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Risk prediction of dynamic disasters such as rock burst, gas outburst, and water inrush is closely related to the permeability evolution of coal seam. According to the characteristics of the lower protective layer mining, the basic assumption of gas-solid coupling model of the coal was proposed in this paper. The permeability enhancement coefficient of equivalent layer spacing was first put forward. Based on the three-zone-shaped dynamic evolution of the permeability of the overlying protective layer during the lower protective layer mining, the theories of seepage mechanics and damage mechanics were applied to introduce the permeability enhancement coefficient of equivalent layer spacing. A mathematical model of permeability evolution of the protected coal seam in the lower protective layer mining was established. Based on the engineering background of the lower protective layer mining in Changping Coal Mine, the numerical simulation using the proposed mathematical model was performed. The results showed that the stress and permeability of the protected layer in #3 coal seam evolved dynamically with the advancement of the working face of the protective layer in #8 coal seam. When the working face of the protective layer in #8 coal seam advanced to 80 m, the stress reduction rate in the relief area tended to be stable, and the stress in the stress reduction area was about 50% of the original rock stress. When advanced to 80 m, the permeability of the protected layer of the #3 coal seam increased sharply, and the permeability increased by 873 times. With the continuous advancement, the permeability of the protected layer in #3 coal seam tended to increase steadily, and the permeability increased by 1100–1200 times. The calculated magnitude of permeability increment is consistent with that in the engineering practice, indicating that the permeability evolution model is basically reasonable. The research provides a theoretical guidance for the gas drainage field application in the lower protective layer mining for prevention of coal and gas outburst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we focus on understanding the physical processes that lead to stable or unstable ionization fronts (I-fronts) observed in simulations of moving black holes (BHs). The front instability may trigger bursts of gas accretion, rendering the BH significantly more luminous than at steady state. We perform a series of idealized three-dimensional radiation hydrodynamics simulations resolving the I-fronts around BHs of mass MBH and velocity $v$ ∞ accreting from a medium of density nH. The I-front, with radius RI, transitions from D-type to R-type as the BH velocity becomes larger than a critical value $v_\mathrm{R}\sim 40\, \mathrm{km\,s}^{-1}$. The D-type front is preceded by a bow-shock of thickness ΔRI that decreases as $v$ ∞ approaches $v$ R. We find that both D-type and R-type fronts can be unstable given the following two conditions: (i) for D-type fronts the shell thickness must be ΔRI/RI < 0.05 (i.e. $v_\infty \gtrsim 20\, \mathrm{km\,s}^{ -1}$), while no similar restriction holds for R-type fronts; (ii) the temperature jump across the I-front must be TII/TI > 3. This second condition is satisfied if $T_\mathrm{I}\lt 5000\, \mathrm{K}$ or if $n_\mathrm{H}\, M_\mathrm{BH} \gtrsim 10^6\, M_\odot \, \mathrm{cm^{-3}}$. Due to X-ray pre-heating typically $T_\mathrm{I} \sim 10^4\, \mathrm{K}$ , unless the D-type shell is optically thick to X-rays, which also happens when $n_\mathrm{H}\, M_\mathrm{BH}$ is greater than a metallicity-dependent critical value. We thus conclude that I-fronts around BHs are unstable only for relatively massive BHs moving trough very dense molecular clouds. We briefly discuss the observational consequences of the X-ray luminosity bursts likely associated with this instability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new method for directly determining the coal seam permeability around roadway is proposed. • The coal seam permeability around roadway is divided into four stages. • The results are able to determine the sealing depth of in-seam borehole and guide the gas disaster preventions. Changes in coal seam permeability induced by roadway excavation may lead to many engineering problems, such as low gas extraction concentration in in-seam boreholes, coal and gas outburst disasters, and gas emissions in the process of coal roadway excavation. To solve these problems, this paper proposed a new method to directly determine the distribution of coal seam permeability around roadways. For this purpose, method principle was analyzed, equipment was developed, and field experiments were carried out in Baiyangling coal mine. Finally, the engineering applications of the method were analyzed, and a field application effect experiment was conducted to verify the new method. The results showed that the coal seam permeability around roadways was divided into four stages. In stages I and II, permeability increased, in stage III, permeability decreased, and stage IV maintained the initial permeability of the coal seam. These test results will aid in increasing the gas extraction concentration of in-seam boreholes and will guide the design of gas control areas. Using the verification experiment, it was concluded that the new method is able to accurately determine the redistribution of coal seam permeability caused by roadway excavation and provide theoretical guidance in solving engineering problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal and gas outburst is a violent mechanical instability of gas-containing coal, and its mechanism is crucial for prevention of gas dynamic disasters. The macroscopic instability of gas-containing coal is the result of the expansion and connection of micro cracks driven by unloading induced tensile stress and gas pressure. This study is aimed at solving the problem of crack instability of gas-containing coal during mining unloading. To this end, first, the governing equations of unloading-induced tensile stress and gas pressure evolutions in cracks were built, and the dynamic evolutions and main controlling factors of tensile stress and gas pressure were revealed. Furthermore, the evaluation indexes of crack stability under tensile stress and shear stress were established, and the variation of crack stability during unloading was investigated. Finally, the phase diagram of crack failure mode was drawn, and the transformation of crack failure mode was analyzed. The results show that unloading-induced tensile stress is generated when θ > 54.73°, and it rises gradually with the increase of original stress, unloading rate, unloading time and crack size and dip angle. Overall, gas pressure in cracks increases first and then decreases during unloading. It increases gradually with the increase of initial gas pressure, gas desorption rate and original stress, while it decreases as the unloading rate gets higher (k from 10−4 to 10−2 s−1) and the dip angle gets larger (θ from 50 to 90°). With the increase of unloading ratio, the crack stability declines slowly first and then plunges rapidly until the crack finally becomes unstable. In addition, burial depth of coal seam, unloading rate, gas desorption rate and mechanical strength of coal have significant effects on this process. Different factors have important influences on the crack failure mode. With the increase of burial depth from 100 to 2000 m, the crack failure mode gradually transforms from tensile failure to shear failure, and the higher the unloading rate is, the more easily tensile failure occurs. With the increase of cohesion (0.1–2 MPa), the scope of the shear failure zone shrinks gradually, and the crack is less prone to shear failure. The desorption rate has a notable effect on the scope of the non-failure zone. Under a higher gas desorption rate, the scope of the non-failure zone becomes smaller, which is due to the greater gas pressure in crack for a given time. The research in this paper has certain reference value for further grasping of the instability failure of gas-containing coal and the mechanism of coal and gas outburst. [Display omitted] • Evolutions of mining-induced tensile stress perpendicular to crack surface and gas pressure in crack were modeled. • Stability of crack under both tensile and shear stresses were evaluated and failure criteria were put forward. • Phase diagram and its evolution with the influencing factors were drawn to present the transformation of crack failure mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When rockbursts and coal and gas outbursts simultaneously occur in a coal mine, changes in gas adsorption (concentration of ambient methane) and displacement of coal and rock must occur. The co-associated minerals in coal reservoirs can affect the mechanical properties and methane adsorption capacity, which are commonly disregarded. It is important to construct compound molecular structure models of coal and rock and conduct molecular dynamic simulations to gain a microscopic understanding of underground disasters. In this work, the molecular structure models of anthracite and coking coal–rock compound models containing different contents of calcite and kaolinite were constructed, and the methane adsorption amount and mechanical properties considering temperature, pressure, and mineral contents were simulated and analysed. The results showed that the methane adsorption amount of the compound models increased rapidly, then increased moderately, and stabilized eventually with increasing adsorption pressure, and the Langmuir fitting findings were good. The saturation adsorption amount of methane in the coal models linearly decreased with increasing temperature, while the methane adsorption heat increased. The presence of minerals adsorbed a certain amount of methane, and the methane adsorption amount increased with increasing mineral contents. The mechanical properties of coal molecules changed when mineral molecules such as calcite and kaolinite were present, which had opposite contribution effects. The addition of kaolinite minerals to the coal molecular model always increased the bulk modulus and shear modulus, while the addition of calcite decreased the bulk modulus of the anthracite, causing an increase in the brittleness of the models. The results of the study further explain the adsorption behaviour and mechanical properties of methane in coal and minerals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydraulic fracturing (HF) technology can safely and efficiently increase the permeability of coal seam, which is conducive to CBM exploration and prevent coal and gas outburst. However, conventional HF fractures tend to expand in the direction of maximum principal stress, which may be inconsistent with the direction of fracturing required by the project. Therefore, the increased direction of coal seam permeability is different from that expected. To solve these problems, PFC2D software simulation is used to study directional hydraulic fracturing (DHF), that is the combination of slotting and hydraulic fracturing. The effects of different slotting angles (q), different horizontal stress difference coefficients (K) and different injection pressures on DHF fracture propagation are analyzed. The results show that the DHF method can overcome the dominant effect of initial in-situ stress on the propagation direction of hydraulic fractures and control the propagation of fractures along and perpendicular to the slotting direction when q, K and liquid injection pressure are small. When the DHF fracture is connected with manual slotting, the pressure will shake violently, and the fracturing curve presents a multi-peak type. The increase and decrease of particle pressure around the fracturing hole reflect the process of pressure accumulation and fracture propagation at the fracture tip respectively. Compared with conventional HF, DHF can not only shorten the fracturing time but also make the fracture network more complex, which is more conducive to gas flow. Under the action of in-situ stress, the stress between slots will increase to exceed the maximum horizontal principal stress. Moreover, with the change in fracturing time, the local stress of the model will also change. Hydraulic fractures are always expanding to the area with large local stress. The research results could provide certain help for DHF theoretical research and engineering application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gas pressure in front area of heading face is essential to dynamically evaluate coal and gas outburst during coal mining. In this work, a novel inversion model of gas pressure in front area of the heading face was established on premise of the hypothesis that a time-dependent zone of steady flow exists within newly exposed face. The key parameters in the inversion model were obtained based on the gas emission models and field data of gas emission rate in different times, which were used to calculate the volumes of gas emission from different sources. The results show that the percentage of gas emission from the heading face, coal wall and collapsed coal ranges from 7% to 47%, 47% to 82% and 2% to 11%, respectively. Based on the calculated volumes of gas emission and gas pressure inversion model, the gas pressure was obtained and transformed to the gas content. The absolute errors between the gas content tested and transformed in every hour is 0.4%–33%, which proved the rationality of gas pressure inversion model. Furthermore, the daily drifting footage, the radius of gas pressure boundary and the gas permeability coefficient of coal seam were confirmed to have a great effect on the result of gas pressure inversion. The inversion results verify that the speedy excavation can increase the risk of coal and gas outburst. This work produces a useful method for gas disaster prevention and control that converts the gas emission rate to an index of gas pressure within coal seam. [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]

Coal mining tends to face increasing stress and gas conditions when it extends to deeper levels. The mining-induced high stress and gas pressure concentrations often result in gasogeodynamic phenomena such as rock bursts and coal & gas outbursts. Over the last decades, these gasogeodynamic events have been observed more often in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin, Poland. With the increasing mining depth, these hazards not only become a serious safety risk but also represent a significant challenge for coal mining. In order to eliminate future hazards and improve safety in underground coal mines, it is necessary to apply particular methods for the prevention and mitigation of possible hazards during mining operations. Inaction or incorrect use of preventive measures may lead to gasogeodynamic events, which may result in accidents and material losses, thereby affecting the mine's economic performance. Several coal mines operated by Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa S.A. (JSW group), such as Pniówek, Budryk and Zofiówka coal mines have been identified as the area most prone to rock bursts as well as coal and gas outburst. Generally, the longwall panels often experience a high degree of these mining hazards. Therefore, the main aim of this research is to examine and optimise the possibility of application of prevention methods in order to reduce the frequency and scale of dangerous gasogeodynamic phenomena such as coal and gas outburst. As a main part, the field testing of the selected preventive methods that were conducted in the JSW coal mines. Based on the obtained results, the possibility of application of an optimal method for the prevention and control of coal and gas outburst in the geomining conditions of the JSW coal mines was discussed. The research results could be an example for other coal mines in mine planning and designing in the gasogeodynamic (coal and gas outburst) hazard-prone conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rock and gas outburst is a phenomenon in which fragmented rock material is transported deep into a pit. The transport of rock material by gas is a two-phase process. The article deals with the fluidisation of rock material. Considerations on the fluidisation phenomenon were carried out, and experiments were performed to help clarify whether the fluidisation of dolomite is possible. In the last chapter, a discussion was carried out, and the results obtained were analysed regarding the possibility of occurrence in mine conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A probabilistic risk assessment framework was developed to mathematically represent the complex engineering phenomena of rock bursts and gas outbursts for a heterogeneous coal seam. An innovative object-based non-conditional simulation approach was used to distribute lithological heterogeneity present in the coal seam to respect their geological origin. The changing mining conditions during longwall top coal caving mining (LTCC) were extracted from a coupled numerical model to provide statistically sufficient data for probabilistic analysis. The complex interdependencies among abutment stress, pore pressure, the volume of total gas emission and incremental energy release rate, their stochastic variations and uncertainty were realistically implemented in the GoldSim software, and 100,000 equally likely scenarios were simulated using the Monte Carlo method to determine the probability of rock bursts and gas outbursts. The results obtained from the analysis incorporate the variability in mechanical, elastic and reservoir properties of coal due to lithological heterogeneity and result in the probability of the occurrence of rock bursts, coal and gas outbursts, and safe mining conditions. The framework realistically represents the complex mining environment, is resilient and results are reliable. The framework is generic and can be suitably modified to be used in different underground mining scenarios, overcoming the limitations of earlier empirical indices used. Highlights: Parameters causing rockbursts and gas outbursts were linked along with their influences and interdependencies into a probabilistic risk assessment framework. Dynamically updated system feedback from the numerical model was fed into the framework to represent the current stress state in retreating mining and estimate the probability of the occurrence of rockbursts and gas outbursts. Statistically significant data were used to quantify the probability of rockbursts and gas outbursts using Monte Carlo simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, it was determined that all of the three-dimensional principal stresses increase with depth and that both the maximum and the minimum stresses tend to be aligned in the horizontal orientation. The numerical simulation model was built using the software FLAC to simulate two times, as in two different states of original rock stress, respectively; this simulation was used to investigate how the original rock stress affects the gas outburst risk. The results suggest that an outburst is most likely to happen when the maximum original rock stress is perpendicular to the roadway, rather than parallel to the roadway. The results were demonstrated to be correct by a field experiment. The results suggest that most of the roadways in gas outburst risk coal mines should be designed to lie parallel to the maximum stress direction to avoid the high stress concentration in front of the heading face, thereby reducing the gas outburst risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the severe situation of coal mine gas disaster in China, a new method of reducing the danger of coal and gas outbursts and improving gas drainage and utilization in coal mines was introduced in this paper. The main idea of this method is to mining thin sub-layer as self-protective coal seam to eliminate or reduce the danger of coal and gas outburst. This method can be implemented by drills along seam and hydraulic jet when the mined seam with a relatively weak risk of coal and gas outbursts is soft or has a soft layer. This method was first applied in the Yian mine to verify its effectiveness. The results of application showed that mining thin sub-layer as self-protective coal seam can effectively eliminate the danger of coal and gas outburst and improve gas drainage and utilization. As this method needs less time and lower cost than conventional protective layer mining, it is of great significance for mining coal seam with the danger of coal and gas outburst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The effect of drainage and outburst elimination are obviously different between soft and hard coal sub-layers under per-drainage of coal seam, and hence, the location of per-drainage borehole related to the soft sub-layer is the key that determines whether the outburst can be eliminated in whole coal seam. This paper discusses the differences between soft and hard coal from fields of pore radius distribution, pore structure, surface area and permeability, and the per-drainage effect was numerical simulated under different distance between per-drainage hole and soft sub-layer. Moreover, the optimum hole arrangement of outburst elimination is given in the paper. The result of research shows that the macro-pore with aperture that is larger than 50,000nm, is dominant at about 50% in hard coal, correspondingly, the micro-pore with aperture less than 100nm accounts for about 41.23% in soft coal. The surface area of soft coal is 1.6 times as that of hard coal. The residual gas content in soft coal sub-layer is obviously more than it in hard coal sub-layer under the same pre-drainage condition. To 5.5m-thick coal seams which top is a soft coal sub-layer of 0.5m-thick, pre-drainage gas can eliminate danger of gas outburst in whole coal seam at the seam time after 455days drainage when the per-drainage holes are 1.0m distances from the soft coal sub-layer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this paper we suggest that conditional estimator/predictor of rockburst probability (and rockburst hazard, P( t)) can be approximated with the formula P( t) = P( θ)... P( θ)· P( t), where P( t) is a time-dependent probability of rockburst given only the predicted seismic energy parameters, while P( θ) are amplifying coefficients due to local geologic and mining conditions, as defined by the Expert Method of (rockburst) Hazard Evaluation (MRG) known in the Polish mining industry. All the elements of the formula are (approximately) calculable (on-line) and the resulting P value satisfies inequalities 0 ≤ P( t) ≤ 1. As a result, the hazard space (0-1) can be always divided into smaller subspaces ( e.g., 0-10, 10-10, 10-10, 10-1), possibly named with symbols ( e.g., A, B, C, D, ...) called 'hazard states' - which saves the prediction users from worrying of probabilities. The estimator P can be interpreted as a formal statement of (reformulated) Comprehensive Method of Rockburst State of Hazard Evaluation, well known in Polish mining industry. The estimator P is natural, logically consistent and physically interpretable. Due to full formalization, it can be easily generalized, incorporating relevant information from other sources/methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the problems on mechanics of material with gas-filled fissure-like discontinuities, considered in terms of coal, rocks and gas outbursts in coal mines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Increasing water content in coal can reduce the elastic modulus and coal strength. • Water in coal reduces the initial gas diffusion speed and change adsorption constant. • Loosening blasting before water injection can promote cracks and water infusion. • Water injection after blasting reduces the gas outburst potential greatly. Gas outburst is a serious disaster in deep mining. In this paper, we first study the effect of water content on gas outburst, and found that increasing the water content of coal can significantly reduce the elastic modulus and uniaxial compressive strength, which is beneficial in reducing the peak stress concentration in the roadway and pushing the peak stress deeper. We also found that by increasing the water content of the coal seam, the firmness coefficient increases, while the initial speed of gas diffusion decreases simultaneously. Increasing the water content of the coal seam can also change the Langmuir adsorption constant of coal, reduce the a value of the limit adsorption capacity, increase the b value of the adsorption capacity, and reduce the amount of desorption gas in the coal. These studies indicate that increasing the water content of coal can significantly reduce the risk of gas outbursts. To increase the water injection volume, the technology of promoting coal seam infusion by blasting has been proposed. Blasting promotes equilibrium distribution in the stress field and generate new fractures, which promotes the water injection. In the 8th coal mine in the Pingdingshan coal field, the test results indicate that after loosening blasting, the water injection of a single borehole increased by an average of 54.6 times under the injection pressure of 3–7 MPa. The water content of coal is improved significantly, and the prediction index value of the gas outburst is reduced significantly. This technology is important for gas control in similar coal mines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Revelation of the main unsafe factors of working face crossing the fault. • The response characteristics of AE and EMR to the driving face crossing a fault. • The method of detecting and real-time monitoring the fault by AE and EMR. In this paper, the response characteristics of acoustic emission (AE) and electromagnetic radiation (EMR) to the driving face crossing a fault are analysed and tested. The method of real-time monitoring of the fault in front of the driving face by AE and EMR form coal is put forward. The results are as follows: (1) When passing through the fault, the large increase of stress in mining and fault superimposed stress, which makes it more likely to accumulate and release energy in the coal seam, is the main reason for the high risk of coal and gas outburst. (2) During crossing the fault, AE and EMR signals vary in stages, both the intensity and amplitude of the main frequency points of AE and EMR increase first and then decrease. (3) When the driving face is close to the fault, the main frequency of AE and EMR signals decreases and the frequency band concentrates. The main frequency ranges of AE and EMR signals are 3.66–22.5 kHz and 0.3–17.3 kHz, respectively. (4) The amplitudes of the main frequency points of the AE and EMR signals to the fault response. The change of the main frequency amplitude of AE and EMR signals can be used as the response index of the fault, and the response range is about 10 m. The research provides an effective monitoring method for structures in coal seam, which is of great significance to the safety production and rapid excavation of 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.)

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.)

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.)

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.)

The paper considers the conditions of methane hydrate existence in coal seams. The authors estimate volumes of gas emission in a fractured coal layer upon a drop in gas pressure. The authors also give the assessment of outburst hazard of coal seam edge zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: An outburst of coal and gas is a major hazard in underground coal mining. It occurs when certain conditions of coal stress, strength and gassiness are met. The outburst is recognized as a two-step process, i.e. initiation and development. Each step has its own characteristics and requires different approaches in numerical modeling. As a first step, the initiation process of the outburst is numerically simulated with a coupled simulator. The simulator models the deformation and failure of a coal seam, adsorption and desorption of gas and flow of gas and water in coal. The simulator is developed by linking and sequentially executing two numerical codes: FLAC3D and COMET3. FLAC3D is a widely used commercial code designed for engineering mechanics computation, while COMET3 is a well-established code to model gas and water production from desorption-controlled reservoirs. In this paper, these two codes are linked and sequentially executed through coupling modules including a user-designed C++ module and several modules developed with the build-in FISH language in FLAC3D. These coupling modules are used to transfer relevant data between the codes. A simple example to simulate the initiation of the outburst is also presented in this paper to demonstrate the capability of the coupled simulator. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

[Display omitted] • A non-coagulant long-time sealing material with excellent performance was developed. • The modified component was successfully inserted into the material group. • The sealing performance of the material is much better than the traditional material. Gas is produced during coal formation and is a major threat to the safety of coal mining operations. Gas-related accidents, including gas explosions and coal and gas outbursts, are particularly dangerous. However, gas also has great potential as a clean energy source. Therefore, effective gas extraction is essential for preventing accidents and utilizing its potential. The sealing material used for gas extraction boreholes directly affects the quality of the seal and, consequently, the efficiency of gas extraction. To address the limitations of cement-based and polyurethane sealing materials, this paper presents a novel non-coagulant long-term sealing material. Firstly, the optimal material ratio was determined through experiments involving constant temperature and weightlessness. The optimum proportion of modifier to be added is obtained by constant temperature weight loss experiments. Secondly, microscopic analysis revealed that the modified component was effectively inserted into the group. To simulate the underground gas extraction conditions in coal mines, drainage and plugging experiments were designed. The results showed that the new material had a 100% plugging performance during the observation time, while the plugging performance of cement-based and polyurethane sealing materials significantly decreased under the same experimental conditions. Finally, the non-coagulant long-term sealing material was applied in the gas drainage experiment of tunnel 53,081 at Changping Coal Mine. Compared to the original cement-based sealing material, the gas extraction concentration of the borehole increased by 16.5%. These results suggest that the newly developed sealing material is suitable for gas extraction and has significant potential for practical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prediction of coal and gas outburst is very necessary for the prevention of gas disaster, so an outburst prediction model coupled with feature extraction and feature weighting using optimized classifier is proposed. First, Pearson correlation coefficient(PCC) and symmetric uncertainty(SU) are employed to measure the effective information in outburst sample data. Second, Kernel principal component analysis(KPCA) and linear discriminant analysis(LDA) methods are used to extract the exiting discriminate information, and the extracted linear and nonlinear feature information can effectively reflect significant information of outburst influencing factors. Third, the combination of gradient boost decision tree(GBDT) and grey relation analysis(GRA) is used to weight and fuse the extracted linear and nonlinear feature components, then form a new feature set as important discriminant information. Forth, the weighted and fused features of the coal and gas outburst influencing factors are used as the input of support vector machine(SVM) classifier with optimized parameters, it can classify outburst states, and the achieved classification accuracy can obtain 95%. Finally, the proposed model and the existing outburst classification models in literatures are used to predict outburst, then the experiment results verify the effectiveness of the proposed model and conclude that the performance of the proposed predication model are significant than present outburst prediction models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-index coal and gas outburst (LI-CGO) is difficult to predict, which seriously threatens the efficient mining of coal. To predict the LI-CGO, the Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm was used in this study. The Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm was used to optimize the parameters of the SVM algorithm. The results show that based on the training sets and test set in this study, the prediction accuracy of SVM is higher than that of Back Propagation Neural Network and Distance Discriminant Analysis. The prediction accuracy of the SVM model trained by the training set T2 with LI-CGO cases is higher than that of the SVM model trained by the training set T1 without LI-CGO cases. The prediction accuracy gets better when the SVM model is trained by the training set T3, made by adding the data of the other two coal mines (EH and SH) to the training set T2, that only contains the data of XP and PJ. Furthermore, the PSO-SVM model achieves a better predictive effect than the SVM model, with an accuracy rate of 90%. The research results can provide a method reference for the prediction of LI-CGO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the adsorbability and thermodynamic properties of tectonic coal (TC) is crucial to prevent coal and gas outbursts. Limited research has been conducted on the effects of mass ratios of TC because of its high brittleness and sampling difficulty. By investigating the adsorbability, adsorption heat, entropy, and Gibbs evolution during the adsorption of coal samples, it was revealed that the TC content affected directly the adsorption capacity, which increased at first and then decreased. For virgin coal (VC) and TC of equal quality (50% mass ratio), the adsorption quality, adsorption constant a, specific surface area Gibbs free energy, adsorption heat, and adsorption entropy reached their peaks, except the adsorption constant b, which reached the minimum value. Therefore, when TC accounted for 50%, appropriate measures should be applied to mitigate outbursts. Moreover, a comprehensive control model of several factors under various mass ratios of TC was proposed to describe the adsorption characteristics and corresponding thermodynamic property evolutions of TC and VC before coal–gas outburst. The results of this study provide guidance for preventing coal–gas outburst in high-gas mine working faces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tectonic coal seams are characterized by soft, low permeability and high gas outburst. The traditional gas control method is the intensive drilling and extraction in this seam, which is not only large in engineering quantity, high in cost, difficult to form holes and low in extraction efficiency, but also easy to induce coal and gas outburst, which is a difficult problem for global coal mine gas control. To solve this difficult problem, the controllable shockwave equipment developed by the author's team and successfully applied in the practice of permeability enhancement of coal seam, combined with the principles of shock vibration sound wave generation and shock wave attenuation and evolution in the rock stratum, a new idea of loading a controllable shock wave in the roof and floor of coal seam is proposed. The shock wave first attenuates and evolves into a high-strength sound wave in the roof and floor rock stratum, and then enters and loads into the coal seam to achieve the purpose of increasing permeability without damaging the physical properties of the tectonic coal seam and facilitating the opening of the original fractures. According to the new technical ideas, the implementation scheme and key parameters of the gas pre-extraction models in tectonic coal seam are designed, including the penetration drilling, roof and floor horizontal holes, shield tunneling and the high-strength acoustic wave of the working face, which provides a new technical approach to solve the problem of high efficiency and low cost gas extraction in the tectonic coal seam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gas outburst potential is typically high when roadways uncover the gassy coal seams associated with outburst hazards. This paper describes the complex stress and displacement evolution that occurs in roadway tunnelling through coal seams under different original stress conditions, which is helpful for better understanding how the stress leads to an outburst accident, and proposing some relevant control measures. The stress concentration is primarily resulted from the strength difference between coal and rock, and the abutment stress increases gradually as the forward residual rock thickness decreases when the roadway excavation enters a coal seam from rock stratum. When the abutment stress is sufficiently high, the forward residual rock will suddenly be broken after the next cycle, and the stress will decrease rapidly to release elastic energy and generate new fractures. Meanwhile, the coal and rock in front of the heading face will move rapidly towards the free space. Therefore, an outburst accident may occur immediately when the gas pressure in front of the heading face is high enough. Once the outburst accident is triggered, the gas expansion energy and elastic energy distant from the heading face will contribute to developing the accident. The stress perpendicular to the roadway is the primary factor causing such outbursts. The abutment stress concentration will be higher when the maximum original stress is perpendicular to the roadway, which will increase the outburst potential. Therefore, it is suggested that arranging roadways parallel to the maximum original stress, if possible, can also reduce the outburst threat. Outbursts are triggered by the elastic energy near the heading face and developed by the gas expansion energy and elastic energy distant from the heading face. In this study, the method of “strong-weak” coupling circle-layers was proposed to reduce the outburst hazard when roadways excavated through gassy coal seams. This method was proven to be valid by the comparative experiment. The weak circle can be realized by boreholes and hydraulic cutting. It could not only reduce the elastic energy near the heading face but also prevent the distant energy from contributing to the outburst accident. In addition, the strong circle can be made by injecting water slurry and applying anchors. It could help to reduce the strength difference between coal and rock, thereby decreasing the local stress concentration, resisting the residual outburst energy near the heading face, and preventing the outburst from being triggered. The “strong-weak” coupling structure was successfully applied in Bailongshan coal mine when uncovering the #7,8 coal seam. This structure can effectively promote gas drainage, reduce the coal and gas outburst risk. As a result, the mining efficiency improves a lot, and the uncovering time greatly decreases from the expected 2 years to 5 months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to ascertain the relationship between permeability and temperature of gasfilled coal. For this purpose, the author probed into various influencing factors of permeability, and constructed a permeability evolution model involving temperature, effective stress, gas pressure and humidity. Then, the proposed model was improved through an experimental research using thermal-fluid-solid coupling triaxial seepage test device. It is found that the theoretical results of the model agree well with the experimental data, indicating that the improved model is an ideal tool for predicting the gas flow pattern. The research results lay a solid basis for enhancing gas drainage efficiency and preventing gas outburst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blazar CTA 102 underwent exceptional optical and high-energy outbursts in 2012 and 2016–2017. We analyze its behaviour during these events, focusing on polarimetry as a tool that allows us to trace changes in the physical conditions and geometric configuration of the emission source close to the central black hole. We also use Fermi γ-ray data in conjunction with optical photometry in an effort to localize the origin of the outbursts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction between plumes induced by irradiation of a copper target in argon background gas with a burst of nanosecond laser pulses is studied numerically. The two-dimensional (2D) simulations are performed based on a model that includes a thermal model of the irradiated target and a kinetic model of plume expansion. The latter is implemented in the form of the direct simulation Monte Carlo method, where the equilibrium ionization and absorption of laser radiation are considered. For the laser spot diameter varying from 20 μm to 200 μm, the 2D plume structure is found to be different from the structure predicted by a one-dimensional model. The simulations reveal a strong plume accumulation effect when the plumes generated by preceding pulses in a burst change the conditions of propagation for plumes induced by subsequent pulses. The inter-plume interaction can result in merging shock waves induced by individual pulses and formation of a single plume. The degree of plume accumulation depends on the inter-pulse separation, laser spot diameter, background gas pressure, and number of pulses. When the irradiation conditions for a single pulse are below the ionization threshold, the conditions of plasma ignition can be reached by increasing the number of laser pulses due to the plume accumulation effect. This results in plasma shielding and reduction of the effectiveness of material removal by the subsequent pulses in the burst. The plume accumulation effect, thus, determines the optimum number of pulses in the burst in applications of laser ablation for material removal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing mining depth, the dynamic disaster of coal and gas outbursts in coal mines has become increasingly prominent, and the bursting liability of coal and rock mass in deep coal seam mining is a necessary condition for the occurrence of rock burst and an important index to measure the failure of coal and rock mass. Thermal damage leads to rock instability and failure, which seriously influences the safe and efficient operation of coal mines. To investigate the effect of thermal damage on the bursting liability of deep coals, the burst tendency index of standard coal was measured after subjecting it to thermal damage at different temperatures. The effects of different thermal damage temperatures on the uniaxial compressive strength index, dynamic failure duration, stiffness ratio index, effective impact energy index, residual energy index change rate, and impact energy velocity of the coal and the influence of the post-peak failure mode of the coal were evaluated. The results revealed that the uniaxial compressive strength of the coal generally decreased with increasing thermal damage temperature. At temperatures above 200 °C, the strength significantly decreased. The comprehensive impact property index indicated that, with increasing thermal impact temperature, the burst tendency first increased up to the peak value at 200 °C and then gradually decreased. With the increase in the thermal damage temperature, the burst tendency decreased and disappeared in the temperature range of 250–300 °C, and the failure mode of the coal changed from brittle failure to brittle plastic failure, and finally ductile failure. The influence of thermal damage on coal bursting liability is studied, which provides a theoretical basis for preventing and controlling coal impact ground pressure hazards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to explore the relationship between IEERG and outburst intensity and verify the feasibility of the former in predicting coal and gas outburst, a series tests with different gases and different gas pressures were conducted on the basis of self-developed coal and gas outburst simulation system and IEERG measuring instrument. The results show that with the increase of gas pressure, the IEERG increases gradually. Under the same gas pressure, the coal has the strongest adsorption capacity for CO2, followed by CH4 and N2. When the IEERG is less than 24.40 mJ·g−1, no outburst will occur. When the IEERG is greater than 24.40 mJ·g−1, weak outburst will occur. When the IEERG is greater than 34.72 mJ·g−1, strong outburst will occur. This shows that the magnitude of IEERG is closely related to the outburst. The larger the IEERG, the greater the possibility of outburst and the greater the intensity of outburst. It is feasible to predict the risk of outburst using IEERG, and it can be quantified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Closed pores, which have been confirmed to exist in coal, have a dual significance in illustrating the tremendous gas outburst content in coal mining and ascertaining the exact methane content in coal, although it is unknown if this methane can be exploited and utilized. In this paper, the principal objective is to explore the evolution and formation mechanisms of closed pores, regarding which there is a lack of knowledge and understanding. We investigated the varieties of closed pore contents in coalification, combining the small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and liquid nitrogen adsorption methods (LNA), and simultaneously analyzed the surface topography of closed pores by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The closed pore volume represents a low-high-low evolution trend during coalification owing to the appearance of gas pores in the pyrogenic hydrocarbon generation stage. However, the specific surface area increases uniformly due to the increase in the number of micro-pores. The tectonic deformation effect impels the increase of closed pores, which reflected in the larger pore volume and specific surface area in strong deformation coal than that in weak deformation coal. The genesis of closed pores can be summarized as a result of heterogeneous matrix shrinkage, the tectonic compressive stress and the tectonic shear stress. Finally, this work provides a novel method to investigate the mechanism of geological CO 2 sequestration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In underground coal mining operations, gas content in a coal seam is used to assess the risk of coal and gas outbursts. A broadly standard procedure has been adopted to estimate the gas content with coal core in the coal mining industry. In soft or friable or geologically complex sections of coal seams, it has proven to be extremely troublesome in taking coal cores as cores can be severely fragmented or sometimes it is simply impossible to core with conventional coring methods due to poor borehole stability, leaving coal cuttings from boreholes as the only practical alternative for sampling. When coal core is replaced with coal cuttings, concerns have been raised about the validity and accuracy of the procedure used for gas content determination with coal core, in particular with respect to the sampling method of coal cuttings and gas content calculation due to faster initial gas desorption rates of coal cuttings. The standard procedure for gas content determination with coal core has been modified to determine gas content of coal with coal cuttings from underground boreholes. This paper describes the modified method and presents and discusses the results when it was trialed in a soft coal seam at Huainan, China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researches on the failure process of coal during coal and gas outbursts are of great importance in underground mining. Based on the theories of coal spherical shell failure, coal spallation and coal powder pneumatic conveying, the flow state and transport mechanism of coal and gas outbursts were studied. This paper concludes that in the outbursts' development stage, with the front of the outburst being gradually exposed to air, the gas gradient behind the outburst acts as a reciprocating air knife of high pressure that cuts the ejected coal powders, thus forming a plug flow with a high solid-gas ratio and a low speed. By referring to the laboratory results from other researchers and data recorded from field outbursts, an appropriate explanation was obtained for the wave-like coal powder distribution and the sound explosion using the dense-phase plug flow pneumatic conveying theory, which conversely confirms the possible existence of the plug flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Application problems of the Hodot's energy criterion were found. • The characterization methods of coal deformation energy and gas expansion energy were determined. • The influence mechanism of coal deformation energy on outburst was discussed. • A spatiotemporal evolution model of the release of outburst energy was proposed. Coal deformation energy and gas expansion energy are the main power sources for coal and gas outbursts (called outbursts for short). Although the combined effect hypothesis of the outbursts has been widely recognized, the contribution of the coal deformation energy to the outbursts is always despised compared with the gas expansion energy. In this paper, the famous energy criterion for outburst trigger proposed by Hodot was reviewed systematically. It was found that Hodot's energy criterion pays more attention to coal deformation energy and almost ignores gas expansion energy, different from the views in most literatures related to outburst energy. The characterization methods of coal deformation energy and gas expansion energy were summarized. Experimental results show that the deformation energy of tectonic coal with high outburst risk has a power function relationship with stress and the power exponent is between 1 and 2, indicating that the deformation properties of tectonic coal is between soil and elastomer. The releasing mode of the deformation energy of tectonic coal is different from that of intact coal, that is, the deformation energy of intact coal and tectonic coal mainly releases outward and dissipates inward respectively after they are damaged. The coal deformation energy was proved to have the same order of magnitude with the gas expansion energy, about 102 to 103 kJ/t. A new energy release model for whole process of outbursts was established to discuss the role of coal deformation energy in actual outbursts. It was finally determined that the pre-release of deformation energy of tectonic coal is the necessary condition for the accumulation of the free gas expansion energy and outburst trigger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stress wave generated by impact or dynamic load will produce significant reflection and transmission at the rock coal or rock interface during the propagation process. This will produce dynamic effects such as dynamic tensile, stress superposition and mutation. These dynamic effects will lead to obvious vibration at the interfaces, which is a key factor leading to dynamic damage and the failure of coal and rock mass. In the process of underground engineering excavation, the dynamic damage of a series of layered rock masses is one of the important factors causing geological disasters. Based on the two–dimensional similar material simulation experiment, the coal and rock mass combined of five layers of fine sandstone, medium sandstone, coal, coarse sandstone and mudstone was taken as the research object, and single and multi-point excitation (synchronous/step-by-step) were used to test the time–history vibration curves of rock–coal and rock–rock interfaces under impact load. It was concluded that the change of extreme value of vibration amplitude presented two stages: first increase, and then attenuation. Most of them required 2.25 cycles to reach the peak value, and the dynamic attenuation of amplitude conformed to the law of exponential. Based on Fast Fourier transform (FFT), the spectrum structures of the amplitude–frequency of interface vibration were studied, and the two predominant frequencies were 48.9~53.7 Hz and 92.4 Hz, respectively. Based on the Hilbert-Huang transform and energy equation, 5~7 vibration modes (IMF) were obtained by decomposing the time–history curves. The three modes, IMF1, IMF2, and IMF3, contained high energy and were effective vibration modes. IMF2 accounted for the highest proportion and was the main vibration mode whose predominant frequencies were concentrated in 45.6~50.2 Hz. Therefore, IMF2 played a decisive role in the whole vibration process and had an important impact on the dynamic response, damage and failure of coal and rock mass. In real conditions, the actual predominant frequencies can be converted according to the size and mechanical properties of the coal and rock mass, and the vibration response characteristics of the interfaces between coal and rock mass under impact load were preliminarily revealed. This study can provide reference for monitoring and early warning of coal and rock dynamic disasters, prevention and control of coal and gas outburst and technical development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 110 mining method is a high-efficiency entry-retaining technology without coal pillars or filling materials. At present, there is no precedent for its application in the Huaneng Group. In order to introduce this technology, it is planned to carry out experimental application research in the Yuwang NO.1 Coal Mine of the Huaneng Diandong mining area. The Yuwang NO.1 Coal Mine is a typical coal and gas outburst mine with a coal seam group. In view of the introduction of the 110 mining method under these conditions, first, the geological conditions of the Yuwang NO.1 Coal Mine in the Huaneng Diandong mining area are analyzed, the geological characteristics of the test mining face are summarized, and the practical feasibility of the 110 mining method is analyzed according to the geological characteristics of "one soft, one low, two high, and two complex". Then, according to the engineering experience, calculations, and analysis, the key parameters of roof cutting of the test mining face in the Yuwang NO.1 Coal Mine are obtained, and with the help of a numerical simulation, the roof-cutting height, the roof-cutting angle, and the blasting parameters are numerically simulated and analyzed. The roof-cutting key parameters of the test face are obtained as follows: the roof-cutting depth is 7 m, the roof-cutting angle is 15°, and the blasting method is continuous hole blasting with 500 mm spacing. After that, according to the coal and gas outburst and the occurrence conditions of coal seams in the Yuwang NO.1 Coal Mine, a variety of gob closure design schemes and gob gas drainage design schemes are put forward, and the field effect investigation scheme is given. After the tunnels and open-off cut of the test coal mine's first mining face are connected, under the guidance of the above research results, the field blasting test and the 110 mining method entry-retaining test are further carried out to verify the rationality of the design of the roof-cutting parameters and the feasibility of the gangue wall closure and gas drainage design. Furthermore, in the process of the field practice, continuous research is carried out on the stope pressure law and the adjacent layer gas drainage technology under the 110 mining method, and finally, the 110 mining method application technology system in the Diandong Mining Area is formed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the identification of coal and gas outburst risk, using the advantages of the clone selection algorithm (CSA), such as self-adaptation and robustness, and the characteristics of fast convergence of particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm, the complex decoding problem, and mutation process brought by CSA binary coding are used. It is difficult to control the problem. Using PSO optimization, the problem of abnormal detection and identification in coal and gas outburst monitoring is developed and studied, and a CSA coal and gas outburst risk anomaly detection and identification model based on PSO optimization variation is established. The model uses the coal and gas outburst index data as a collection of antigen-stimulated antibodies to achieve abnormal detection and identification of measured data. With the help of the measured data, the verification results show that the model can effectively detect and identify the risk of coal and gas outburst, and the identification results are consistent with the risk of coal and gas outburst in the field. It can be used as an effective risk identification model to guide coal mining work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a very high-resolution bathy-morphological map of the offshore sector around the Scoglio d’Affrica islet (northern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy). The study area covers a sector of 45 km2, between 3 and 85 m depth. Its central part, i.e. the apex of the Ridge, is characterised by a flat or gently sloping seafloor, where three mud volcanoes, and 250 pockmarks are recognised. Differently, the western and eastern Ridge flanks are steeper and characterised by 60 quasi-rectilinear escarpments and small ridges, more than 20 morphological highs, and elongated channels occasionally floored by bedforms. The seafloor shallower than 40 m is covered by Posidonia oceanica, forming compact and continuous or fragmented meadows intermingled with sandy patches. The main map represents the bathy-morphological setting of the area, which is largely affected by fluid seepage, providing insights for habitat mapping and preliminary marine geohazard assessment due to the violent gas outburst from mud volcanoes. [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 and gas outbursts in underground mines are the result of dynamic rupture propagation along coal seams, starting from localized instability caused by the sudden release of gas and strain energies. Although physical simulations have facilitated quantitative studies of outbursts, and rupture processes have been investigated both experimentally and theoretically, the underlying mechanisms responsible for triggering outbursts remain poorly understood. This lack of understanding seriously limits our ability to prevent gas hazards. Here we systematically analyze the essential characteristics and energy principles of outburst experiments over the past 70 years and explore the onset of natural outbursts. The results show that although laboratory experiments and natural events are dynamically similar, their triggering mechanisms are fundamentally different. Specifically, actual outbursts depend highly on stress conditions and gas desorption; in contrast, experiments can be performed under stress-free conditions or even entirely dominated by free gas, often with low threshold pressures (< 0.7 MPa). Energy analysis indicated that the high porosity of the experimental briquette resulted in much higher free gas energy than in the actual coal seam (up to ~ 40 times), enabling the simulated outbursts to overcome mechanical barriers easily and, in turn, to be stress independent. Furthermore, our findings suggest that the triggering process of a natural outburst is unlikely to be transient. Instead, the development of fractures and the consequent enlargement of free gas energy are essential processes for initiating ruptures and generating potential precursors. Our results highlight that understanding the role of gas and stress is crucial for accurately interpreting outburst mechanisms. Highlights: The essential characteristics and energy principles of outburst experiments were systematically analyzed. Outburst experiments are fundamentally different from natural events in triggering mechanisms. Outburst simulations are essentially free gas-driven dynamics. Fracture development and increased free gas energy are necessary processes to initiate ruptures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Fission gas burst release mechanisms under PWR fuel defective conditions are revealed. • The short-term fission gas release process has been simulated using the VOF method. • Sensitivity analysis of short-term release has been performed to find the critical factor. • Steam generation rate in the gap is the most relevant parameter for the short-term fission gas release rate. During the reactor operation, it is necessary to estimate the amount of fission gas release from the fuel-cladding gap to the coolant. The most common method for predicting the fission gas release process is based on the first-order kinetic model, which is used for analysis of the steady-state stage of the fission gas release. The purpose of this paper is to reveal the fission gas burst release mechanisms under PWR fuel defective conditions. The fission gas release process has been simulated using the CFD method. A validation calculation has been performed to validate the method. The simulation results are discussed in the paper including the two-phase flow evolution and the amount of fission gas release over time. For short stage after the equilibrium, the gas phase is released in the coolant by the form of jet. While for long stage after the equilibrium, the gas phase is entrained into the coolant by the vortex in the defect site. Sensitivity analysis of short-term fission gas release has been performed to evaluate which parameter critically influenced the release process. The results show that steam generation rate in the gap is the most relevant parameter for the short-term fission gas release rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present the problem of gas and dolomite outbursts in copper mines. The energy balance of the phenomenon is analyzed. An examination of the porosity of the dolomites is performed; in addition, the content and pressure of the gas accumulated in the pore structure of the rock are determined. The gas energy accumulated in the pore space of rocks is determined depending on the transformation occurring during gas decompression. The work needed to crush the rock for the grain distribution characteristic of post-outburst masses is examined. The gas energy needed to transport rocks is analyzed. The purpose of the research is to determine the limit values of parameters describing the gas and rock system for which there is a risk of dolomite and rock explosions. For the characteristic porosity of dolomites of −5%, gas and rock outbursts at 5 MPa pressure in isothermal transformation can be expected, and if the transformation is closer to adiabatic transformation, outbursts can be expected at 10 MPa pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the dynamic mechanical behaviors and microstructural properties of outburst-prone coal is significant for preventing coal and gas outbursts during underground mining. In this paper, the split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) tests were completed to study the strength and micro-structures of outburst-prone coal subjected to compressive impact loading. Two suites of coals—outburst-prone and outburst-resistant—were selected as the experimental specimens. The characteristics of dynamic strength, failure processes, fragment distribution, and microstructure evolution were analyzed based on the obtained stress-strain curves, failed fragments, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) images. Results showed that the dynamic compressive strength inclined linearly with the applied strain rate approximately. The obtained dynamic stress-strain responses could be represented by a typical curve with stages of compression, linear elasticity, microcrack evolution, unstable crack propagation, and rapid rapture. When the loading rate was relatively low, fragments fell in tension. With an increase in loading rates, the fragments fell predominantly in shear. The equivalent particle size of coal fragments decreased with the applied strain rate. The Uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) of outburst-prone coal was smaller than that of resistant coal, resulting in its smaller equivalent particle size of coal fragments. Moreover, the impact loading accelerated the propagation of fractures within the specimen, which enhanced the connectivity within the porous coal. The outburst-prone coal with behaviors of low strength and sudden increase of permeability could easily initiate gas outbursts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Composite coal seam is a kind of special coal seam that is formed after complex geological structure action, including a tectonic coal sublayer. Gas can't be drained easily from this coal seam, which cause coal and gas outburst accidents (CGOA) occur frequently. A new hydraulic flushing technology was proposed in this paper to improve gas drainage. Accordingly, a new set of mechanical equipment, technology process, roadway layout system and gas extraction monitoring system are provided by drawing lessons from the Guhanshan coal mine. The stress variation and damage failure were investigated by numerical simulation on the basis of flushed-out coal and borehole geometry. The gas drainage effect, coal seam permeability and outburst risk-sensitive indexes of the special coal seam were obtained by field measurements. According to the results, hydraulic flushing can enlarge the stress unloading and plastic damaged zone around boreholes dramatically, and the coal seam permeability can be increased largely. • A new technology was proposed to enhance gas drainage in the special low-permeability composite coal seam with a tectonic coal sublayer. • The stress damage and permeability increase mechanism of hydraulic flushing were revealed by theoretical analysis and numerical modeling. • Abundant field experiments were carried to investigate and verify the gas drainage effect in the coal seam after hydraulic flushing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal seam gas drainage is not only the effective measure for gas outbursts control, but also has the great significance for the use of gas energy and reduction of greenhouse-gas emissions. Coal permeability is the key parameter of gas drainage, and the permeability model of mining-damaged coal has the important theoretical guidance value for gas drainage in low permeability coal seams. In order to better understand the permeability model of damaged coal, the key points during the establishment of permeability model, which are the selection of coal structure, selection of boundary conditions and influencing factors, were first analyzed. Then, the expression and application of permeability models of mining-damaged coal in recent 20 years were reviewed. According to the contribution of new fractures, the permeability models of mining-damaged coal were divided into the empirical permeability models (EPM), volumetric strain permeability models (VSPM), plastic strain permeability models (PSPM) and damage variable permeability models (DVPM). After that, the quantitative characterization of key parameters, scientific issues of permeability models of mining-damaged coal were reviewed and discussed. Finally, the prioritization of 18 indexes affecting the permeability were determined, and the potential research directions of permeability models of mining-damaged coal were pointed out. The results of this paper can provide the theoretical guidance for the improvement of permeability model of mining-damage coal in the future. • The expression and application of permeability models of mining-damaged coal in recent 20 years were reviewed. • The quantitative characterization of key parameters, scientific issues of permeability models of mining-damaged coal were reviewed and discussed. • The prioritization of 18 indexes of factors affecting the permeability were determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]