scholarly journals Groundwater Chemistry and Stratification in the Flooded Hard-Coal Mine Shaft “Nowy I” (Nowa Ruda Region, SW Poland)

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 3257
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Chudy ◽  
Magdalena Worsa-Kozak ◽  
Agnieszka Wójcik
Keyword(s):  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Groundwater Chemistry ◽  
Underground Mines ◽  
Hard Coal ◽  
Depth Range ◽  
Mine Shaft ◽  
Rock Formations ◽  
Chemical Composition Of Water ◽  
Groundwater Samples ◽  
Mine Flooding

The flooding of unprofitable underground mines is one of the methods of their closure. After the drainage of the mine has stopped, the voids left in the rock mass as a result of mining, are filled with inflowing groundwater. In this way, reservoirs of groundwater with specific physicochemical parameters are formed. These parameters depend on the interaction of the water flowing into the workings with the rock formations. It was the economic situation in the 1990s that led to the closure of hard coal mines in the Nowa Ruda Coal Basin, where the flooded “Nowy I” shaft is located. In that shaft, in 2008, hydrogeological research was performed and groundwater samples from five various depths were collected. The aim of the study was to recognize if groundwater stratification occurs in the shaft. In 2015, a sample of the water outflowing through the “Aleksander” adit was taken to check the potential influence of mine flooding on the environment and to confirm the changes in groundwater chemistry over time. These were the first, and so far, the only studies on the chemical composition of water in the flooded mine in that area. The article presents results of the preliminary research, which confirmed the existence of not obvious hydrogeochemical stratification in the shaft. It can be assumed that below the depth of 350 m, the water circulating through mining excavations exhibits the highest electrical conductivity and the highest concentration of Ca2+, K+, SO42−, Fetot. In the depth range of 320–380 m there is a transition zone, in which a decrease of Eh value and a change of reduction and oxidation is recorded. Above this zone, infiltration water inflow, from outside the shaft casing, dominates. The research shows that it would be necessary to perform additional sampling of the water in the shaft at greater depths, as well as to perform isotope analysis and periodical tests for at least several years. This would allow for a more complete characterisation of hydrogeochemical processes taking place in the flooded mine.

scholarly journals The evolution of stable silicon isotopes in a coastal carbonate aquifer, Rottnest Island, Western Australia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley N. Martin ◽  
Karina Meredith ◽  
Andy Baker ◽  
Marc D. Norman ◽  
Eliza Bryan
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Inverse Correlation ◽  
Silicon Isotopes ◽  
Low Concentrations ◽  
Groundwater Samples ◽  
Si Isotopes ◽  
Dissolved Silicon ◽  
Si Isotope ◽  
Few Data

Abstract. Dissolved silicon (DSi) is a key nutrient in the oceans, but there are few data available regarding Si isotopes in coastal aquifers. Here we investigate the Si isotopic composition of 12 fresh and 17 saline groundwater samples from Rottnest Island, Western Australia, which forms part of the world’s most extensive aeolianite deposit (the Tamala Limestone Formation). Two bedrock samples were also collected from Rottnest Island for Si isotope analysis. The δ30Si values of groundwaters ranged from −0.39 to +3.60 ‰ with an (average: +1.59 ‰) and the rock samples were −0.76 and −0.13 ‰. Due to the relatively low concentrations of DSi (64 to 196 μM) and clay-forming cations in fresh groundwaters, the correlation between δ30Si values and DSi concentrations (ρ = 0.59, p = 0.02) may be explained by Si adsorption onto Fe-Al (oxy)hydroxides present in the aquifer. An increase in groundwater δ30Si in association with the occurrence of water-rock interactions may explain the spatial pattern in δ30Si across the aquifer, and is consistent with the correlation between δ30Si and tritium activities when considering all groundwaters (ρ = −0.68, p = 0.0002). In the deeper aquifer, the inverse correlation between DSi and Cl concentrations (ρ = −0.79, p = 0.04) for the more saline groundwaters is attributed to groundwater mixing with local seawater that is depleted in DSi (

scholarly journals Coordinate Transformation Using the Author’s Software in GIS Class System – Case Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 7-19
Author(s):  
Violetta Sokoła-Szewioła ◽  
Marian Poniewiera ◽  
Aleksandra Mierzejowska
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Data ◽  
Underground Mines ◽  
Hard Coal ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Hard Coal Mining ◽  
Uniform Manner ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Different Sources ◽  
Selection Of

In order to implement the provisions of the INSPIRE Directive, it is necessary for the Member States of the European Union to take appropriate measures to enable combining in a uniform manner spatial data deriving from different sources and sharing use of them by many users and many applications. Spatial data regarding underground hard coal mining in Poland should also be available in the national spatial reference system. Mining enterprises run a cartographic resource in the different rectangular flat coordinate systems. The standard transformation procedure does not provide the required accuracy because these are areas affected by mining activity, and the stability of points is limited, hence, studies were undertaken. The result is the development of software that can be used in Geographic Information Systems to transform spatial data from a system used in mine to the national system. The article described shortly a chosen coordinates systems used in Polish underground mines, elaborated procedure for selection of the degree and the type of a transformation polynomial in the transformation task. It presents its practical application of procedure for the area of one of hard coal mines using the author’s software elaborated in the results of above-mentioned research.

scholarly journals Mine Flooding History of a Regional Below-Drainage Coalfield Dominated by Barrier Leakage (1970–2014)

Geofluids ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Joseph J. Donovan ◽  
Eric F. Perry
Keyword(s):  
Water Level ◽  
Mine Water ◽  
Underground Mines ◽  
Water Level Fluctuations ◽  
Water Control ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
The North ◽  
Mining History ◽  
History Of ◽  
Mine Flooding

A 44-year record of water level fluctuations in a series of adjacent closed underground mines documents the history of closure and mine flooding in the Fairmont Coalfield, one of the oldest coal mining districts in the Pittsburgh coal basin, West Virginia, USA. As closures proceeded and mines began to flood, US environmental regulations were first enacted mandating mine water control and treatment, rendering uncontrolled surface discharges unacceptable. The purpose of this study is to present this flooding history and to identify critical events that determined how mine pools evolved in this case. Also examined is the strategy developed to control and treat water from these mines. Flooding is visualized using both water level hydrographs and mine flooding maps with the latter constructed assuming mine water hydraulic continuity between one or more mines. The earliest flooding formed small pools within near-surface mines closed prior to 1962 yet still pumped following closure to minimize leaking into adjacent still-active workings. These subpools gradually enlarged and merged as more closures occurred and the need for protective pumping was removed, forming what is today referred to as the unconfined Fairmont Pool. Later, deeper mines, separated by intact updip barriers from the Fairmont Pool, were closed and flooded more gradually, supplied in large part by leakage from the Fairmont Pool. By 1985, all mines except 2 had closed and by 1994 all had fully flooded, with the Fairmont Pool interconnected to deeper single mine pools via barrier leakage. As protective pumping ceased, the Fairmont Pool rose to a water level 3 m higher than surface drainage elevation and in 1997 discharged from an undermined section of Buffalo Creek near the Monongahela River. The principal mine operator in the basin then designed a pumping system to transfer water from the Fairmont Pool to their existing treatment facilities to the north, thus terminating the discharge. It may be concluded that the progress of mine flooding was influenced by mining history and design, by the timing of closures, by barrier leakage conditions, and by geologic structure. A key element in how flooding proceeded was the presence of a series of intact barriers separating deep from shallow mines. The shallow mines closed and flooded early, but then lost sufficient water by barrier leakage into the deeper mines to delay the completion of flooding until after the deep mines had all closed and flooded as well. Intensive mine water control has continued from the 1997 breakout to the present. The final water control scheme was likely unanticipated and serendipitous; future district-wide mining efforts should be advised to consider in advance closeout strategies to control mine water postmining.

scholarly journals Conical picks of mining machines with increased utility properties – selected construction and technological aspects

2021 ◽  
pp. 195-204
Keyword(s):  
Underground Mines ◽  
Hard Coal ◽  
Working Process ◽  
Conical Pick ◽  
Cutting Machine ◽  
Wear And Tear ◽  
Rock Mining ◽  
Symmetrical Body ◽  
Conical Picks ◽  
Mechanical Mining

Shearers and roadheaders are commonly used to extract useful mineral deposits, especially hard coal, and for drilling roadways in underground mines, tunnels and other underground buildings in civil engineering. As the primary working process of this type of machines, mechanical mining of rocks is carried out by cutting. These machines' working units are equipped for this purpose with picks, usually conical (point-attack). They have the form of an axially symmetrical body consisting of a steel shaft and a tip usually made of tungsten carbide, connected by a hard brass solder. Due to the possibility of spontaneous rotation in the pick holders and even wear and tear of their tip around the entire perimeter, conical picks have a much longer service life compared to radial picks. Their life, especially when cutting hard and sharp abrasive rocks, is, however, still unsatisfactory. Rapid wear of the picks leads to a decrease in mining efficiency, an increase in this process's energy consumption, and an increase in dynamic surplus to which the cutting machine is subject. Among many forms of wear and tear of the conical picks, attention was paid to the problem of asymmetrical abrasive wear of the tips, pulling out the connection of the soldered pick tip and fatigue breaking of the pick shafts in the transition zone of the shank into the shoulder. The article presents original propositions of modification of the construction of the roadheaders/shearers conical pick shafts and the method of fixing the tip in the pick shaft in order to increase their operational durability significantly. The technologies and devices necessary to manufacture conical picks of the proposed structure were described. The developed modifications significantly contribute to the improvement of functional properties, including the reliability of conical picks, used in particular for hard rock mining.

scholarly journals Integrated Approach to Hydrogeochemical Appraisal and Quality Assessment of Groundwater from Sargodha District, Pakistan

Geofluids ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Jamil Siddique ◽  
Jin Menggui ◽  
Munir H. Shah ◽  
Asfandyar Shahab ◽  
Faisal Rehman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Analytical Data ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Groundwater Chemistry ◽  
Hydrochemical Modeling ◽  
Exchange Processes ◽  
Wilcox Diagram ◽  
Groundwater Samples ◽  
Physical And Chemical ◽  
And Chemical Properties

Hydrochemical characteristics and aquifer properties present a better understanding of the mitigation of groundwater pollution, which has become one of the leading environmental concerns and threats to the sustainable ecosystem. Seventy-seven groundwater samples were collected from Sargodha District (Pakistan) and characterized for their physical and chemical properties. The analytical data were processed for the evaluation of the processes that control the groundwater chemistry using various drinking and agricultural indices with statistical and hydrochemical modeling. The predominant hydrochemical type was found to be Ca-HCO3 type, followed by Na-HCO3 and Mg-Ca-Cl types. The present study showed that the main factors controlling the groundwater chemistry were the prevalent rock dominance alongside the weathering of silicates, solubilization of carbonates, and cation exchange processes. Entropy water quality index (EWQI) revealed that 6.51% represented “poor water,” while 7.79% were considered “extremely poor” for drinking purposes. However, USSL classification, Wilcox diagram, and other agricultural indices (RCS, SAR, %Na, MH, PI, and PS) showed that the majority of the samples were classified as suitable for irrigation purpose. However, 16% of the samples for %Na and 24% of the samples for MH were not suitable for agricultural purposes. Overall, the groundwater quality was affected by the anthropogenic stress in the study area.

scholarly journals Hydrochemical Characteristics and Water Quality of Groundwater in the Thick Loess Deposits

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shujian Li ◽  
He Su ◽  
Zhi Li
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Hierarchical Cluster ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Groundwater Chemistry ◽  
Mineral Dissolution ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Flood Season ◽  
Anthropogenic Inputs ◽  
Groundwater Samples ◽  
Loess Deposits

Abstract Water quality and quantity should be paid more attentions for regions with arid climate and thick vadose zones since the limited groundwater cannot be replenished rapidly once polluted. This study focused on the Loess Plateau of China to investigate the geochemical mechanism affecting groundwater chemistry and to calculate contribution rates of multiple sources to groundwater solutes. We employed multiple methods (diagrams, bivariate analyses, hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), water quality index (WQI), correlation analysis, forward simulation) for the above purposes. We collected 64 groundwater samples in the thick loess deposits in June 2018 (flood season) and April 2019 (dry season). The average concentrations of cation were in the order of Ca2+ > Na+ > Mg2+ > K+ in the flood season, and Na+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+ > K+ in the dry season. The order of anions contents in the flood season and the dry season was HCO3− > SO42− > Cl− > NO3−. The major hydrochemical facies were Ca-HCO3 and Ca·Mg-HCO3 in the flood season, and Na·Ca-HCO3·SO4 and Na-HCO3 in the dry season, respectively. Most of the groundwater (95% in the flood season and 96% in the dry season) was suitable for drinking, and overall water quality (except samples F28 and D13) was acceptable for irrigation. Mineral dissolution and cation exchange were important natural processes affecting groundwater chemistry. A forward model showed that the contribution of atmospheric input, anthropogenic input, evaporite dissolution, silicate weathering and carbonate weathering to solutes in groundwater was 2.3 ± 1.5%, 5.0 ± 7.1%, 19.3 ± 21.4%, 42.8 ± 27.3% and 30.6 ± 27.1% in the flood season, and 9.1 ± 6.4%, 3.4 ± 5.2%, 20.3 ± 15.9, 56.6 ± 23.2%, and 10.7 ± 15.4% in the dry season, respectively. Although the overall contribution of anthropogenic inputs was minor, it was the dominant source of solutes for some groundwater samples. This study provides fundamental information for water management in arid areas.

scholarly journals Assessment of Major Sources Controlling Groundwater Chemistry in Kombolcha Plain, Eastern Amhara Region, Ethiopia

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-42
Author(s):  
Berihu Abadi Berhe ◽  
Fethangest Woldemariyam Tesema ◽  
Gebreslassie Mebrahtu
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Quality ◽  
Strong Correlation ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Groundwater Chemistry ◽  
Molar Ratio ◽  
Amhara Region ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Base Exchange ◽  
Groundwater Samples ◽  
The Impact

The study area, Kombolcha town, forms an important industrial town situated in the Eastern Amhara region, Ethiopia. The geology of the area is mainly composed of basalts, rhyolitic ignimbrites, and Quaternary sediments. Hydrogeochemistry and the source of ions in the groundwater of the study area are poorly understood. Therefore, the current study aims to assess the factors and the different hydrochemical processes significantly controlling groundwater quality, source, and chemistry. For this purpose, a total of eighteen groundwater samples were collected using 250 ml sampling bottles at selected points in the dry season (May 2017) and wet season (November 2017). Gibbs diagram, correlation analysis, scatter plots of ionic molar ratio relations, saturation index values (estimated using PHREEQC Interactive 2.8) were used to decipher the hydrogeochemical process. Gibbs diagram shows that the rock-water interaction process is the predominant, Na+/Cl- and Ca2+/Mg2+ molar ratio value of all groundwater samples in both seasons reveals that the groundwater chemistry of the area is controlled by silicate minerals weathering. The strong correlation of Ca2+ with Mg2+ in the dry season, and Ca2+ with HCO3- and Na+ with HCO3- in the wet season could also be an indication of silicate weathering and ion exchange processes. The impact of anthropogenic practices on groundwater chemistry is also seen from the strong correlation of Ca2+ with Cl-, NO3-, PO43- and F-, NO2- with K+, Mg2+, and PO43- , PO43- with F- , and NO3- with Na+, Cl-, HCO3- . The negative values of chloro-alkaline indices in both seasons indicate base-exchange reaction where an indirect exchange of Ca2+ and Mg2+ of the water with Na+ and K+ of the host rock occurs. Saturation indices results for the wet season show that the groundwater is under-saturated with respect to calcite, aragonite, dolomite, gypsum, and anhydrite. In the dry season, however, some of the waters are oversaturated with respect to calcite and aragonite. To sum up, the groundwater quality of the study area is controlled by geological processes and anthropogenic effects.

scholarly journals Hydrogeochemical Characterization and Suitability Assessment of Groundwater: A Case Study in Central Sindh, Pakistan

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 886 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Talib ◽  
Zhonghua Tang ◽  
Asfandyar Shahab ◽  
Jamil Siddique ◽  
Muhammad Faheem ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Groundwater Chemistry ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Suitability Assessment ◽  
Wilcox Diagram ◽  
Groundwater Samples ◽  
Hydrogeochemical Characterization ◽  
Ussl Diagram

Groundwater is the most important water resource, on which depends human geo-economic development and survival. Recent environmental changes and anthropogenic activities render groundwater severely vulnerable. Groundwater in Central Sindh, Pakistan, is facing a similar situation. Hydrogeochemical characteristics of the groundwater in the said region were investigated by analyzing 59 groundwater samples via agricultural and drinking indices, using various statistical methods and graphical approaches to identify factors affecting groundwater. Major reactions occurring in the groundwater system were quantified by hydrogeochemical modeling. A statistical summary reveals the abundance of cations is Na+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+ > K+, while the abundance of anions is HCO3− > Cl− > SO42. Groundwater chemistry is mainly of rock dominance. Correlation analysis and graphical relationships between ions reveal that ion exchange and rock weathering such as the dissolution of halite, albite, and dissolution of carbonate minerals are important rock–water interactions, governing the evolution of groundwater chemistry. Hydrochemical facies are predominantly of mixed CaMgCl and Na-Cl type, with few samples of Ca-HCO3 type, which constitutes fresh recharged water. Based on the Water Quality Index (WQI), 28.82% samples were found to be unsuitable for drinking. A United States Salinity Laboratory (USSL) diagram, Wilcox diagram, and other agricultural indices indicate that majority of the groundwater samples fall within the acceptable range for irrigation purposes.

scholarly journals Regional socio-economic aspects in the field of coal mining

2020 ◽  
Vol 305 ◽  
pp. 00060
Author(s):  
Sabina Irimie ◽  
Gloria Popescu
Keyword(s):  
Local Level ◽  
Coal Industry ◽  
Underground Mines ◽  
Open Pit ◽  
Hard Coal ◽  
Economic Aspects ◽  
Cultural Impact ◽  
Economic State ◽  
Resource Issue ◽  
The Relationship

Over time, the discovery of the deposit, the exploitation and processing of coal has led to the development and prosperity of many areas called “coal regions”. In the last decades we have witnessed the closing process of many exploitation capacities (underground mines or open pit quarries) with complex socio-economic and even cultural impact in the coal region and on the continent. Debates for or against “coal” with related arguments, policies, strategies and measures at global, regional, national and local level integrate holistically from the “resource” issue to large dynamic systems (energy, climate, urbanism). The relationship between the coal industry and the socio-economic aspects is multifaceted and not yet fully explored. Our paper proposes a statistically documented research on regional development using representative socio-economic indicators. The paper is aiming to present the current socio-economic state in Jiu Valley micro-region, as a result of the structural transformations / changes in the coal industry of Romania’s largest hard coal-fired coal basin.

scholarly journals The analysis of shaft sinking progress as a function of technical and organizational parameters

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 203-212
Author(s):  
Łukasz Bołoz
Keyword(s):  
High Efficiency ◽  
Underground Mines ◽  
Maximum Diameter ◽  
Mining Machine ◽  
Hard Coal ◽  
Technical Parameters ◽  
Shaft Sinking ◽  
Side Walls ◽  
Mechanical Cutting ◽  
New Generation

Abstract In underground mines, where the deposit is located at considerable depths, mining shafts are key excavations. The project of making the deposit available requires selection of appropriate shaft sinking technology adapted to geological and hydrological conditions and natural hazards. Shafts can be made using the classic drilling and blasting technique or mechanical cutting of the shaft face. Mechanical cutting requires the use of a mining machine, which together with machines for loading and hauling the output and protecting the side walls is a shaft complex. Drilling using mechanized shaft complexes allows for high efficiency and work safety. To improve the efficiency of drilling, it is particularly important to implement many processes in parallel. The article presents an analysis of the progress of shaft sinking with a mechanized complex as a function of technical and organizational parameters. The analysis concerned a new generation cutting shaft complex, developed for the needs of shaft sinking for one of the Polish hard coal mines. The calculations were carried out for a shaft with a maximum diameter of 9.5 m and a total depth of 830 m. The article briefly presents a new solution for the shaft complex. There are presented results of calculations of daily drilling progress and total time of shaft sinking for the developed working technology of this complex. The efficiency of the complex depends on many factors related to technical parameters of individual machines and devices forming the complex and organizational parameters, hence a multi-variant analysis was carried out.

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