Gas Jet Coal-Breaking Behavior: An Elliptical Crushing Theoretical Model

Coalbed methane (CBM) is a source of clean energy and has been recovered in past decades all over the world. Gas dynamic disaster is the primary disaster in outburst coal, and methane drainage plays a key role in eliminating this danger. As an efficient technology, a gas jet is widely used in CBM development and methane drainage. In this work, the full impinging process of coal and rock fracturing by a supersonic gas jet was studied. To understand how jet parameters affect coal and rock fracturing results, an elliptical crushing theoretical model was proposed. In addition, a laboratory experiment was designed to examine the proposed model, and four key parameters affecting the fracturing results were studied. The results show that different from the monotonic variation of theoretical values, there is a turning point in the variation of experimental values under some parameters. Considering the influence of the depth and radius of the erosion pit, the rock-breaking effect is better when the nozzle size is 2.75 Ma. The optimal target distance is 30 mm, and the impact pressure of a gas jet should be continuously increased in order to achieve certain rock-breaking effects under the impact of the jet.

Optimum Layout of Multiple Tree-type Boreholes in Low-Permeability Coal Seams to Improve Methane Drainage Performance

Extracting coal mine methane (CMM) is important for underground mining safety. The tree-type borehole drainage (TTBD) technique can effectively remove methane from coal seams. Determining a suitable drilling pattern for multiple tree-type boreholes will promote the efficient application of this technique in coal mines. Aimed at solving the problem that the optimum methane extraction layout for multiple tree-type boreholes is unclear, this study first constructed a full-coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical model to simulate methane flow in coal. This model and data from a coal mine were used to investigate the effect of multiple tree-type borehole layouts, tree-type borehole spacing, different Langmuir volume and different Langmuir pressure constants, and initial coal permeabilities on CMM drainage. The results show that the different tree-type borehole layouts result in significant differences in drainage and that the use of a rhombic sub-borehole layout can reduce the methane pre-drainage time by up to 44.4%. As the tree-type borehole spacing increases, the total time required for pre-drainage increases as a power function. As the Langmuir pressure constant, the fracture permeability, or the matrix permeability increases, the effective drainage zone expands. The effective drainage zone also expands when the Langmuir volume constant decreases but all these changes are accompanied by a shortening of the drainage completion time. These results can provide a reliable basis for optimizing tree-type borehole drilling layouts.

Method for designing the optimal sealing depth in methane drainage boreholes to realize efficient drainage

The purpose of underground methane drainage technology is to prevent methane disasters and enable the efficient use of coal mine methane (CMM), and the sealing depth is a key factor that affects the performance of underground methane drainage. In this work, the layouts of in-seam and crossing boreholes are considered to analyze the stress distribution and failure characteristics of roadway surrounding rock through a numerical simulation and field stress investigation to determine a reasonable sealing depth. The results show that the depths of the plastic and elastic zones in two experimental coal mines are 16 and 20 m respectively. Borehole sealing minimizes the air leakage through the fractures around the roadway when the sealing material covers the failure and plastic zones, and the field test results for CMM drainage at different sealing depths indicate that the CMM drainage efficiency increases with increasing sealing depth but does not change once the sealing depth exceeds the plastic zone. Moreover, sealing in the high-permeability roadway surrounding rock does not have a strong influence on the borehole sealing performance. Considering these findings, a new CMM drainage system for key sealing in the low-permeability zone was developed that is effective for improving the CMM drainage efficiency and prolonging the high-concentration CMM drainage period. The proposed approach offers a valuable quantitative analysis method for selecting the optimum sealing parameters for underground methane drainage, thereby improving considerably the drainage and utilization rates of CMM.

Possibilities of Capturing Methane from Hard Coal Deposits Lying at Great Depths

Methane present in coal seams is a natural hazard present during the exploitation of underground mining plants. It is an explosive and flammable gas that is released into mining excavations, and it is necessary to reduce its concentration. Capturing methane while preparing extraction is virtually impossible due to the low permeability of coal resulting from its deposition depth. After the beginning of exploitation and disrupting the seam’s structure, methane is released into mine air. The most common method of minimizing gas released into ventilation air is draining the rock mass. This method allows achieving the desired ventilation parameters but requires appropriate mining techniques in hazardous areas. The article presents the example of methane capture during the operation in the longwall B-15 with an overlying drainage gallery. The authors have highlighted an example of the longwall B-15 that when using this particular drainage method, allowed capturing twice the amount of methane forecasted, thus increasing the efficiency of methane drainage. At the preliminary stage of longwall development, the amount of methane charged by the drainage system had relatively low values, reaching 15 m3/min. In the next few months, these parameters increased and varied between 35 to 55 m3/min. A significant difference in methane capture appeared in the second stage of exploitation, where the highest value of captured methane reached 82 m3/min. This particular longwall example shows that it is crucial to properly design the drainage system for seams with high forecasted methane release. It is worth remembering that using a drainage gallery provides an increase in the methane capture from the desorption zone areas, thus increasing total methane capture in comparison to forecasts.