Application of Roadway Backfill Mining in Water-Conservation Coal Mining: A Case Study in Northern Shaanxi, China

Yihe Yu and Liqiang Ma
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Yihe Yu: Key Laboratory of Deep Coal Resource Mining, Ministry of Education of China, China University of Mining & Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Liqiang Ma: Key Laboratory of Deep Coal Resource Mining, Ministry of Education of China, China University of Mining & Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 13, 1-22

Abstract: The mining induced subsidence and strata deformation are likely to affect the stability of the aquiclude, resulting in loss of water resources in the mining area. In order to reduce the disturbance of coal mining to the overlying strata and to preserve the water resources in the coal mining area, the roadway backfill mining (RBM) method was trialed in Yuyang coal mine in Northern Shaanxi, China. Based on pressure arch theory and ultimate strength theory, a mechanical model was developed to analyze the stability of coal pillars. Then the maximum number of vacant roadways between the mining face and the backfilling face was determined according to the stability of coal pillar and filling body. The method to calculate aquiclude subsidence and deformation was also proposed. Furthermore, as indicated by FLAC3D numerical simulations, the maximum tensile stress subjected by the aquiclude was 0.14 MPa, which is smaller than its tensile strength; the horizontal deformation was 0.24 mm/m, which is also smaller than the critical deformation of failure. Field monitoring data demonstrated a maximum of 2.76 m groundwater level drop in the mining area after mining. The groundwater level was determined to be 4.45~10.83 m below surface, ensuring the normal growth of surface vegetation and realizing the water-conservation coal mining (WCCM).

Keywords: roadway backfill mining (RBM); water-conservation coal mining (WCCM); subsidence; horizontal deformation; aquiclude stability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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