A New Gob-Side Entry Layout Method for Two-Entry Longwall Systems

Rui Wu, Qingyuan He, Joung Oh, Zecheng Li and Chengguo Zhang
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Rui Wu: School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, JiangXi University of Science and Technology, Ganzhou 341000, China
Qingyuan He: State Key Laboratory of Coal Resources and Safe Mining, School of Mines, China University of Ming and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Joung Oh: School of Mining Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia
Zecheng Li: School of Mining Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia
Chengguo Zhang: School of Mining Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia

Energies, 2018, vol. 11, issue 8, 1-24

Abstract: The gob-side entry layout is popular at two-entry longwall mine sites in China for the benefit of improving the coal recovery rate. Currently, two methods have been widely used to develop gob-side entries, including gob-side entry retaining and gob-side entry driving. Gob-side entry retaining maximizes the recovery rate by pillarless mining but increases the difficulty in gob-side entry support. Also, this method has limited applications in hard roof conditions. The gob-side entry driving mine site uses the rib pillar to separate the gob entry and the gob area of the previous panel, which leads to additional coal losses. The waste is more intolerable in large-cutting-height panels and longwall top coal caving panels as the Chinese government limits the minimum recovery rate of longwall panels using these mining methods. In this paper, a new gob-side entry layout method, termed gob-side pre-backfill driving, is established to overcome the shortcomings of the existing methods. The new method eliminates rib pillar losses and enhances gob-side entry stability. The feasibility of gob-side pre-backfill driving is studied by numerical modelling and a field trial at Changcun Mine in China. The results indicate that gob-side pre-backfill driving is an alternative for gob-side entry development. This method is practical and also has the potential to bring significant economic benefits to the mining industry.

Keywords: gob-side entry; pre-backfill; entry stability; pillarless mining (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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