Investigating the effects of effective stress on pore-dependent permeability measurements of crushed coal

The accurate determination of permeability is one of the parameters essential for the study of fluid flow and transport state. However, a large number of fractured coal bodies are faced during the production of coal mines. The study of permeability of these special media composed of grains of a certain size, whose structure is different from that of raw coal, has been in the exploratory stage. In this paper, inspired by the calculation method of median particle size and the calculation principle of KC’s equation, we calculate the permeability parameters of broken coal particles. It is considered that its permeability is closely related to the compaction and re-crushing process of skeletal grains. The lateral limit compression test of the crushed coal body was designed, and the pore-dominated permeability calculation method was given to reveal the mechanism of the action of the effective stress. The dependence relationship between the effective stress and the pore-correlation permeability is obtained by data analysis, and the force and deformation process of the crushed coal grain media is described. In contrast to the conventional Darcy series of permeability discussions, our approach excludes the influence of fluid factors on the permeability of porous media. The permeability of porous media is considered to be determined only by its own pore structure.

Stress-Dependent Deformation and Permeability of a Fractured Coal Subject to Excavation-Related Loading Paths

The deformation and permeability of coal are largely affected by the presence and distribution of natural fractures such as cleats and bedding planes with orthogonal and abutting characteristics, resulting in distinct hydromechanical responses to stress loading during coal mining processes. In this research, a two-dimensional (2D) fracture network is constructed based on a real coal cleat trace data collected from the Fukang mine area, China. Realistic multi-stage stress loading is designed to sequentially mimic an initial equilibrium phase and a mining-induced perturbation phase involving an increase of axial stress and a decrease of confining stress. The geomechanical and hydrological behaviour of the fractured coal under various stress loading conditions is modelled using a finite element model, which can simulate the deformation of coal matrix, the shearing and dilatancy of coal cleats, the variation of cleat aperture induced by combined effects of closure/opening, and shear and tensile-induced damage. The influence of different excavation stress paths and directions of mining is further investigated. The simulation results illustrate correlated variations among the shear-induced cleat dilation, damage in coal matrix, and equivalent permeability of the fractured coal. Model results are compared with results of previous work based on conventional approaches in which natural fracture networks are not explicitly represented. In particular, the numerical model reproduces the evolution of equivalent permeability under the competing influence of the effective stress perpendicular to cleats and shear-induced cleat dilation and associated damage. Model results also indicate that coal mining at low stress rates is conducive to the stability of surrounding coal seams, and that coal mining in parallel to cleat directions is desirable. The research findings of this paper have important implications for efficient and safe exploitation of coal and coalbed methane resources.

Mechanism research on crack propagation in coal induced by CO2 phase-transition fracturing under different lateral compression coefficients

To study crack propagation around the fracture hole in the coal body induced by high-pressure CO2 gas produced by CO2 phase transition fracturing, the mechanism of permeability enhancement of fractured coal induced by liquid CO2 phase transition fracturing was studied from two aspects, the process of coal gas displacement by competitive adsorption and physical characteristics of fractured coal induced by phase transition. Crack propagation pattern in coal under different lateral coefficients was explored by using discrete-element numerical simulation software. Distribution characteristics of hoop stress of fractured coal were analyzed through theoretical calculation. The results show that: (1) Micro-cracks in damaged coal body generated during phase transition process are mainly crack_tension type, which are formed by the composite action of tension and compression. The crack propagation is the result of the continuous release of compressive stress from concentrated area to the surrounding units. Micro-cracks are radially distributed in a pattern of “flame”. (2) The main crack formed above the fracture hole grows in the direction of vertical minimum initial stress, and the main crack formed below the fracture hole develops in the direction of horizontal initial stress. As the lateral compression coefficient increases, the extension distance of the second crack will not change after reducing to a certain length. (3) As the distance from the fracture hole increases, the peak compression loaded at the monitoring point decays, and the loop stress in the cracked coal is distributed in a pattern of “peanut”. It provides practical methods and ideas for studying the macroscopic and microscopic development of cracks, as well as theoretical support for the on-site hole layout.

Prediction Model for Spontaneous Combustion of Coal around Boreholes Using Bedding Gas Drainage

To accurately and reliably predict the time of spontaneous combustion of fractured coal around a borehole induced by gas drainage along the seam, this study performed an orthogonal test taking the No. 10 Coal Mine of Pingdingshan as the research object, in terms of the suction negative pressure and coal seam buried depth. COMSOL Multiphysics was used to model the orthogonal test results, and a multielement statistical analysis of four factors and their relationships with the spontaneous combustion of coal around the borehole and a single-factor analysis in line with the site conditions were performed on the modeling results through multiple regression. The results showed a nonlinear regression relationship between the sealing hole length, sealing hole depth, negative pressure, and coal seam depth and the spontaneous combustion of the coal around the gas drainage borehole; the prediction regression model is significant. Taking the field gas drainage in the No. 10 Coal Mine of Pingdingshan as an example, the relationship between the time of spontaneous combustion of gas drainage and the drainage pressure follows a power of two. When the drainage negative pressure is less than 45 kPa, the coal around the borehole is more likely to undergo spontaneous combustion with increasing pressure, and the sealing hole length has a positive linear correlation with the time of spontaneous combustion of the coal around the borehole. When the sealing hole length is 23 m, the time of spontaneous combustion of the coal around the gas drainage hole is >500 days, and the coal around the borehole does not easily undergo spontaneous combustion. When the sealing depth is 15 m, the time of spontaneous combustion of the coal around the gas drainage hole is 76 days, which is most likely to cause spontaneous combustion.

Grouting Technique for Gob-Side Entry Retaining in Deep Mines

The retained rib displacement accounts for roughly 80% of rib-to-rib convergence in gob-side entry retaining in deep coal mines, which shows significant nonsymmetrical feature and long-term rheological phenomenon. Affected by mining-induced stress, cracks spread widely, and broken zones expand beyond the anchoring range. Without grouting and supplementary support in retained rib, the surrounding rock-support load-bearing structure will be in a postpeak failure state, and the anchoring force of the bolting system will be greatly attenuated. After grouting, the compressive strength of grouting geocomposite specimen is significantly higher than the postpeak residual strength of the intact coal specimen, and it is partially restored compared to that of the intact coal specimen. The ductility of the fractured coal specimen increases after grouting, and it has stronger elasticity and plasticity. Broken rock block can become a whole with coordinated bearing capacity, and its stability is improved after grouting. The grouting technique could restore the integrity and strength of the fractured retained coal rib, repair the damaged bolting structure, and make the surrounding rock and supporting structure become an effective bearing structure again. The research result shows that it is feasible to restore the bearing capacity of the retained coal rib by grouting technique.

Experimental Research on Permeability of Coal and Rock Mass considering Postpeak Failure

In most mining areas of China, coal seams are characterized by low gas pressure, poor permeability, and high gas adsorption capacity, all of which have brought considerable difficulties to coal seam mining and coalbed methane (CBM) extraction. According to the multiyear scientific research and production practice of China, gas is migrated in quantity only after the coal body is directly mined, and the surrounding rocks deform and fracture under the mining influence. Thus, the key to effective control of gas migration and the coal and CBM comining technology lies in investigating the gas resolution, permeation, migration, and accumulation laws in the coal seams under the unloading confining pressure during mining. The MTS815.02 rock mechanics testing system and its supporting equipment are combined to test the permeability characteristics of coal and rock mass (postpeak fractured coal and sandstone specimens) under the loading and unloading of confining pressure using the steady method, and then, the permeation laws of the fractured coal and rock mass are obtained. Results show that after the postpeak rock crack propagation reaches a stable state, the confining pressure gradually increases, and the gas permeability presents an approximately linear reduction; in the postpeak unloading phase, the opening and coalescence degree of rock cracks gradually increase as the deformation extends. Thus, permeability reaches a peak value. The strain softening phase follows, where the cracks are closed and permeability declines to a certain extent. Moreover, the unloading step size of confining pressure has bearing on gas permeability. Specifically, as the unloading step size of confining pressure decreases, the change of gas permeability increases in stability.

Grouting Fractured Coal Permeability Evolution Based on Industrial CT Scanning

Gas extraction from coal seams in China faces various middle-term and long-term problems, such as the poor sealing quality and low extraction rate. The mean gas extraction concentration is only 30%. Studying the flowing laws of the grout and fracture plugging mechanism is of important significance to improve the sealing quality and increase the gas extraction efficiency. For this reason, a new coal-based grouting material was prepared in this study, and its parameters such as viscosity were tested. Moreover, a grouting theoretical model with considerations of the flowing of the grout and coal fracture plugging by migration and deposition of slurry particles was constructed. The crack distribution before and after the grouting of fractured coal samples was scanned with an industrial CT, and the fracture distribution of coal samples was reconstructed using an independently compiled MATLAB program. Meanwhile, the variations of the coal permeability before and after the grouting were tested. On this basis, this study built a numerical calculation model of the grouting in fractured coal samples to simulate the leakage stoppage and permeability reduction mechanism of the coal-based sealing material grouting. Results demonstrate that (1) according to the experimental test results, the new coal-based grouting materials achieve a good fracture plugging effect, and the fractures in coal samples after the grouting are filled densely by the grouting particles. (2) According to the simulation results, the permeability of grouting coal samples declines quickly and then tends to be stable. The overall permeability of coal samples and the fracture permeability are decreased by 93.5% and more than 99.9% in average, respectively. (3) Influences of the grouting pressure on the permeability variation of coal samples were investigated through a numerical simulation. It was found that a reasonable grouting pressure for coal samples is about 0.3 MPa. (4) The numerical simulation reproduces the whole process of the grout flowing and the fracture filling. The variation laws of the diffusion and the permeability of the grout which are calculated through a numerical simulation agree well with the experimental results, which verifies the reasonability of the model. Research conclusions can provide important significance in theory and practice to disclose the leakage stoppage and the permeability reduction mechanism of the borehole grouting during the gas extraction and strengthen the sealing effects of extraction boreholes.