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Height of the Water-Flowing Fractured Zone of the Jurassic Coal Seam in Northwestern China

中国西北侏罗系煤田顶板导水裂隙带高度

Höhe der wasserführenden Bruchzone des jurassischen Kohleflözes in Nordwestchina

Altura de la zona fraccionada con agua fluyente en la veta de carbón jurásico en el noroeste de China

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Abstract

Research on the height of the water-flowing fractured zone (HWFFZ) is important for mine safety and regional eco-environmental conservation in the Jurassic coal field of northwestern China. Using the Cuimu coal mine as a case study, on-site measurement, mechanical theory calculation, and numerical simulation were used to analyze the regularity of the HWFFZ in this area. A television borehole wall imaging system with a light source allowed us to examine the size and shape of fissures intuitively, allowing the top boundary of the HWFFZ to be determined. Per mechanical theory, the overlying strata in the decreasing stress zone was simplified as a clamped rectangular plate and the formula for calculating HWFFZ was obtained by comparing the value of the ultimate deflection of the thin plate and the height of the free space in the lower part of the stratum. In addition, the dynamic development of the HWFFZ was simulated using realistic failure process analysis software. The unusual characteristics of the HWFFZ were analyzed from two aspects: the inapplicability of the traditional empirical formula and the difference of the overlying strata structure of the Jurassic and the Carboniferous Permian coalfields. These strata can be divided into layered and integrated strata in the Jurassic coalfield.

导水裂隙带高度(HWFFZ) 研究对西北侏罗系煤田煤矿安全开采和生态环境保护具有重要意义。以催木煤矿为例,利用现场监测、力学计算和数值模拟方法研究了该区导水裂隙带发育规律。带光源的钻孔孔壁电视有助于观察初始裂隙大小、形状和判定导水裂隙带顶部位置。经力学分析,将应变衰减区上覆岩层简化为固支矩形板,通过比较薄板挠曲和下部地层自由空间高度获得导水裂隙带高度计算公式。利用真实破裂过程分析软件(RFPA)模拟了导水裂隙带发育的动力学过程。从两个方面分析了导水裂隙异常特征:经验公式的不适用性和侏罗系与石炭二叠系地层结构的差异。侏罗系煤田地层可被分为层状和整体两种。

Zusammenfassung

Die Erforschung der Höhe der wasserführenden Bruchzone (HWFFZ) ist bedeutsam im Hinblick auf Grubensicherheit und Umweltschutz im jurassischen Kohlerevier von Nordwestchina. Am Beispiel der Kohlegrube Cuimu wurde anhand von Feldmessungen, gebirgsmechanischen Berechnungen und numerischen Simulationen die Regelmäßigkeit der HWFFZ in diesem Gebiet untersucht. Ein Bohrlochkamerasystem mit Lichtquelle ermöglichte die direkte Untersuchung von Spaltengröße und -form und damit der Bestimmung der Oberkante der HWFFZ. Mittels mechanischer Theorie wurden die Deckschichten in der Stressabbauzone vereinfacht als eingespannte rechteckige Platte betrachtet, die Berechnungsformel für die HWFFZ ließ sich durch Vergleich des Werts der maximalen Durchbiegung der dünnen Platte und einem entsprechenden Abstandsmaß im unteren Schichtbereich berechnen. Zudem wurde die dynamische Entwicklung der HWFFZ mittels realistischer Versagensprozessanalyse (RFPA) simuliert. Die ungewöhnlichen Eigenschaften der HWFFZ wurden unter zweierlei Aspekten analysiert, nämlich der Nichtanwendbarkeit der herkömmlichen empirischen Formel sowie der Strukturunterschiede der Eigenschaften der überlagernden Schichten der jurassischen bzw. permokarbonen Kohlereviere. Im jurassischen Kohlerevier können geschichtete und integrierte Schichten unterschieden werden.

Resumen

La investigación sobre la altura de la zona fracturada con agua fluyente (HWFFZ) es importante para la seguridad de las minas y la conservación ecoambiental regional en el campo de carbón Jurásico del noroeste de China. Utilizando la mina de carbón de Cuimu como un caso de estudio, se realizaron medidas in situ, cálculo de teoría mecánica y simulación numérica para analizar la regularidad de la HWFFZ en esta área. Un sistema de imagen de la pared del agujero de perforación con una fuente de luz, nos permitió examinar el tamaño y la forma de las fisuras intuitivamente, y determinar el límite superior de la HWFFZ. Por teoría mecánica, los estratos superpuestos en la zona de tensión decreciente fueron considerados en forma simplificada como una placa rectangular sujetada; la fórmula para calcular HWFFZ se obtuvo comparando el valor de la deflexión final de la placa delgada y la altura del espacio libre en la parte inferior del estrato. Además, se simuló el desarrollo dinámico de la HWFFZ utilizando software realista de análisis de procesos de fallas (RFPA). Las características inusuales de la HWFFZ fueron analizadas desde dos aspectos: la inaplicabilidad de la fórmula empírica tradicional y la diferencia de la estructura de los estratos superpuestos de las cuencas carboníferas del Jurásico y del Permiano. Estos estratos se pueden dividir en capas estratificadas e integradas en la cuenca de carbón del Jurásico.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the 186 group of the Shaanxi Coalfield Geology Bureau and the Cuimu colliery for their support and permission to access data. Financial support was provided by the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) under Grant 2015CB251601, and the State Key Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant 41430643).

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  1. School of Resources and Geosciences, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, 221116, Jiangsu, China

    Shiliang Liu, Wenping Li & Qiqing Wang

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  1. Shiliang Liu
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  2. Wenping Li
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Correspondence to Wenping Li.

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Liu, S., Li, W. & Wang, Q. Height of the Water-Flowing Fractured Zone of the Jurassic Coal Seam in Northwestern China. Mine Water Environ 37, 312–321 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10230-017-0501-1

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