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Mining-induced disturbance to stress fields can lead to many engineering disasters such as rock bursts, roadway collapses, and coal and gas outbursts. The evolution characteristic of abutment pressure during the mining process is of great significance for prevention of engineering disasters. Based on a case study of No.12526E Panel in Xieqiao coalmine of Huainan mining area in China, this paper investigated the evolution characteristic of abutment pressure during the retreat mining process. A field measurement was performed using three-dimensional (3D) pressure sensor, and the abutment pressure was continuously monitored during the mining process. The monitoring results indicate that the abutment pressure curve can be divided into strong interference area and weak interference area. Further, the evolution characteristics of abutment pressure during the retreat mining process were simulated using a 3D discrete-element program. Periodic caving characteristics of rock strata were obtained, and the major causes of stress concentration and the bearing stress inflection point were analyzed. With the periodic caving of the overlying strata, the stress inflection point appears, and fracture cracks are generated and hinder stress recovery. Finally, the detailed dynamic evolution process of the abutment pressure as well as the deformation and caving characteristics of the overlying strata of the No.12526E Panel were analyzed. The coal and rock near the mined-out area undergo a sharp stress concentration and reduction, which would lead to damage to the rock mass near the mined-out area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coal mine in deep mining can easily form a compound dynamic disaster with the characteristics of rock burst and gas outburst. In this paper, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and the entropy weight method (EWM) are combined, and the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (FCE) secondary evaluation model of compound dynamic disaster is proposed to evaluate the risk of compound dynamic disaster, which avoids the problems of the imperfect evaluation index system and strong subjectivity of index weight. Based on the statistical analysis of typical compound dynamic disaster cases in China, three first-level indicators were established, and sixteen second-level indicators were developed. The verification results show that the accuracy and weight are better than the traditional evaluation methods. Combined with geological and mining data, the compound dynamic disaster risk assessment was carried out on the second mining area of mine B, in the Pingdingshan mining area, and the result was grade II (weak risk). Corresponding prevention measures and parameters were implemented, and no compound dynamic disaster occurred during the working face excavation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Coal Geology & Exploration is the property of Xian Research Institute of China Coal Research Institute and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Coal and gas outburst is a type of coal mine dynamic disaster with complex causes and serious consequences. In China, the number and scale of outburst disasters are among the highest in the world. It is an inevitable stage for outburst that the mechanical instability of the combination of intact coal and tectonic coal (CICTC) in strata. The dip angle of the interface has an important influence on the instability of CICTC-containing gas. To further understand the instability process of CICTC, the uncoordinated deformation of CICTC was defined. According to this, three strain conditions were delimited. The variations of stress under three strain conditions were analyzed, the expressions of additional interfacial stress were established. Then, based on the Mohr–Coulomb criterion, the strength characteristics and failure forms were analyzed. It was found that the dip angle deflects the principal stress in the interface, and the influences of additional stresses on the value of principal stress are opposite. These two reasons make the principal stress state and instability process of the combination complicated. Finally, combined with actual parameters, the instability processes of CICTC under different stress paths and buried depths were studied. It can be found that the failures of CICTC under different stress paths were concentrated appearing in the tectonic coal body, intact coal interface, and tectonic coal interface. With the increase of buried depth, the initial maximum principal stress increases and the reduction from additional stresses to the strength of intact coal interface enhances, which makes the combination damage easily and the failure form change. The research results in this paper can provide a theoretical basis to prevent and control the outburst of the combination containing gas considering the dip angle of the interface. Highlights: The uncoordinated deformation of combination considering the dip angle was first defined. The expressions of additional interfacial stress of combination considering the dip angle were established The influences of different stress paths and buried depths for the instability of combination were discussed quantificationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physical simulation system is an important means to study the mechanism of coal and gas outburst. The small- and medium-sized coal and gas outbursts account for the largest proportion in China. So, the paper focuses on small- and medium-sized coal and gas outbursts based on key physical rules and their statistical characteristics. According to the geometric parameters statistical data of more than 100 caverns, the proportion of outburst caverns whose depth is less than 5 m is 80%, and whose depth is more than 6 m is 13%. The ratio of depth and cavern outlet's diameter is 2.58–7.31. There are statistical relationship of 2 times between coal's and cavern's volume, and between gas emission volume per ton and gas content in seam. Then, the cavern of coal and gas outburst is simplified as an ellipsoid, and the shape of cavern outlet is simplified as a circle. The cavern's and the prototype's geometrical parameters of small and medium coal and gas outbursts were deduced. The depth of cavern is 5 m, width is 4 m, and diameter of cavern outlet is 0.68–1.94 m. The depth of coal and outburst prototype is 12.3 m, width is 6.5 m, and diameter of cavern outlet is 0.68 m. In order to guarantee the movement similarity, according to the relationships among statistical data of outburst coal particle's size, cavern outlet's size, and height of tunnel, the minimum cavern outlet's size was calculated. Select 10 times the coal particle's size (5 mm) as the smallest size. Then, maximum geometric similarity ratio of coal and gas outburst was deduced, and it is 13.6. The minimum geometrical parameters of coal and outburst similar model were obtained. Its depth is 0.9 m, width is 0.48 m, and diameter of cavern outlet is 50 mm. According to the results, the physical simulation system was developed. The results provide support to carry out physical simulation experiment of coal and gas outburst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The strong disturbance of upward mining of the short-distance multiseam results in frequent fractures in the coal seam to be mined, jeopardizing the operation safety due to the instability of the surrounding rock of the overlying stope and risks of coal and gas outburst. A lucrative alternative is the downward mining of multiseam, which wide implementation is limited by the lack of reliable data on stress evolution characteristics. In this paper, the evolution, nonlinear interaction, and superposition characteristics of mining-induced stress after multiple pressure relief in the short-distance multi-seam were investigated by the numerical simulation and physical simulation, taking the endowment and mining technology characteristics of group B short-distance multiseam in Pan'er Coal Mine in Anhui Province of China as an example. The numerical and physical models of multiple (2—5 times) mining activities in pressure relief multiseam (with five main coal layers) under downward mining are constructed and implemented with the FLAC3D software and 1 : 100 scaling, respectively. The results showed that a pressure relief arch, which bears and transfers stresses, is formed on the coal seam's roof and floor. In downward mining, the local arch expands to the long arch, which bearing capacity within the influence range of multiple mining disturbances is weak, and the arch structure is prone to instability. If a coal pillar is left in the upper coal seam after its mining, the lower coal seam mining will switch from the large-scale low-stress area under the goaf to the small-scale high-stress area of nonlinear interaction of the multiple mining stresses with the stress under the coal pillar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep mining is the most important way to obtain the resource in China now. Thus, rock is the main objective that the deep mining will encounter. Meanwhile, the frequent catastrophes in deep mining such as rock burst, coal and gas bursts, roof caving, water bursts, is the most serious problem. To have a better understanding of the mechanisms of fracture and the laws of damage evolution of rock and coal under deep environment, in this paper, the micro- and meso-scale method is employed to study the behavior of coal under different temperature, confining pressure and gas pressure. Then, the significance of the effect of temperature, confining pressure, and gas pressure on mechanical parameters is analyzed by using the ANOVA method. The fractal study of coal failure pattern by employing the SEM test and fractal dimension was carried out. The fractal dimension of coal fractures was calculated by using the box-covering method. Then, the effects of all factors on the fractal dimension of coal fractures were analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As coal mining gradually extends deeper, coal seams in China generally show high stress, high gas pressure and low permeability, bringing more difficulty to coal mining. Therefore, in order to strengthen gas extraction, it is necessary to carry out reservoir reconstruction after deep coal seams reached. In this paper, the distribution and evolution laws of fracture zone overlaying strata of J15 seam in Pingdingshan No. 10 coal mine after excavation were studied by combining similar simulation and numerical simulation, meanwhile, the gas transport law within fracture zone was numerically simulated. The results show that the fracture zone reaches a maximum of 350 mm in the vertical direction and is 75 mm away from W9,10 coal seams in vertical distance. Since W9,10 coal seams are in an area greatly affected by the bending zone of J15 coal seam under the influence of mining, the mining of J15 coal seam will exert a strong permeability enhancement effect on W9,10 coal seams. The J15 coal seam can act as a long-distance protective layer of W9,10 coal seams to eliminate the outburst danger of the long-distance coal seams in bending zone with coal and gas outburst danger, thereby achieving safe, productive and efficient integrated mining of coal and gas resources. The gas flux of mining-induced fractures in the trapezoidal stage of mining-induced fracture field is far greater than that in the overlaying stratum matrix. The horizontal separation fractures and vertical broken fractures within the mining-induced fracture field act as passages for gas-flow. Compared with gas transport in the overlaying stratum matrix, the horizontal separation fractures and vertical broken fractures within the mining-induced fracture field play a role in guiding gas-flow. The research results can provide theoretical support for the arrangement of high-level gas extraction boreholes in roof fracture zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The serious situation of China coal mine safety has caused great concern in China. Gas accidents have been the subject of statistical analysis studies in some of the literature, and little research has focused on societal risk and tolerability criteria. This paper reports the results of a preliminary study of societal risk and tolerability criteria of gas accidents in China. This analysis is based on a study of 10 years of gas accidents statistical data from 2004 to 2013. After applying hierarchical cluster analysis, eight sets of data are available. Subsequently, regression analysis is used to establish F-N curves for gas accidents; these F-N curves are then revised to reflect the practical situation in China. Moreover, gas accidents' risk tolerability criteria are decided according to the ALARP principle. This study reveals that tolerability criteria in developed countries are stricter than those in China. The findings of the paper give an in-depth look at the severity of gas accidents and may contribute to the improvement of the safety conditions of China's coal industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coalbed methane (CBM), which is extremely rich in deep coal reserves in China, is not only the material cause of gas explosion and coal‐gas outburst disasters but also a clean and environmentally friendly energy source. Gas drainage must be carried out during deep coal mining to avoid gas accidents while obtaining clean energy. The low‐level roadway is an effective gas drainage measure for coal seams with high coal‐gas outburst risk and low‐permeability, and it can simultaneously realize the functions of gas drainage before and during mining. Roadway tunneling has a strong influence on the stress and permeability properties of the adjusted coal seams, and further determines the gas drainage efficiency and the layout of the air‐return roadway. Taking the Pingshu Coal Mine as an example, this paper analyzes the influence of the vertical distance between the low‐level roadway and the underlying coal seam, and the influence of the width and height of the low‐level roadway on the stress relief and deformation characteristics. The results indicate that the low‐level roadway tunneling results in a nonuniform stress disturbance of coal seam #15. And a reasonable layout and size parameters of the air‐return roadway in coal seam #15 were proposed based on which gas drainage practices were carried out with good effects in panel #15211. The research can effectively guide the elimination of coal and gas outburst in return air roadway, and achieve the purpose of safe and rapid tunneling coal roadway under the environment of highly‐gassy coal seam. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the problem of gas outburst prediction in the working face of coal mine. Firstly, based on a comprehensive analysis of influence factors of gas outburst, an improved entropy weight algorithm is introduced into a grey correlation analysis algorithm; thus, the reasonable weights and correlation order of the influencing factors are obtained to improve the objectivity of the evaluation. The main controlling factors obtained are used as the input of the prediction model. Secondly, by utilizing the improved particle swarm optimization (IPSO), the penalty factor and kernel parameter of least square support vector machine (LSSVM) are optimized to enhance the global search ability and avoid the occurrence of the local optimal solutions, and a new prediction model of gas outburst based on IPSO-LSSVM is established. At last, the prediction model is applied in the tunneling heading face 14141 of Jiuli Hill mine in Jiaozuo City, China. The case study demonstrates that the prediction accuracy of the proposed model is 92%, which is improved compared with that of the SVM model and GA-LSSVM model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The revelation of the distribution characteristics of stress and fractures in the floor strata is of great significance to improve the regional gas drainage efficiency and to eliminate or reduce the risk of coal and gas outburst in adjacent coal seams during multi‐seam mining. In this paper, the stress distribution in the floor under mining condition was derived, and the characteristics of stress zones in the floor were elaborated while mining the 22201 working face in Shaqu coal mine in Shanxi province, China. Besides, the propagation laws of fractures in different stress zones were theoretically analyzed, and the distribution law of fracture angles in the floor strata under different mining‐induced stresses was obtained. The research results demonstrate that the compression and transition zones show high vertical stress and less developed fractures and are dominated by fractures with a large angle (>60°), which is unfavorable for gas drainage. The expansion zone in the floor within 2‐40 m in the rear of the working face is characterized by high unloading degree of vertical stress and developed fractures. Moreover, fractures with a small angle (<60°) dominate the spatial distribution of the fractures, which is favorable for gas drainage. The research results can not only be a beneficial supplement to the theory of coal and gas co‐exploitation in multi‐seam mining but also provide theoretical support for optimizing the design parameters of cross‐measure boreholes under similar conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Dengfeng coalfield belongs to the typical "three soft" coal seam and has a high gas content ranging from 10 to 13 m3/t, and the coal seam gas content reaches a maximum 13.69 m3/t. Because of its coal seam occurrence, no protective layer can be mined. The conventional regional pre-pumping measures have several problems. For example, the construction of a pre-pumping borehole is difficult, and it easily causes a coal and gas outburst. The low permeability and rheological characteristics of the coal seam lead to the collapse of the borehole and seriously affects the drainage effect. The influence radius of the drainage borehole is small, which results in a larger quantity of new drilling boreholes and significantly increases the operational cost. Compared to the conventional regional pre-pumping measures, floor roadway hydraulic flushing rapid outburst technology can effectively overcomes these issues. Hydraulic flushing uses water to flush the borehole, and the newly formed fractures and the release of free gas greatly reduce the elastic potential and gas expansion energy of coal and rock, which thus significantly improve the permeability of the coal and improve the coal seam degasification efficiency for outburst risk control. In this paper, a hydraulic punching method is utilized for coal seam stimulation in the Machi mine. Reasonable technical parameters of hydraulic punching were obtained: the water pressure of punching and breaking coal is 8–15 MPa, and the equivalent diameter of the hydraulic punching nozzle should be < 7.47 mm. After the implementation of the hydraulic punching measures, the gas extraction capacity of the coal around the borehole is greatly improved. For 90 days gas extraction after stimulation, the gas content of the 11,061 lane decreased from 8.42–12.12 m3/t to 3.09–5.75 m3/t, relieving pressure and increasing permeability of "three soft" coal and simultaneously eliminating the outburst danger of the coal seam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal is China's dominant energy at present,but gas outburst occurs frequently in gassy coal mines, and it causes significant losses to people's lives and properties. Hydraulic fracturing is a valuable technology for gas permeability improvement in gassy coal mines. In this paper, the field experiment of hydraulic fracturing was conducted in a coal mine located in Yibin City, Sichuan Province. The transient electromagnetic instrument was applied before and after hydraulic fracturing respectively, combined with numerical simulation analysis of FLAC3D, aimed to estimate the influence scope of hydraulic fracturing. The numerical simulation results denote that the plastic zone principally distributes along the interface of the coal seam and roof due to the existence of stratification. Transient electromagnetic method analysis demonstrates that the coal-rock mass firstly cracks at 35 m and 41 m of borehole depth, the dominant fissure distribution range is in the interval of 33–50 m. And the influence area covers the range of 28–64 m, which means the influence scope is up to 36 m. It also reveals that it is feasible to determine the influence scope of hydraulic fracturing through transient electromagnetic method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal and gas outburst is a potentially fatal risk during the mining of gassy coal seams, which seriously threatens the safe mining of collieries. To understand the outburst mechanism and evolution rules, a new apparatus (LSTT) was developed to conduct simulated experiment. In the context of an outburst accident in Dingji coal mine, the authors launched an authentic outburst experiment to replay the outburst accident. Experimental apparatus, similar criterion, coal‐like materials and gas sources, and experimental design were discussed systematically in this paper. Experimentally, the study analyzed the geo‐stress has significant influence on the outburst evolution. At the driving face, the stress concentration possibly caused gas outburst, under the influence of mining‐induced stress. After the outburst occurred, the stress balance of the coal changed, resulting in the instability of the coal. Furthermore, the elastic energy, gas enthalpy, and gravitational potential energy were released rapidly. The experimental result stated that outburst coal has the sorting characteristics, in line with the field outburst law. The intensity prediction model has been built based on the energy model. Moreover, the factors that impact outburst intensity were analyzed. In the process of coal and gas outburst, the gas enthalpy of gas and the elastic potential of coal are the main energy sources. This study provides guidance for the development of the outburst mechanism and outburst mine management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the characteristics of high frequency and strong suddenness of dynamic disasters in deep coal mines, the traditional detection and evaluation techniques applied to shallow coal mine failed to accurately judge the risk degree of disasters. Therefore, it is of great significance to use advanced detection technologies and appropriate evaluation methods to improve the accuracy and efficiency of risk assessment in the process of coal mining. The present paper applies the rapid detection and multi-source dynamic detection technologies used in the field of mining with the purpose of improving the reliability of detection technologies for typical dynamic disaster. In this study, the data fusion technology was used to analyze data obtained from laboratory experiments, engineering survey, detection and historical data, so as to form the final dynamic and static indicators. Then, the new combined evaluation models with time series of coal and gas outburst as well as rock burst were established respectively to carry out the comprehensive risk evaluation using the least-squares method and the time-varying weight method. After the comprehensive analysis on the results of the above two evaluation models, the risk areas of the typical dynamic disasters were judged and classified. Finally, the evaluation models were coded to build an early-warning software platform that could achieve automatic evaluation and the actual 3D visualization of coal mining areas. The early-warning software platform was applied to risk assessment of dynamic disasters in Gengcun Coal Mine in Yima City, Henan Province, China. The results of the 6-month experiment showed that the risk assessment accuracy and reliability of the proposed evaluation models was 100% and 90% respectively, which indicates that the newly developed approach is reliable and can be recommended for applying in more coal mines to improve the process safety risk control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal and gas outburst is a kind of complex dynamic disaster with short duration and strong explosiveness, and the modes and strength of the outburst are determined by the in situ stress, gas pressure, and physical and mechanical properties of the coal mass. In this paper, the status quo of research on the mechanism of coal and gas outburst in China is described from three aspects: the controlling effect of single factor, the controlling effect of multi-factor, and new understandings of the outburst mechanism in recent years. Firstly, controlling factors of coal and gas outburst are classified for an in-depth analysis of the main factors of the same type of disasters, and the research progress and new understandings of the mechanism of coal and gas outburst are systematically sorted out. Secondly, the influencing factors of the strength coal mass are analyzed, and the related issues of coal mass strength on coal and gas outburst disaster mechanism are discussed. The results show that the stages of incubation, occurrence, development, and stop on coal and gas outburst are affected by the coupling effects of in situ stress field, gas pressure field, and seepage field, and the coal strength becomes an important factor affecting outburst strength under the same in situ stress and gas pressure. Therefore, the scientific and reasonable improvement methods of such similar simulation experiment devices are proposed according to the existing experimental methods and devices, which is of great significance to provide ideas for the continuous transferring to deep mining and preventing coal and gas outburst in China in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 1 Stress distribution was recalculated by stress-softening and prominent dilatancy. • 2 Gas-bearing coal under impact loading was a compaction followed by ruin process. • 3 Measures principles were mainly aimed at fracture and stress-concentration areas. • 4 Preliminary goal-reaching parameter based on principles was proposed and applied. As the increasing demand for coal and the depletion of shallow coal resources, the tendency of coal mining in China is progressively shifting to deeper areas, which brings about a circumstance where the frequency and intensity of coal and gas outburst accidents have further deteriorated. Nowadays, there are many outburst prevention measures being applied on site, while this disaster still occurs from time to time. Therefore, to better improve the preventing outcome of them, this paper came forward with some principles, based on the mechanical theory of deep mining and damage evolution procedure concerning coal containing gas underneath the impact load. The primary conclusions were as follows: the stresses, strains, and associated widths in the three areas, namely fracture area, plastic area, and elastic area, in front of the working face were recalculated by considering stress-softening and dilatancy of coal mass. The damage evolution of gas-bearing coal mass under impact loading was displayed in the LS-DYNA numerical simulation as a process of compaction followed by destruction. The proposed principles could be split into two perspectives, one for the fracture area, specifically, to minimize the descending of the coal mass's strength in this area; another for the stress-concentration zone, namely, to abate the thrust due to extrusion and deformation, on the coal body which was located in the front area. According to those principles, a preliminary goal-reaching parameter was proposed and it was implemented for the evaluation of advanced drilling. The results will cooperate to rationalize the design and layout of local outburst prevention measures, thereby enhancing the efficiency of control and ameliorating the deteriorating scenario of outburst disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's coal mines have to extend to greater depths for the exploitation of more mineral resources, and they have suffered catastrophic mining-induced disasters, such as rockbursts, water inrushes, coal and gas outbursts, and roof fall accidents. The microseismic monitoring technique is a practical tool for mine safety management, which is extensively utilized in many Chinese coal mines. Microcracks of coal/rock masses are recorded as microseismicities in the field, and the potential mining-induced instabilities can be assessed by in-depth analysis of the microseismic parameters. This study provides a state-of-the-art review of the achievements and developments of the microseismic monitoring technique in coal mines. It also presents some prospects for improving the location accuracy of microseismicity, efficient and intelligent processing of the microseismic data, comprehensive assessment of coal/rock instabilities, and development of new microseismic monitoring equipment. This study is valuable for mine safety management and may contribute to improving the deep mining production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low permeability of coal seams is the primary difficulty for gas production. Hydraulic cutting is one of the most effective technologies for increasing permeability and stimulating gas production. This paper investigates the hydraulic cutting styles in boreholes and the optimal equivalent borehole diameter after discharging the pulverized coal particles. This paper introduces the hydraulic cutting equipment and cutting styles and determines that the cutting cylinder is the most suitable style for a soft coal seam that is prone to gas outburst. The numerical simulation suggests that the radius of the stress-relaxed range increases quickly when the equivalent borehole radius is small, and the rate slows when the borehole radius becomes large. Then the result was verified by a field experiment in Pingmei coalfield. The gas drainage flowrate and stress-relaxed range greatly increased after initially outputting 2 tons of coal from the borehole, whereas the second outputting 2 tons of coal did not appreciably increase the stress-relaxed range and the flowrate. Too much or too little coal discharge is not optimal, and the borehole radius is recommend to be between 0.3 m and 0.4 m after the hydraulic cutting considering the pros and cons in Pingmei coalfield. The results are helpful for the engineering application of the hydraulic cutting technology, for increasing coal seam permeability, and for stimulating gas production. The method for finding the optimal coal discharge in this paper is also helpful for other coal mines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Coal Science & Technology (0253-2336) is the property of Coal Science & Technology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Coal mine methane (CMM) drainage is an effective method to curb the occurrence of coal and gas outburst and gas explosion, to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emission, and to make full use of the clean energy(methane). Sealing in-seam horizontal boreholes plays a vital role in CMM drainage. Reasonable sealing length is an important factor to achieve high extraction efficiency and reduce the cost of construction. To determine the minimum reasonable sealing length of drainage boreholes, the radius of the fracture zone was obtained based on the ideal elastoplastic model, and this radius was taken as the minimum sealing length. The influencing factors of the minimum sealing length were analyzed and engineering verification test was taken in Zhongmacun mine in Henan province, China. The research results show that the minimum reasonable sealing length should be longer for a larger radius of the coal roadway and the coal seam with a deeper buried depth, while the minimum reasonable sealing length can be shortened with the increase of uniaxial compressive strength and the supporting stress of the coal roadway. The 11.07 m of sealing length calculated by theories was basically consistent with the 12 m of sealing length verified by the method of drilling cuttings. The reasonableness of sealing length (12 m) was verified by the test results of methane concentration and flux within 40 days. All those outcomes can provide references for other mines to determine the minimum reasonable sealing length of in-seam boreholes for CMM drainage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-rank coal accounts for over half of China's proven coal reserves. The possibility of coal and gas outbursts in low-rank coal is higher, especially in the m·agmatic thermal evolution area. The complexity of coal's molecular structure is one of the reasons for problems during the process of mining operations. Different analysis techniques, including XRD, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy, were used to obtain the molecular characteristics of magmatic thermal evolution coal samples and normal coal samples, so that a comparative study could be carried out to investigate the influence of the magmatic thermal evolution effect on the molecular structure of low-rank coal. The ranges of the aromatic interlayer spacing (d002), average stacking heights (Lc) and stacking layer number (Nave) of the thermally evolved coal samples are 3.41–3.51 Å, 22.76–27.02 Å, and 6.68–7.70, respectively. The ranges of the full width at half maximum ratio (FD1/FG) and the peak integral intensity ratio (ID1/IG) are 2.16–2.19 and 1.55–1.84, respectively. Compared with the normal coal samples, those affected by magmatic thermal evolution have smaller d002, ID1/IG, and FD1/FG values, but larger Lc values. The results indicate that the thermally evolved coal samples have more ordered structures and more developed microcrystalline structure sizes than normal coal samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the depth of coal mining is gradually increased in China, the intensity of related coal and gas outbursts will become ever-greater. Accurate forecasting of coal and gas outburst is the key to preventing and controlling such incidents. This study uses gray relational analysis (GRA) to identify the four main geological and environmental indicators of coal and gas outburst risk based on the characteristics of the factors influencing coal and gas outburst and their relationships with outburst strength. A Fuzzy SPA (F-SPA) model was constructed using set pair analysis and the coupled weighting method, and coal and gas outburst intensity level was predicted for 25 locations in coal mine No. 8 in the Pingdingshan mining area using the F-SPA model and applying a confidence criterion. The forecast results were compared with those derived using three other methods as well as against actual outbursts that have occurred at those locations. The results of this comparison show that the method proposed in this study has a forecast accuracy of up to 96%. The reliability of the prediction model is verified by error analysis. This case study demonstrates the reliability of the proposed method and provides a new tool for the prevention and control of coal and gas outburst hazards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal will continue to play an important role in China's economic development and social development in the coming decades. However, due to the complex distribution conditions of coal resources, the mining of coal resources is subject to various restrictions. Coal and gas outburst is an important issue in coal mining, and the threat to the mining of coal resources caused by high gas outburst activity has been receiving more attention. In order to solve the problems related to safe and efficient mining under coal seams with gas outburst, such as mining difficulties, large amounts of work, resource waste, no guaranteed gas treatment time, and low economic efficiency, it is necessary to innovate mining technology and methods for managing gas outburst in coal seams to improve the efficiency of coal mines and to solve the above problems. This study proposes a green mining technical method system known as the "L-H method", which is applicable to the safe and efficient mining of coal seams with gas outburst based on combined theoretical analysis and numerical simulation. The following research results are achieved: (1) The "L-H method" is proposed, and a mining area model of coal seams with gas outburst is established. The specific details of the method and the implementation process are introduced. (2) Examples of H coal mine applications are presented, and the effects of the implementation of the "L-H method" are analyzed and summarized through mine pressure observations from roadways, and it is concluded that the implementation of top-cutting and pressure-relief technology has a good control effect on the roadway-surrounding rock and that gas extraction reaches the national standard of less than 8 m3/t for protrusion prevention; this ensures safety and also achieves efficient mining. This study will provide a good reference for the implementation of green mining methods to similar coal and gas outburst mines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to realize dynamic, continuous, and real-time prediction of coal and gas outburst risk in real time in blasting driving face, an outburst risk prediction method based on the characteristics of gas emission after blasting is proposed. In this study, the causes of abnormal gas concentration in blasting driving face are analyzed, and the identification method of abnormal gas concentration based on weighted K-nearest neighbor (weighted KNN) is proposed. The correlation between gas emission characteristics after blasting and K1 value is analyzed, and the prediction model of outburst risk based on convolutional neural networks (CNN) is established and applied in Jinjia coal mine in China. The results show that the causes of abnormal gas concentration mainly include ventilation stop, blasting operation, sensor adjustment, and other abnormalities. The accuracy of the identification method is 86.1%. Especially, the identification accuracy of blasting operation is 92%. There are strong correlations between the growth rate, peak value, and decay rate of gas concentration after blasting and K1 value, and the maximum correlation coefficient is 0.92. Using the prediction model, 28 times of jet holes and 1 small outburst event are predicted successfully, and the efficiency of the prediction model is 76.39%. By this technology, the utilization rate of gas information is improved, and the relationship between the change characteristics of gas concentration after blasting and the risk of coal seam outburst is established, which is of significant for improving the prediction accuracy and risk management ability of coal and gas outburst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To understand the stability of coal and rock in areas of normal faults disturbed by the dynamic loads of blasting, the damage characteristics of coal and rock within a normal fault are investigated using similarity simulation tests. The mechanism for coal and gas outbursts within a normal fault is analyzed theoretically, and the results indicate that the maximum tensile stress in the vertical direction of the blasting hole in the normal-fault model is 1.17 times that in the no-fault model. The propagation of cracks near the blasting hole produces crushing circles, and more cracks are produced in the normal-fault model, causing severe damage to the coal seam and floor rock adjacent to the upper wall of the normal fault. Meanwhile, coal on the surface of the coal seam falls off. The cracks extend to the roof rock through the footwall of the normal fault. Cracks in the adjacent strata and coal seam interpenetrate those around the blasting hole, which is a potentially dangerous area for coal and gas outbursts. The cumulative damage caused by blasting vibrations increases the extent and scope of the damage to coal and rock, and broken coal and rock provide weak surfaces and gas flow channels that can lead to dynamic gas disasters. The research results will provide a theoretical basis for gas dynamic disasters induced by blasting disturbance in normal fault structures. Based on cases of coal and gas outbursts in the Didaoshenghe Coal Mine in Heilongjiang Province, China, an important reason for such incidents is considered to be the blasting areas of normal faults being disturbed by air-powered coal drilling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Dynamic collapses of deeply mined coal rocks are severe threats to miners. In order to predict the collapses more accurately using electromagnetic radiation (EMR), this paper researched the energy conversion mechanism in the damage process of coal rock mass, analysed its EMR and dissipated energy, and a relationship between which was established using the voltage amplitude of EMR signal and hysteresis loop generated in the loading and unloading cycles as a bridge; then a series of cyclic loading experiments using coal samples of Junde and Xinlu coal mines from Heilongjiang province were carried out, and EMR signal released during these cycles were collected. Results show that during a whole damage process of a sample, the cumulative values of EMR energy and corresponding dissipated energy (hysteresis loop area) well subject to the form of , whose correlation coefficients are above 0.90, and EMR signals received by different frequency antenna seldom impacted on this relationship; the total EMR energy released from the whole failure process of the samples obtained from adjacent sampling point in same mining area are different to some extent, so are the dissipated energy; compared with cyclic loading for coal rock mass orderly with the peak loads of 5kN and 10kN previously, the dissipated energy of direct using that of 15kN increase 17.8%, and EMR signal is more abundant; EMR energy received in each cycle increase steadily with the improvement of load level, and in a single loading and unloading cycle, sometimes it is very rich in the unloading phase, even more than the loading one. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Most of the coal seams currently mined in the Southwest part of China have high gas content, are soft and prone to outbursts, which significantly influences the rate of gate road development and mining safety. It is believed that an outburst is mainly due to the internal energy stored in the coal seam, so it is necessary to release the energy to prevent the occurrences of coal and gas outbursts, which in turn improves the rate of gate road development. This paper presented herein discusses the usage of the waterjet slotting technique to prevent the occurrence of outbursts during gate road development, on the basis of the laboratory tests, numerical modeling and field work. The numerical modeling indicated that the internal effective stress levels can be reduced up to 70% and 45% for the vertical and horizontal stresses, respectively, when waterjet slotting is applied, and the field monitoring results showed that the gas concentration released from the face of excavation can be increased up to five times compared with the traditional borehole drainage method. As a result, the values S mix and K 1, which are determined by drill cuttings to describe the possibility of outburst occurrences, have been kept below the critical limits 70% of the excavation time and the rate of gate road development increases from 30m to 70m per month. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper proposes the use of a coupled fault tree analysis (FTA) and artificial neural network (ANN) model to improve the prediction of the potential risk of coal and gas outburst events during the underground mining of thick and deep Chinese coal seams. The model developed has been used to investigate the gas emission characteristics and the geological conditions that exist within the Huaibei coal mining region, Anhui province, China. The coal seams in this region exhibit a high incidence of coal and gas outbursts. An analysis of the results obtained from an initial application of an FTA model, identified eight dominant model parameters related to the gas content or geological conditions of the coal seams, which characterize the potential risk of in situ coal and gas outbursts. The eight dominant model parameters identified by the FTA method were subsequently used as input variables to an ANN model. The results produced by the ANN model were used to develop a qualitative risk index to characterize the potential risk level of occurrence of coal and gas outburst events. Four different potential risk alarm levels were defined: SAFE, POTENTIAL, HIGH and STRONG. Solutions to the prediction model were obtained using a combination of quantitative and qualitative data including the gas content or gas pressure and the geological and geotechnical conditions of coal seams. The application of this combined solution method identified more explicit and accurate model relationships between the in situ geological conditions and the potential risk of coal and gas outbursts. An analysis of the model solutions concluded that the coupled FTA and ANN model may offer a reliable alternative method to forecast the potential risk of coal and gas outbursts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thin coal seams in mines usually lack gas data. Thus, preventing and controlling gas outbursts of thin coal seams are difficult. In this study, a coal structure index, which is used to express the damage degree of coal, was estimated by logging curve. In accordance with the contour line of the floor of the coal seam, structural curvature was calculated to express the complexity of the coal seam structure quantitatively. Subsequently, relationships among the burial depth, thickness, coal structure index, structural curvature were analyzed on the basis of the gas pressure of coal seam. The gas pressure values of the coal seams of Nos. 22, 24, and 27 in the study area were predicted by multiple linear regression (MLR) and were then verified and analyzed. The deviation rate of the MLR method was 6.5%–19.7%, with an average of 13.0%. The average deviation rate between the predicted value and the measured value was 11.6%, except for the measuring point of No. 2, which had a large deviation. Results show that the prediction accuracy of the aforementioned method is acceptable and has practical value in the prediction of gas pressure in thin coal seams without measured data. The results in the gas pressure prediction provide a basis for evaluating the risk of gas outbursts in thin coal seams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal and gas outbursts can lead to serious disasters in coal mines. The drilling of boreholes to predrain the gas is an effective measure for preventing such accidents. However, due to the complexity of the geological situation, the drilling trajectory often deviates from the design trajectory, resulting in poor gas extraction. To solve the problem of gas drainage borehole deflection, an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) model is established based on geological factors, technical factors, and human factors. The AHP model is used to rank the weights of various influencing factors, and the analysis is combined with a drilling model and engineering examples. Finally, the results show that soft and hard interlayers are the most important factors affecting the deflection of the borehole. The rock drilling model is mainly affected by the formation forces. The regularity of the change in the azimuth angle during drilling is not obvious when the angle of the encountered layer is less than some critical value. When the borehole is skewed downward, the deflection angle ranges from 0 to 4°, and the deflection of the borehole occurs mainly at the interface of the rock layers. When the angle of the encountered layer is greater than the critical value, the borehole is skewed upward, with a deflection angle of 0–6°, and the deflection occurs at the rock interface. The trajectory curve obtained by theoretical predictions from field data is found to be consistent with that of an actual project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydraulic cavity has been demonstrated to be an efficient gas extraction technology in the single, soft, and low-permeability coal seam in China. However, the permeability evolution around hydraulic cavity has not been fully understood due to the lack of the permeability model in the post-peak stage, which leads to a great challenge for the gas extraction simulation and thus the borehole design. Therefore, we developed a fully coupled dual-porosity gas extraction model that considers the effects of coal damage on the permeability evolution. Based on this model, we analyzed the permeability evolution and the gas migration characteristics around the hydraulic cavity and designed a hydraulic cavity scheme for the Shijiazhuang coalmine. The field application results prove that our simulation results are correct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coalbed methane, as a gas in coal seam, is a kind of potential clean energy with high reserves. At present, there are two main types of coalbed methane extraction in China, one is extracting coalbed methane by ground drilling, the other is coal and gas (coalbed methane) simultaneous extraction in coal mine underground. In the process of coal and gas simultaneous extraction, the migration of gas may not only cause coal and gas outburst, gas gushing and other disasters, but also cause the greenhouse effect. Therefore, in order to achieve the goal of safe simultaneous extraction of coal and gas and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, it is particularly important to understand the flow properties of gas and the damage characteristics of raw coal in the process of coal seam mining. In this paper, the mechanical properties and seepage characteristics of raw coal samples under loading and unloading conditions are studied experimentally by using the laboratory-fabricated 'thermal-hydro-mechanical coupled with triaxial servo controlled seepage apparatus for gas-containing coal'. At the same time, X-ray tomography is carried out on the raw coal samples before and after the experiment. The deformation, damage and seepage characteristics of raw coal samples in the experimental process are recorded and analyzed. On the basis of the above, based on the information entropy theory, the change rate of information entropy is proposed as a damage characterization parameter, and its feasibility is verified by the comparison and analysis with the change rate of porosity. Finally, according to the basic definition of porosity, combined with statistical damage model, considering the gas adsorption expansion and Klinkenberg effect, the evolution model of permeability under loading and unloading conditions is developed. The model can better reflect the permeability evolution law of raw coal under loading and unloading conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• CH 4 drainage efficiency of LCO 2 -ECBM by in-situ experiment was elucidated. • In-situ experimental parameters and displacement radius were identified. • Mechanisms of LCO 2 -ECBM recovery were analysed. • Variation in microstructure of coals after liquid CO 2 saturation was revealed. • CO 2 –CH 4 displacement effect at different pressures and flows were obtained. More than 60% of China's coal seams have the feature of low permeability, which severely restricts the gas drainage efficiency when using traditional drilling method. The development of enhanced coalbed methane (ECBM) technologies is essential to prevent coal and gas outburst (CGO) disasters caused by high levels of coal bed methane (CBM). This paper proposes an ECBM technology by liquid carbon dioxide (LCO 2 -ECBM), based on permeability improvement by thermal damage and CO 2 -CH 4 displacement effect. In-situ experiment conducted in the No. 6 coal seam of Zhangji mine shows the effectiveness of LCO 2 -ECBM technology, which had drainage efficiency 1.9 times higher than that of the traditional drilling method. The mechanisms of LCO 2 -ECBM recovery were theoretically deduced and experimentally verified. The evolution of adsorbed pores (ADP) and seepage pores (SEP) in coal samples before and after LCO 2 saturation were revealed. The ADP specific area, SEP volume, and permeability in the saturated coal samples were both greater than those of the raw ones. Moreover, the periodic features of binary-gas competitive adsorption in ADP and SEP were revealed by the variation of the CH 4 concentration in the displacement test. The feasibility of LCO 2 -ECBM technology was proved by in-situ experiment and laboratory tests, and it provided a new means for preventing CGO hazards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydraulic fracturing can increase coal seam fractures and reduce gas outburst risks, but the main challenge of its implementation in coal mines is to achieve uniform fracturing and gas reduction. In this paper, we studied the mechanism of water-driven gas release through two aspects: the H 2 O molecule is more easily adsorbed by coal than CH 4 , and water can decrease the gas adsorption capacity of coal. Comparative experiments of conventional hydraulic fracturing and blasting-fracturing technologies were carried out in #8 coal mine in Pingdingshan, China. We found that fractures and water contents around the blasting-based fracturing hole were more uniform than the conventional fracturing hole. After hydraulic fracturing, low water content coal usually has high gas content, which confirmed that gas in wet areas was displaced by water and driven to dry areas. To improve the uniformity of hydraulic fracturing, we proposed the uniform fracturing technology by combining blasting-fracturing holes and control holes. Blasting before hydraulic fracturing will increase the uniformity of fracturing and water distribution, and the control holes are used to monitor and release gas driven by water injection. The effective wetting range of conventional hydraulic fracturing was from −6 to 6 m along the strike direction and from −3 to 9 m along the dip direction with 94.71 m3 water injected. While the effective wetting range using uniform fracturing was increased to from −21 to 18 m along the strike direction and from −12 to 18 m along the dip direction with78.13 m3 water injected. Furthermore, number of boreholes to be drilled was largely reduced from 1300 to 132 when using the uniform fracturing technology to replace the dense hole technology in a 300 m long roadway. This research has suggested that uniform fracturing can effectively reduce gas outburst risk in gassy mines in China. • Analyzed water-driven gas release mechanism for coal and gas outburst control. • Developed uniform hydraulic fracturing by blasting and water-driven gas release. • Demonstrated uniform fracturing in field trails with less borehole required and less outburst risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of the fact that coal and gas outbursts are difficult to predict, a new method for predicting coal and gas outbursts was proposed based on occurrence mechanisms of coal and gas outbursts relating to coal mass strength, gas pressure, and in situ stress. The method revealed that the rate of occurrence of coal and gas outbursts in mines was 5% to 10% and gas pressures for coal and gas outbursts in shallow and deep mines in China were greater than 0.74 and 0.6 MPa, respectively. The prediction index for coal and gas outbursts based on the gas factor was the gas desorption index of drilling cuttings (K1), which is referred to the gas content desorbed from the coal mass in the first minute of drilling. The prediction index for coal and gas outbursts based on coal mass strength was the thickness of a soft layer that could be twisted into powder by hand. Based on many cases of coal and gas outbursts, the critical thickness of the soft layer was found to have been 0.2 m. The prediction index for coal and gas outbursts based on in situ stress was the weight of drilling cuttings, which represented the mass of drilling cuttings per linear metre of boreholes with diameters of 42 or 75 mm. Finally, the new prediction method and prediction index critical values for coal and gas outbursts were verified based on industrial application tests. This method has been widely applied on-site and obtained good prediction results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A systematic analysis on gas occurrence in geological structure zone is crucial to coalbed gas exploitation, gas disaster prevention and outburst risk prediction. To study the geological control of fold structure on gas occurrence and its contribution on coalbed gas outburst, a typical case taken from Qinan coal mine was investigated by laboratory tests, theoretical analysis and on-site exploration. Thereby, a comprehensive understanding was made from the influence of fold structure on tectonic stress, coal structure and gas occurrence based on integrated factors outburst hypothesis. The results indicate that burial depth from 470 to 675 m has a slight influence on the fundamental properties of 72 coal seam, whereas the existence of Wanglou anticline is more relevant to affect vitrinite reflectance, gas adsorption and emission capacity with a positive correlation. By comparing the field data of gas content, pressure and emission quantity, it can be discovered that gas occurrence in 81 mining area appears to be primarily controlled by fold structure. Similar trends can be found in drilling cuttings index, indicating that geological stress increases with the distance approaching Wanglou anticline. In this case, a detailed description of tectonic stress in studying area is conceptually presented. Based on physical, pore structure and surface analyses, further knowledge on structural transformation by fold structure demonstrates adsorption and seepage pores are well developed with complex and disordered surface morphology, providing an evidence on the geological formation mechanism of tectonic coal in Wanglou anticline zone. Moreover, a conceptual description is proposed to explain the generation, migration and preservation mechanism of gas occurrence in the fold zone, which is consistent with roof and floor lithological properties as well as gas content data. Additionally, the locations of six gas outburst accidents were investigated to verify the relationship with fold structure. Based on the above results, theoretical analysis for coal mine outburst is discussed, which highlights the effect of tectonic stress on gas occurrence and coal structure as well as their contributions to gas outburst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal and gas outburst accident is one of the critical disasters restricting the safety production of coal enterprises in China. To solve the problems of low permeability and difficulty in gas extraction, a hydraulic fracturing test was carried out according to the occurrence characteristics of coal and rock gas in Pingdingshan Coal Mine No. 12; and the change law of the gas concentration and flow rate after hydraulic fracturing were obtained through long-term monitoring. Based on the test results, the effect of hydraulic fracturing on gas permeability enhancement of coal and rock was analyzed. The results have shown that the gas content decreases obviously and yet the water content increases since the hydraulic fracturing test completed, which makes the effect of gas displacement remarkably. It not only provides a reference for implementing hydraulic permeability enhancement and enhanced extraction in deep high outburst mines but also provides safe and efficient production in mining. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal seams in China are mainly characterizsed by low permeability and high risk of coal and gas outburst. Therefore, the elimination of coal and gas outburst risk of low‐permeability coal seam remains a hard challenge. Taking Shihuatian Coal Mine in Guizhou Province, China as an example, boreholes were slotted using high‐pressure water jet to relieve the gas pressure inside the coal seam and increase the permeability of coal mass, which thus improves the gas drainage efficiency and eliminate the outburst risk. The results show that the gas drainage efficiency of the slotted boreholes significantly increases. Compared with the conventional boreholes, the average gas concentration and flow velocity improved by 1.6 and 7.5 times, respectively. Moreover, the prediction index of outburst risk is less than the critical value after high‐pressure water jet slotting, which indicate that the coal and gas outburst risk has been effectively eliminated. The measured values of gas desorption index of drilling cuttings are all lower than the critical value after the application of the high‐pressure water jet slotting technology. The research achievements could provide a practical reference for the effective gas disaster prevention and control in low‐permeability coal seams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to obtain the weakening influence of coal seam water injection on coal and gas outburst, taking the 1100 m outburst coal seam in Sunjiawan Coal Mine in Fuxin of China as the research object, coal and gas outburst energy conversion model was established. The influence of water content on coal and gas outburst test was studied by using a self-developed simulation experimental system. The relationships between water content and critical gas pressure, outburst strength and energy conversion rate were analyzed. The results show that gas pressure is the main power source of coal and gas outburst, and the relationship between water content and critical gas pressure increases exponentially. When the water content increases from 0% to 3% and 6%, the relative strength of outburst decreases by 9.6% and 1.2%, respectively. With the increase in water content, the relative outburst strength and absolute outburst strength will gradually decrease. Gas internal energy is the key factor affecting coal and gas outburst energy which is closely related to the outburst-forming and the outburst-triggering process. As the water content increases, the outburst-forming energy and the outburst-triggering energy increase linearly. However, the energy conversion ratio decreases linearly and the less prone to coal and gas outburst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of coal fields in China have low permeability, which is a key parameter to reflect the possibility of gas migration in coal seams, coal and gas outburst. Permeability is also a important factor for expectation and mine of coal-bed methane. Low permeability coal seams have significant Klinkenberg effect, and that with decreasing permeability of coal the Klinkenberg effect increases. However, most of previous permeability models do not consider Klinkenberg effect. It is known that when mean free path of gas molecules is close to the pore size of porous materials Klinkenberg effect appears, which is the essence of Klinkenberg effect. In this study, we build relationships between mean free path of gas molecules and Klinkenberg factor b. By using the relationships and the formula of effective permeability and absolute permeability, we establish a gas permeability evolution model of coal containing gas with Klinkenberg effect. Then we make a compare between our permeability model and other permeability models, such as Levine model, P-M model, S-D model, and the results show that the model considering Klinkenberg effect best accords with the experimental data under condition of fixed confining stress. We think that model considering Klinkenberg effect has important significance for expectation and mine coal-bed methane when it comes to low permeability coal seams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal and gas outburst is one of the main gas hazards in coal mines, and pulse hydraulic fracturing is a new technique for preventing and controlling gas hazards in coal mines and is presented based on conventional hydraulic fracturing. S2107 is a coal seam with high gas content and coal and gas outburst hazard but with low gas concentrations when extracted. To safely drive air tunnels into S2107, the pulse hydraulic fracturing technique is used on cross-measure boreholes placed from a high-level roadway to the driving roadway to improve the effects of gas drainage and ensure safety during production. The mechanism of coal fracturing via pulsed pressure is analyzed. A variable frequency method is used to strengthen the fatigue damage effect, and the initial pressure is estimated based on previous studies. The layouts of fracturing borehole and guide borehole are designed according to the layer relation, and a new hole sealing method is developed. The results indicate the pressure changes during pulse hydraulic fracturing reflect crack extension, and it is conducive to extending and connecting cracks under pulse pressures. The initial pressure during pulse hydraulic fracturing is negatively related to the water volume and fracturing time but cannot directly influence the fracturing radius. Moreover, this pressure is 30-43 % less than the calculated value. After this application, the gas desorption index, K, at the driving workface decreases to below the critical value. The gas drainage volume of fracturing boreholes and their guide boreholes increases relative to normal boreholes by 3.32-fold and 3.07-fold, respectively. The new technique is promising for preventing and controlling gas hazards in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal and gas outbursts took place about thirty times at one coal mine in China, which not only caused safety problems but also hindered the regular production in different degree. In-situ geo-stresses of two points are successfully measured near coal and gas outburst locations, and the measured maximum principal stress is approximately at the horizontal direction, while the minimum principal stress is at the vertical direction. A three-dimensional model is built with FEM software of ANSYS, the measured geo-stress are taken as boundary pressures to be applied on the FEM model, and the geo-stress fields in the coal seam are calculated. In the end, the qualitative influence of the maximum principal geo-stress on coal and gas outburst is analyzed based on the relationship between geo-stress and number of coal and gas outburst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fully mechanized top-coal caving mining with high mining height, hard roofs and strong mining pressure are popular in the Shendong mining area, China. The occurrence of dynamic disasters, such as rock burst, coal and gas outburst, mine earthquakes and goaf hurricanes during the coal exploitation process under hard roof conditions, pose a threat to the safe production of mines. In this study, the characteristics of overburden fracture in fully mechanized top-coal caving with a hard roof and high mining height are studied, and the technology of advanced weakening by hard roof staged fracturing was proposed. The results show that the hard roof strata collapse in the form of large "cantilever beams", and it is easy to release huge impact kinetic energy, forming impact disasters. After the implementation of advanced hydraulic fracturing, the periodic weighting length decreases by 32.16%, and the length of overhang is reasonably and effectively controlled. Ellipsoidal fracture networks in the mining direction of the vertical working face, horizontal fracture networks perpendicular to the direction of the working face, and near-linear fracture planes dominated by vertical fractures were observed, with the accumulated energy greatly reduced. The effectiveness of innovation technology is validated, and stress transfer, dissipation and dynamic roof disasters were effectively controlled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intrusive igneous rock is usually found in the overlying strata above mining stopes, and its occurrence, lithology, and distribution play important roles in coal mining safety. Of the numerous coal mine disasters in China, a large number have been caused by magma intrusion. Magmatic activity is intense and widely distributed in the Haizi Coal Mine which has suffered eleven coal and gas outburst accidents and one water inrush accident under a thick-hard igneous rock with 120-m-thick. Based on theoretical analysis, laboratory testing and field observations, we found that under the effect of thermal evolution and entrapment of the igneous rock, the coal pore structure developed, the gas adsorption capacity was enhanced, and the risk of gas outburst increased. The igneous rock, as the main key stratum, will not subside or break for a long time after mining. The closing time of fractures and separations is also prolonged and provides good conditions for gas drainage. The distant penetration borehole for draining pressure relief gas is proposed which can ensure effective gas drainage and reduce the number of rock laneways. However, with the continuous mining of a large area, the igneous rock could suddenly break, instantly releasing a tremendous amount of elastic strain energy, which will easily induce the occurrence of complex dynamic disasters, such as rock bursts, water inrush, gas outbursts, and surface subsidence. Based on the cause analysis of dynamic disasters, a reasonable goaf filling height is proposed for fully eliminating mine disasters under the special geological condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]