Variability of CO 2, CH 4, and O 2 Concentration in the Vicinity of a Closed Mining Shaft in the Light of Extreme Weather Events—Numerical Simulations

Paweł Wrona (), Zenon Różański, Grzegorz Pach, Adam P. Niewiadomski, Małgorzata Markowska, Andrzej Chmiela and Patrick J. Foster
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Paweł Wrona: Faculty of Mining, Safety Engineering and Industrial Automation, Silesian University of Technology, Akademicka 2, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
Zenon Różański: Faculty of Mining, Safety Engineering and Industrial Automation, Silesian University of Technology, Akademicka 2, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
Grzegorz Pach: Faculty of Mining, Safety Engineering and Industrial Automation, Silesian University of Technology, Akademicka 2, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
Adam P. Niewiadomski: Faculty of Mining, Safety Engineering and Industrial Automation, Silesian University of Technology, Akademicka 2, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
Małgorzata Markowska: Główny Instytut Górnictwa, Państwowy Instytut Badawczy (Central Mining Institute, National Research Institute), Plac Gwarków 1, 40-166 Katowice, Poland
Andrzej Chmiela: Spółka Restrukturyzacji Kopalń, ul. Strzelców Bytomskich 207, 41-914 Bytom, Poland
Patrick J. Foster: Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter, Penryn TR10 9FE, UK

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 22, 1-15

Abstract: With climate change, more intense weather phenomena can be expected, including pressure drops related to the arrival of an atmospheric front. Such drops of pressure are the main reason for gas emissions from closed mines to the surface, and a closed, empty mine shaft is the most likely route of this emission. Among the gases emitted, the most important are carbon dioxide and methane, creating a twofold problem—greenhouse gas emissions and gas hazards. The work presented in this paper simulated the spread of the mentioned gases near such an abandoned shaft for four variants: model validation, the most dangerous situations found during measurements with or without wind, and a forecast variant for a possible future pressure drop. It was found that a momentary CO 2 emission of 0.69 m 3 /s and a momentary CH 4 emission of 0.29 m 3 /s are possible, which for one hour of the appropriate drop would give hypothetically 2484 m 3 CO 2 and 1044 m 3 CH 4 . In terms of gas hazards, the area that should be monitored and protected may exceed 25 m from a closed shaft in the absence of wind influence. The wind spreads the emitted gases to distances exceeding 50 m but dilutes them significantly.

Keywords: greenhouse gas; CFD; gas hazard; climate change; post 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: 2023
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