Fenghua An

A Mathematical Model of Coupled Gas Flow and Coal Deformation with Gas Diffusion and Klinkenberg Effects

The influence of gas diffusion behavior on gas flow and permeability evolution in coal seams is evaluated in this paper. Coalbed methane (CBM) reservoirs differ from conventional porous media and fractured gas reservoirs due to certain unique features, which lead to two distinct gas pressures: one in fractures and the other in the coal matrix. The latter pressure, also known as the sorption pressure, will be used in calculating sorption-based volume changes. The effective stress laws for single-porosity media is not suitable for CBM reservoirs, and the effective stress laws for multi-porosity media need to be applied. The realization of the above two points is based on the study of the two-phase state of gas migration (involving Fickian diffusion and Darcy flow) in a coal seam. Then, a general porosity and permeability model based on the P-M model is proposed to fit this phenomenon. Moreover, the Klinkenberg effect has been taken into account and set as a reference object. Finally, a coupled gas flow and coal deformation model is proposed and solved by using a finite element method. The numerical results indicate that the effects of gas diffusion behavior and Klinkenberg behavior can have a critical influence on the gas pressure, residual gas content, and permeability evolution during the entire methane degasification period, and the impacts of the two effects are of the same order of magnitude. Without considering the gas diffusion effect, the gas pressure and residual gas content will be underestimated, and the permeability will be overestimated.

The controlling effect of thick-hard igneous rock on pressure relief gas drainage and dynamic disasters in outburst coal seams

Intrusive igneous rock is usually found in the overlying strata above mining stopes, and its occurrence, lithology, and distribution play important roles in coal mining safety. Of the numerous coal mine disasters in China, a large number have been caused by magma intrusion. Magmatic activity is intense and widely distributed in the Haizi Coal Mine which has suffered eleven coal and gas outburst accidents and one water inrush accident under a thick-hard igneous rock with 120-m-thick. Based on theoretical analysis, laboratory testing and field observations, we found that under the effect of thermal evolution and entrapment of the igneous rock, the coal pore structure developed, the gas adsorption capacity was enhanced, and the risk of gas outburst increased. The igneous rock, as the main key stratum, will not subside or break for a long time after mining. The closing time of fractures and separations is also prolonged and provides good conditions for gas drainage. The distant penetration borehole for draining pressure relief gas is proposed which can ensure effective gas drainage and reduce the number of rock laneways. However, with the continuous mining of a large area, the igneous rock could suddenly break, instantly releasing a tremendous amount of elastic strain energy, which will easily induce the occurrence of complex dynamic disasters, such as rock bursts, water inrush, gas outbursts, and surface subsidence. Based on the cause analysis of dynamic disasters, a reasonable goaf filling height is proposed for fully eliminating mine disasters under the special geological condition.

Characteristics of gas disaster in the Huaibei coalfield and its control and development technologies

The Huaibei coalfield is in the East China Economic Area, which is rich in coal and gas resources. However, hundreds of coal and gas outburst accidents have occurred because of the complex geological structures of the coalfield. Based on theoretical analysis and field statistics, the characteristics of regional geological structures and the coal measure strata evolution in the Huaibei coalfield were researched, and gas resource distribution and gas parameters were statistically analyzed to determine the dominant controlling factors of gas occurrence and gas dynamic disaster. The results indicated that the Huaibei coalfield has undergone complex tectonic evolution, causing obvious differences in gas storage in different blocks of different mining areas, which exhibits a pattern of high amounts of gas in the south and east, and low amounts of gas in the north and west. The coal seam and gas occurrence have a bipolar distribution in the coalfield caused by multiple tectonic movements, and they are deeply buried. Horizontal tectonic stress plays a dominant role in gas outburst, and the thermal evolution and trap effects of magma intrusion increase the possibility and extent of gas outburst. Considering coal seam and gas occurrence characteristics in the coalfield, we propose a new technology for deep coal reservoir reconstruction which combined present underground regional gas control methods and surface well extraction methods. The technology has three effects: developing gas resources, improving coal mining safety level and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which has been practiced to be effective in coal mines in the Huaibei coalfield.

The evolution of permeability and gas composition during remote protective longwall mining and stress-relief gas drainage: a case study of the underground Haishiwan Coal Mine

The mining of protective coal seams can cause changes in geostress, leading to changes in the permeability of coal rock and creating favorable conditions for gas extraction from coal seams. At the Haishiwan Coal Mine, field tests using remote protective coal seam mining were performed in the protected layer, which is rich in CO2 gas. In remote protective longwall mining, the permeability and composition of extracted stress-relief gas can vary. Under the conditions of remote protective longwall mining, the permeability of a protected coal seam can be generally described by the Liu model. During protective layer mining, the permeability of the protective layer increases rapidly with the release of stress, then decreases gradually with the recovery of the geostress. However, matrix shrinkage and decreased pore pressure caused by CO2 desorption from coal seams also cannot be ignored when considering the factors that affect the permeability. Thus, it is necessary to appropriately configure the cross-measure boreholes in advance to drain the stress-relief gas during remote protective layer mining. Stressrelief CO2 gas extraction presents multiple consecutive peaks. The No. 2 coal seam has different trap pressure systems as CO2 migrates into the coal seam. The protected seam experiences different effective stresses during protective layer mining, and the permeabilities appear to periodically increase due to differences in the original permeability. The various permeability and diffusion coefficients for CO2 and CH4 in coal induce CO2 and CH4 fractionation in the roof and floor of the No. 2 coal seam.