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Mechanism of water inrush and quicksand movement induced by a borehole and measures for prevention and remediation

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Abstract

In coal mining, a poorly sealed borehole is one of the channels that can lead to an inrush of water and quicksand movement, seriously compromising the safety of the coal mine. In this paper, we used the water inrush and quicksand incident at Longde Coal Mine as an example in order to investigate the mechanism of water inrush and quicksand movement induced by a borehole, as well as to develop measures for the prevention and remediation of such problems. Two sand funnel models and a water inrush outlet model are introduced from which to calculate the flow of the water and quicksand; a comparison of the two shows that the flow predicted by the water inrush outlet model is more consistent with observations from the accident than the sand funnel models. Based on the water inrush outlet model, the aquifer thickness and borehole diameter are the two key factors affecting the flow. The aquifer channel is inferred as tubular, with its diameter gradually decreasing from ground surface to underground, and a time-dependent surface subsidence model is constructed. Finally, we develop a prevention method, “Prior to mining development, borehole should be investigated and plugged for prevention,” and propose a remediation method, “Changing the pipeline flow into fracture flow, followed by changing the fracture flow into pore flow, and finally grouting and plugging.”

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge financial support from the National Basic Research Program (973 Program) under the National Natural Science Foundation of China (2013CB227900); the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Project 2014M560462); the Jiangsu Planned Projects for Postdoctoral Research Funds (1401097C); the National Natural Science Fund of China (41401397); and the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20140237). We extend special thanks to Professor Jaak J. K. Daemen from the University of Nevada (Reno, NV, USA) for advice on improving the English translation. The authors also acknowledge the reviewers and editors for their detailed and helpful comments, which greatly improved the quality of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory for Geomechanics and Deep Underground Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, 221116, Jiangsu, China

    Guimin Zhang, Kai Zhang & Yu Wu

  2. School of Geodesy and Geomatics, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, 221116, Jiangsu, China

    Lijuan Wang

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  1. Guimin Zhang
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  2. Kai Zhang
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  3. Lijuan Wang
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  4. Yu Wu
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Correspondence to Guimin Zhang or Kai Zhang.

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Zhang, G., Zhang, K., Wang, L. et al. Mechanism of water inrush and quicksand movement induced by a borehole and measures for prevention and remediation. Bull Eng Geol Environ 74, 1395–1405 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-014-0714-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-014-0714-5

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