuous-in-scale multifractal cascades has long been an attractive choice for mathematically modeling turbulent and turbulent-like geophysical fields. These fields are usually anisotropic as they are subject to both stratification and rotation, thereby questioning the isotropy assumption often made to model them. The self-affine and generalized scale invariance approaches to scaling are used here to introduce anisotropy in such models. These anisotropic simulations have (1) unresolved large-scale features and (2) statistics that deviate from the desired power-law scaling mainly in the small scales. The former issue is solved via nesting, whereas the latter is attempted to be overcome using singularity correction methods. While earlier studies have proposed isotropic correction methods, here they have been generalized to correct anisotropic simulations. These singularity corrections seem to improve the small-scale statistical properties of mildly anisotropic simulations; nesting, on the other hand, appears to enhance statistics over almost all scales even for strongly anisotropic simulations. Both the correction and nesting techniques lead to a reduction in computational time and memory usage suggesting that nested singularity-corrected cascades offer a better framework for quantitatively modeling the atmosphere, ocean, solid earth, and associated fields.     

A Preliminary Evaluation on the Prospects of Hydrocarbon Potential in the Carbonaceous Shales of Spiti and Chikkim Formations,Tethys Himalaya,India

In the present investigation, an attempt has been made to explore the possibility of hydrocarbon prospects in the carbonaceous shale deposits of Spiti and Chikkim formations exposed in the Spiti valley of the Tethys Himalaya. Twenty samples, collected from successive levels of these litho-units, have been subjected to maceral analysis, Rock-Eval Pyrolysis and six samples to Fourier Transform Infra-red Spectroscopy (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyses. The study reveals the presence of mainly kerogen-III type of organic matter but some of the shale samples have shown a good amount of total organic carbon (TOC) to the tune of 3.19% which is sufficient to produce hydrocarbon. The results indicate the presence of methane occurring as free and fixed hydrocarbon in the shale samples. Few levels are especially rich in hydrocarbon. They have shown encouraging results with potential for generating liquid as well as lighter hydrocarbon. The data is also supported by the FTIR and NMR studies.