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Effects of Coal Thickness on the Fractal Dimension of Gas Migration Channels: Laboratory and Field Study of a Gassy Coal Mine

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Abstract

Coal mining leads directly to changes in geophysical rock formations and upsets the equilibrium of gas concentrations in gas–liquid channels, which can cause mining disasters. In this study, based on the fractal dimension theory, the influence of coal thickness on gas migration channels in geophysical rock formations under fully mechanized mining faces was analyzed. The results demonstrated that channel boundaries become mutated in overburden. The increase in coal seam thickness affects directly the height of the gas migration channel. Under the condition of a 6 m mining height, the height of the gas migration channels developed to 60 m and the width reached 33 m. At the same time, the fractal dimension under the condition of 6 m mining height increased by 1.07 and 1.23 times compared with 4 m and 2 m. The results further indicated that optimal analyses and adjustment based upon coal thickness to determine high-level borehole arrangements can ensure safety in completing mining activities at the working face. The results provided practical and theoretical foundations for identifying high-concentration gas zones in geophysical rock formations and may serve as a feasible reference for further reducing the occurrence of geological and gas-related disasters.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are exceptionally thankful for the support provided by Safety Science and Engineering School, Xi’an University of Science and Technology, and Key Laboratory of Western Mine Exploitation and Hazard Prevention with the Ministry of Education. In addition, the authors wish to acknowledge the Hesun Tianchi and Xinjiang Liuhuangggou Coal Mine for providing the coal samples used in this study. This research was financially supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 5217–4205), Shaanxi Outstanding Youth Science Foundation Project (Grant No. 2023–JC–JQ–40), Shaanxi Provincial Department of Education Key Projects (Grant No. 22JY040), Open Subjects of Xinjiang Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Green Mining of Coal Resources (Grant No. KLXGY–KA2404), and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Key R&D Tasks (Grant No. 2022B01034–3).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Safety Science and Engineering, Xi’an University of Science and Technology, Xi’an, 710054, Shaanxi, China

    Risheng Zhuo, Pengxiang Zhao, Shugang Li, Haifei Lin, Xiangguo Kong & Quan Jin

  2. Key Laboratory of Western Mine Exploitation and Hazard Prevention with Ministry of Education, Xi’an, 710054, Shaanxi, China

    Pengxiang Zhao, Shugang Li, Haifei Lin & Xiangguo Kong

  3. Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Coal Resources Green Mining, Ministry of Education, Xinjiang Institute of Engineering, Urumqi, 830023, China

    Pengxiang Zhao

  4. School of Safety Engineering, Xinjiang Institute of Engineering, Urumqi, 830023, Xinjiang, China

    Shugang Li

  5. Xinjiang Coal Science Research Institute, Urumqi, 830091, Xinjiang, China

    Haifei Lin, Shikui Jin & Zhen Wang

  6. School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, 28 Xianning West Road, Xi’an, 710049, Shaanxi, China

    Hui Liu

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  1. Risheng Zhuo
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Correspondence to Pengxiang Zhao or Hui Liu.

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Zhuo, R., Zhao, P., Li, S. et al. Effects of Coal Thickness on the Fractal Dimension of Gas Migration Channels: Laboratory and Field Study of a Gassy Coal Mine. Nat Resour Res (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-024-10330-8

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