Determination of the Height of the Water-Conducting Fractured Zone in Difficult Geological Structures: A Case Study in Zhao Gu No. 1 Coal Seam

Shuai Zhang, Shijie Tang, Dongsheng Zhang, Gangwei Fan and Zhen Wang
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Shuai Zhang: School of Mines, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Shijie Tang: Zhaogu No. 1 Coal Mine, Xin Xiang 453634, China
Dongsheng Zhang: State Key Laboratory of Coal Resources and Safe Mining, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Gangwei Fan: School of Mines, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Zhen Wang: School of Mines, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China

Sustainability, 2017, vol. 9, issue 7, 1-19

Abstract: The method for determining the upper limit for safe mining with regard to water and sand collapse prevention under thick alluvium and thin bedrock layers is a critical parameter for ensuring the sustainable development of a mine. The height of the water-conducting fractured zone (HWCFZ) is an important index parameter in the prediction and prevention of water and sand collapse. This research was conducted based on the concrete geological condition of the Zhao Gu No. 1 coal mine. First, a field measurement method was used to observe the HWCFZ of a mined panel. The discrete element method was applied to establish a corresponding model, which was calibrated using the measurement data. Then, calculation models for different bedrock thicknesses were developed to analyze the evolution law of the water-conducting fractured zone at different bedrock thicknesses and mining heights. The safe mining upper limits for different bedrock thicknesses were obtained. The relationships between the developing HWCFZ and bedrock thickness/mining height were determined. Using the research results as the main indices, an industrial experiment was performed on the 11,191 panel. The partition limit mining height was implemented in the panel, and safe production was realized. On the basis of the research results, 40,199,336.3 t of coal resources were successfully released, increasing the resource recovery rate by 31.72% and extending the mine service life by 12.5 years. This study not only provided technical support for the sustainable development of the Zhao Gu No. 1 coal seam, but could also be used for safe and highly efficient mining in other coal mines under similar geological conditions.

Keywords: aquifer; thick alluvium; thin bedrock; upper limit mining; numerical simulation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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