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Water Conservation when Mining Multiple, Thick, Closely-Spaced Coal Seams: A Case Study of Mining Under Weishan Lake

Schutz der Wasserresourcen beim Abbau multipler, mächtiger und enggelagerter Kohlenflöze: Fallstudie des Abbaues unter dem Weishan See

Conservación del agua en casos de minería de vetas cercanas delgadas y espacialmente contiguas: estudio del caso de la minería bajo el lago Weishan

近距离厚煤层开采时水资源保护:微山湖下采煤案例研究

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Abstract

To resolve issues of water resource conservation and avoid water inrush accidents, a case study was performed in the Gaozhuang coal mine, which lies under Weishan Lake. The two coal seams are 4 and 5 m thick, and are separated by 2–5 m. As the goaf gradually expanded with mining, some fractures that had formed at the centre of the goaf were gradually compressed and closed, while fractures at the periphery of the goaf did not. Therefore, the periphery of the goaf was recognized as the key region for water conservation mining. After the upper seam was mined, the hydraulically connected fractured (HCF) zone in the overburden had a maximum height of 6.9 times of the integrated mining height. After the lower seam was mined, the HCF zone increased to a maximum height of 9.8 times the integrated mining height. The maximum depth of ground surface fractures above the goaf was 1.1 times the integrated mining height. The thickness of the safety pillar to be left in place as protective strata was determined based on these values, and the hydraulic connection between the aquifers above the mine and the overlying lake was assessed. We then analysed the feasibility of in situ protection of the surface water and proposed techniques to prevent the water in the overlying sandstone from rushing into the work area.

Zusammenfassung

Im Gaozhuang Kohlenbergbau unter dem Weishan See wurde eine Fallstudie ausgeführt, um Fragen des Schutzes von Wasserressourcen und der Vermeidung von Wassereinbrüchen zu klären. Die zwei Kohlenflöze haben eine Mächtigkeit von 4 bzw. 5 m, getrennt durch ein Zwischenmittel von 2-5 m. Mit zunehmender Ausdehnung des Bruchfeldes mit dem Abbau wurden Spalten im Bruchfeldzentrum langsam zusammengepresst und geschlossen, nicht jedoch randliche Brüche und Spalten. Somit wurde die Peripherie des Bruchfeldes als Schlüssel für einen wassererhaltenden Abbau erkannt. Nach dem Abbau des hangenden Flözes erreichte die Zone hydraulisch verbundener Brüche (HCF) eine maximale Höhe von 9.8 mal der Abbaumächtigkeit. Nach Gewinnung des liegenden Flözes wuchs die HCF-Zone auf eine maximale Höhe von 9.8 mal der gesamten Abbauhöhe. Die maximale Tiefe von Brüchen und Spalten an der Oberfläche erreichte 1.1 mal der integrierten Abbauhöhe. Auf diesen Befunden basierend wurde die Mächtigkeit des Sicherheitspfeilers bestehend aus schützenden Schichten berechnet. Die hydraulische Konnektivität zwischen den Aquiferen über der Mine und dem darüber liegenden See wurde bewertet. Danach analysieren wir die Durchführbarkeit von in situ Maßnahmen für den Schutz des Oberflächenwassers und empfehlen Techniken zur Vermeidung von Wassereinbrüchen aus den hangenden Sandsteinen in die Grubenhohlräume.

Resumen

Para resolver los problemas de conservación de los recursos hídricos y evitar los accidentes de irrupción de agua, se realizó un estudio de caso en la mina de carbón Gaozhuang, que se encuentra debajo del lago Weishan. Las dos capas de carbón tienen un espesor de 4 y 5 m y están separadas por 2-5 m. A medida que el túnel se expandía gradualmente con la minería, algunas fracturas que se habían formado en el centro del túnel se comprimieron y cerraron gradualmente, mientras que las fracturas en la periferia del túnel no lo hicieron. Es por eso que la periferia del túnel es la región clave para la conservación de agua en la minería. Después de que se explotó la veta superior, la zona fracturada conectada hidráulicamente (HCF) e tenía una altura máxima de 6,9 veces la altura de la zona extraída. Luego de explotar la veta inferior, la zona de HCF aumentó a una altura máxima de 9,8 veces la altura de extracción. La profundidad máxima de las fracturas de la superficie del suelo sobre el túnel fue 1,1 veces la altura de extracción. El grosor del pilar de seguridad, para ser dejado en el lugar como protección, se determinó en función de aquellos valores y se evaluó la conexión hidráulica entre los acuíferos que se encuentran sobre la mina y el lago suprayacente. Luego, analizamos la viabilidad de la protección in situ de las aguas superficiales y propusimos técnicas para evitar que el agua de la piedra arenisca que se encuentra encima irrumpa en el área de trabajo.

摘要

为保护水资源和避免突水事故, 在郭庄矿进行了微山湖下采煤案例研究。两个煤层分别厚4 m 和 5 m,相距仅 2-5 m。 随采空区扩展,采空区中心早期形成的裂隙逐渐压缩和闭合,但是采空区边界裂隙并非如此。 采空区边界被视为水资源保护的关键区域。上部煤层开采后,覆岩导水裂隙带最大高度为综合采高的6.9倍; 下部煤层开采之后,导水裂隙带提高到综合开采高度的9.8倍。采空区以上地表裂缝最大深度是综合开采高度的 1.1 倍。依据以上结果确定了安全煤柱厚度, 评价了煤矿以上含水层与湖水之间水力联系。我们分析了保护地表水的可行性,提出了阻止上覆砂岩突水的技术措施。

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2017XKQY096) and the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Deep Coal Resource Mining (CUMT), Ministry of Education, School of Mines, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, 221116, China

    Liqiang Ma, Dongsheng Zhang & Yihe Yu

  2. College of Energy Engineering, Xi’an University of Science and Technology, Xi’an, 710054, China

    Liqiang Ma

  3. State Key Laboratory for Geomechanics and Deep Underground Engineering, School of Mechanics and Civil Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, 221116, China

    Jinshuai Guo

  4. Department of Mining Engineering, Earth Mechanics Institute, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, 80401, USA

    Wenpeng Liu

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  1. Liqiang Ma
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  2. Jinshuai Guo
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  3. Wenpeng Liu
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  4. Dongsheng Zhang
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  5. Yihe Yu
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Correspondence to Liqiang Ma or Jinshuai Guo.

Electronic supplementary material

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Fig. S-1

Curve of HCF zone’s fitting formula. (PDF 12 kb)

Fig. S-2

Subsidence curve of the overburden. (PDF 22 kb)

Fig. S-3

Methods of HCF zone observation. Hydrological observation through surface drilling (a); Underground drilling and water injection (b) (PDF 15 kb)

Fig. S-4

Observation procedures. (PDF 15 kb)

Supplementary material 5 (PDF 125 kb)

Supplementary material 6 (DOCX 19 kb)

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Ma, L., Guo, J., Liu, W. et al. Water Conservation when Mining Multiple, Thick, Closely-Spaced Coal Seams: A Case Study of Mining Under Weishan Lake. Mine Water Environ 38, 643–657 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10230-019-00610-8

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