Available online at www.sciencedirect.

com

Procedia Engineering 26 (2011) 560 – 569

First International Symposium on Mine Safety Science and Engineering

Gas control technology and engineering practice for three-soft

coal seam with low permeability in XuanGang region, China
Qingzhao Li*, Baiquan Lin*, Wei Yang, Cheng Zhai, Zhiyong Hao
State Key Laboratory of Coal Resources and Safe Mining, Key Laboratory of Gas and Fire Control for Coal Mines of Ministry of
Education, School of Safety Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221008, Jiangsu Province, PR China .

Abstract

Underground coal mining needs effective technical methods for the control of gas emissions in order to be able to
work under safe conditions. Based on the coal seam geological conditions among the Xuan Gang region, a major part
of theoretical research and technical development has been directed to this purpose. According to the roles of mining
fractures development and relief gas flow, a novel method for the comprehensive gas drainage was proposed and
engineering practiced in the mining field, which includes long drilling boreholes, oblique crossed boreholes and
upper corner flexible drainage pipelines. Compared with previous gas control measurements, the total gas drainage
ratio significantly enhanced from 30% to 67.33% (No.51109 working face) and 76.44% (No.51105 working face).
The ventilation air methane concentration of working face greatly decreased down to about 0.3%. Field tests shows
that it is an effective method for gas control, which ensured the safety production of underground coal mine. The
proposed gas drainage technology provides a novel approach for the three-soft coal seam gas management in China.

© 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of China Academy
of Safety Science and Technology, China University of Mining and Technology(Beijing), McGill
University and University of Wollongong

Keywords: Gas emission; Three-soft coal seam; Low permeability; Relief gas drainage; Drilling hole

1. Introduction

China is abundant in coal, and the production of coal in 2010 had been reached about 3.25 billion tons,
which occupied more than 70% of energy supply. However, another fact is that 17.6 percent state-owned
key coal mines have the coal and gas outburst danger due to the high methane contents, high gas pressure
and low permeability of coal bed, which threats the safety production, causing the human lives and facility
losses in many cases. In order to reduce the outburst accidents, the National Coal Mine Safety Supervision

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +86 516 83884401; fax: +86 516 83884401
E-mail address: qingzhaolee@yahoo.com.cn (Q.Z. Li), lbq21405@126.com (B.Q. Lin)

1877-7058 © 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

doi:10.1016/j.proeng.2011.11.2206
 Qingzhao Li et al. / Procedia Engineering 26 (2011) 560 – 569 561

Bureau issued the “Provisions of the Prevention of Coal and gas outburst” in August 2009, which
emphasized the necessary of gas control measures especially for safety mining of “three-soft coal seam
with low permeability”.
Among all the coal reserves in China, the percent of thick coal seams achieve about 44% and the coal
production from thick coal seams could be reach to about 45%. And now, fully mechanized top coal
caving had been become a popular method especially for thick coal seam mining because of its high yield,
high efficiency and low cost. But with the development of mining depth, the increased gas contents and
pressure also enhanced the probability of accidents occurrence. Therefore, gas control technology
developing for high gassy fully mechanized top-caving face has become a difficult problem needed to be
resolved urgently for Chinese coal mines [1-4].
Engineering practice showed that, the advances of mining face always cause movement or destroy of
coal bed and rock and lead to release of in-situ stress. The produced fractures greatly increase the
permeability of coal seam and promote the flow characteristics of relief gases. Stress relief gas, refers to
the gas which is deposited in the gob and fractured coal seams caused by mining. Reference to the seams
being mined, relief gas can be divided into two main categories: gas distributed in the mined coal seams
and that in adjacent coal seams, which will always discharge to the working face and cause serious
accident of gas accumulation on the working face. Therefore, the gas control technology and its
application on the working face of three-soft coal seam seem great important for safe mining. In this paper,
the relationship between the stress relief, rock deformation and permeability of coal seam had been
investigated. A gas control technology had been issued and applied in Jiaojiazhai mine, XuanGang region.

2. Basic theories analysis of stress and permeability

2.1. Rock layer deformation and permeability

Coal can be considered to be a naturally fractured reservoir where the permeability is governed by the
fluid conductivity of the cleat, and of other structures present on a broader length scale. Researches show
that permeability in coal is very sensitive to the effective stress, increasing as the effective stress relief [5].
When a coal seam has been mined, the stress equilibrium around the roof would be broken and
redistributed, which would cause deformation, destruction and re-displacement of overlying strata. In
order to control the roof effectively, many researches were carried out on the rock mass above the mined
coal seam. Academician Qian of the China Academy of Engineering put forward “masonry beam model”
and “key stratum theory” [6], and professor Xu promoted the key stratum theory for relieved gas control
[7]. The rock surrounding the mining area can be divided into three zones in each of the section and plan
views (Figure1). In the vertical section above the roof, the rock layers can be divided into a caved zone, a
fractured zone and a bending zone [8].
The caving zone is deposited by pieces of rocks with various sizes bank up in the gob and has a
relatively high void space providing a high permeability. With the advances of working face, the caving
zone would gradually be suppressed due to the collapse of overlying strata, but it never reaches the
original volume and still retains plenty of connective fracture. The fractured zone develops an abscission
layer and vertical broken fractures. According to the connectivity of fractures, the fractured zone can be
divided into penetrative zone (having a better permeability) and non-penetrative fractured zone (having a
relatively worse permeability). The rock layer in the bending zone remains unbroken. The part below the
bending zone develops the abscission layer, with few abscission events in the top part of the bending zone.
Therefore, in order to gain a effective gas drainages, borehole should be drilled in the fractured zones.
562 Qingzhao Li et al. / Procedia Engineering 26 (2011) 560 – 569

Abscission circle

Compaction area

Abscission circle

Surface Plane map

Bending zone Abscission circle Compaction area Abscission circle

Fracture zone

Caving zone

Section map Gob area Mining coal seam

Figure 1 Vertical distribution of mining fractures in overlying rocks and the schematic diagram of “abscission circle”

2.2. Stress redistributions and permeability in mining area

With the advances of mining face, a variation of stress in front of the working face would be
redistributed, which always cause various deformations in the rock mass. The weights of overlying rock
are supported by the barrier pillar and the stress would decrease to a limited extent above the gob roof,
whereas the stress around the working face is increased greatly. The stress redistributions around the
working face would always cause the coal rock stretched or compressed, so as to deformed and fractured.
According to the re-distributions of the stress (Shown in Fig.2), the regions around the working face can
be divided into five zones: a normal stress zone (A), a stress concentrated zone (B), a stress relief zone (C),
a stress resuming zone (D) and a re-compressed zone (E).
For the original coal seams, there are abundant primary cracks in the coal rock mass. Researches show
that the permeability and fluid flow patterns in the coal rock masses are greatly sensitive to the effective
stress on it, because it always distributed fracture aperture and also correlated with fracture traces [9-12].
With the increasing of norm stress, the cracks would be shrunk, whereas the cracks would expand while
the norm stresses decreasing. Figure 2 shows that, with the mining processing, stress of coal bed in front
of the working face experienced an obviously concentrated and released process. Near the working face
where the stress is near zero on the open coal wall which is uncovered because of mining, but remains
quite high internally in the seam. Under the function of redistribution and evolution of pre-brace stress,
coal rock in front of the working face suffered a compress and expanding processes. Movements of the
stress field result in the formation and development of fractures in the mined seam of the coal wall. On the
other side, secondary fractures are formed in the coal as it breaks anisotropically. The local stress field,
together with coal rock heterogeneities and interfaces (discontinuities; fractures, contacts), determine
fracture propagation, deflection (along discontinuities/interfaces), thereby, its permeability development
[13].
 Qingzhao Li et al. / Procedia Engineering 26 (2011) 560 – 569 563

III

II

A B C D E

Advance direction
Stress

Figure 2 Horizontal stress distributions of overlying coal seam and rocks and the zone partitions

2.3. Gas flow and concentrated characteristics in the fracture zones

With the progress of mining, relief gas from the in-situ coal seam and adjacent layer will be
concentrated and deposited in the fracture zones. For the bending zones, its penetrability was also
increased obviously because of the formation of plenty of transverse clefts. Gases from adjacent seams
would also be transferred along the travelling channels to the in-situ coal seams. Besides, the zones of
fracture and bending are evolved with the advances of working face. Especially for the working face with
“U” type ventilation system, under the pressure of ventilation air, relief gases of the gob zones will be
transported along the fractures and concentrated in the top corner zones, which always cause gas-
exceeding accident (Shown in Figure 3). Therefore, management of relief gases concentrated in top corner
zone seems playing an important role for the gas control of working face [14].

Gob area

Bending zone

Fracture zone

Caving zone

Air out Gas concentrated region Air in

Figure 3 Gas flow and concentrated situation in gob zone of in-situ coal seam

3. Relief gas control technology

3.1. Coal mine summarization

JiaoJiaZhai mine of belongs to Ningwu coal field, under the management to the Datong Coal Mine
Group. The thickness of No.5# mining coal seam is about 5.8-13.0meter, that is one of the main coal seam
can be mined among the field. The coal spontaneous combustion duration is about 3-6 months, belongs to
type II spontaneous combustion coal. According to the geological sense, No.5# coal seam is a single
monoclinic structure and the average dip angle is about 12o. By the tectonic stress, the coal body is very
soft and easy fragmentized. The working face of No.51109, which is used for the mining of No.5# coal
564 Qingzhao Li et al. / Procedia Engineering 26 (2011) 560 – 569

seam, employed fully-mechanized caving method and U type ventilation mode for the coal mining. The
lithology of coal stratum is shown in Figure 4.

Lithology Thickness(m) Description

Mid & fine

6.0
sandstone

3.4 Sandshale & sandstone

0.5 Mudshale

5.8̚13 Coal 5#

1.5 Shale & mudstone

8.0 Mid size sandstone

Figure 4 Lithology of coal stratum in JiaoJiaZhai mine, XuanGang region

3.2. Statistics laws of gas emission and its composition

Since 2004, there are total four working face had been mined for No.5# coal seam. After a large
number of observations and statistics on the gas emission phenomenon, it can be concluded that gas
emission in No.5# coal seam has the following significant features. The first is that the emitted gas
quantity and concentration at the top corner and the tail of coal slide machine are great high, especially for
last one, where gas concentration can be higher to about 2%. More importantly, this area may become a
blind region of gas emission management. The second law is that gas emission quantity and concentration
to the working face shows periodical regularity. With the progress of mining, the basic roof behind the
working face will be caved and filled to the gob area. Affected by the roof caving, large quantity of gas
released from the residual coal and concentrated in the gob area would be emitted to the working face in a
short period, which often causes gas overloaded and alarm would continue for about 3-4 hours. More
seriously, it may cause working staff asphyxia. Using elemental method [15], the gas emission quantity
and its compositions were measured and list in Table 1. It can be seen that gob gas emission made a
greater contribution to working face gas accumulation. Therefore, the drainage of gob gas and stress
relieved gas seems critical for the working face emitted gas management and control.

Table 1 Gas emission composition of working face in No.5# coal seam

Total quantity of I-Gas emission II-Gas emission Percent of Percent of Working face
Coal seam
gas emission from coal wall from gob area part-I part-II level
No.
(m3/t) (m3/t) (m3/t) (%) (%) (m)

5# 10.35 2.26 8.09 21.8 78.2 -1020m

5# 15.44 5.34 10.10 34.6 65.4 -820m
Coal production of No.5# seam at 51109 working face: 3000t/d
 Qingzhao Li et al. / Procedia Engineering 26 (2011) 560 – 569 565

3.3. Proposed gas control technology for three-soft coal seam of XuanGang region

Based on the distribution and evolution of mining stress and fracture, according to the gas
transportation and accumulation of relief gas, a comprehensive method by "3D drainage technical" are
selected for the emitted gas control to the working face in Xuangang region. This drainage method
includes long drilling boreholes, oblique crossed boreholes and upper corner flexible drainage pipelines.
On the foundation of XuanGang mine region actual geological conditions, FLAC3D software was used
for the determination of fracture zones. And fully taking into account gob fire prevention, the long drilling
boreholes were placed in the junction point of caving zone and fracture zone in the vertical direction. In
the horizontal direction, the drilling boreholes were placed about 15meters inside return airway tunnel, the
schematic diagram of the long drilling holes' allocations are shown in Figure 5. The oblique crossed
boreholes are mainly used for the pre-drainage of relief gas from the mining coal body, and both used for
the extraction of gob gas at the same time. These clustered holes were drilled at the drill section in the
return airway tunnel. The oblique crossed boreholes were placed at the direction to the coal wall with the
angle about 30-35o to the return airway tunnel in the horizontal direction, and with angle of elevation
about 15-20o, which is shown in Figure 6. The lengths of these clustered holes were about 50m, and the
end of holes will drilled into the roof of the 5# coal seam about 5meters. In order to reduce the probability
of emitted gas accumulation at the upper corner, and at the same time to reduce the burden of gas drainage
by long drilling boreholes, several flexible gas drainage pipes were inserted into gob areas at the upper
corner section, which is shown in Figure 7.
14m A
7m
Surface
Air out

Abscission circle Abscission circle Working face of coal 5#

Bending zone Compaction area °
32

Overlying strata of coal 5#

Fracture zone A
15m

Hole depth : 50m

18°

Caving zone A-A Hole diameter : 75mm

Air in
Returning airway Gob area Mining coal seam

Figure 5 Allocations of 1000m length drilling holes Figure 6 Allocations of oblique crossed boreholes in air returning gateway

Air out

Gas drainage pipeline

Flexible drainage pipe

Brick partitions

Working face of coal 5# (51109) Gob area

Figure 7 The upper corner gas control by gob drainage pipe technology
566 Qingzhao Li et al. / Procedia Engineering 26 (2011) 560 – 569

4. Engineering applications and results discussions

4.1. Construction of drilling holes and drainage systems

Employed VLD1000 drilling systems (Figure 8), the long holes were drilled in the roofs of No.5# coal
seam, along the direction of working face advanced and parallel to the air returning way. The specific
location parameters of long drilling holes are shown in Figure 5 and the designed holes tracks are shown
in Figure 9. Due to the effect of coal geology, the depth of ZK1 hole were drilled about 648 meters, and
ZK2 hole were drilled about 585 meters, with the same diameter of 96 millimeter. Compared with the
designed holes trajectory, the horizontal deviation range of ZK1 hole is the 0.10-0.50 meters, and the
range of vertical deviation is the 0.30-4.50 meters. For the ZK2 hole, the horizontal deviation range of is
the 0.50-2.50 meters and the range of vertical deviation is the 0.30-1.00 meters. At the same time, the
deviation range of branching hole is about 1.00 meter in the horizontal direction and 0.50 meter in vertical
direction (shown in Figure 10 and Figure 11).
The oblique clustered holes were constructed according to the Figure 6 and the end of holes will drilled
into the roof of the 5# coal seam about 5meters. At the same time, the flexible gas drainage pipes were
placed according to Figure 7. All the drilling holes were plugged using polyurethane materials and gas
was extracted using mobile gas drainage pumping station (Model No. ZWY 40/75) underground coal
mine.

Figure 8 VLD1000 type drilling system of Valley Longwall International Group Companie

1175
1165
H=8.5M H=7M 2# coal underlying strata 3.55 2➔

1155
3.18 ⸲䍘亥ዙ

Borehole tracks
3.17 ⌕ዙ

1.35 3➔

3.61 ѝ㋂⸲ዙ

1145 3.99
ѝ㋂⸲ዙ

1.08 ⸲䍘⌕ዙ
3.99

2.70

1.40
ѝ㋂⸲ዙ

1.08 ⸲䍘⌕ዙ

⌕ዙ

3➔
4.30 ⸲䍘亥ዙ

5.82 ⌕ዙ

1135
2.70 ⌕ዙ

1.40 3➔

3➔ᓅᶯǃ⸲ዙቲ
3.51 ѝ㋂⸲ዙ

ѝ㋂⸲ዙ 5.25 ѝ㋂⸲ዙ

3.99 3.51 ѝ㋂⸲ዙ
1.08 ⸲䍘⌕ዙ
3.80 ⸲䍘⌕ዙ

2.70 ⌕ዙ 3.80 ⸲䍘⌕ዙ

4ਧᆄᇎ䱵䖘䘩

1125
1.40 3➔

⸲ዙቲ
4.59 ⌕ዙ
0.70 ⸲䍘⌕ዙ

3.51 ѝ㋂⸲ዙ 4.59 ⌕ዙ

ѝ㋂⸲ዙ 0.70 ⸲䍘⌕ዙ
3.99

Drilling section
1.08 ⸲䍘⌕ዙ 4.48 ㋇㋂⸲ዙ
3.80 ⸲䍘⌕ዙ 13.47 ⸲䍘亥ዙ

4➔
2.70 ⌕ዙ
4.48 ㋇㋂⸲ዙ
0.52 4➔
545
1.40 3➔

1115
4.59 ⌕ዙ 5.90 ⸲䍘⌕ዙ
0.70 ⸲䍘⌕ዙ
1.50 ⌕ዙ
3.51 ѝ㋂⸲ዙ 6.12 㓶㋂⸲ዙ
5.90 ⸲䍘⌕ዙ

1.50 ⌕ዙ

4.48 ㋇㋂⸲ዙ
3.80 ⸲䍘⌕ዙ

ᇎ䱵䖘䘩 537

1105
535
6.52 ⸲䍘⌕ዙ

539 541 6.69 ⌕ዙ

5➔亦ᶯ
4.59 ⌕ዙ 6.52 ⸲䍘⌕ዙ
5.90 ⸲䍘⌕ዙ
0.70 ⸲䍘⌕ዙ
1.50 ⌕ዙ
3.55 ⌕ዙ 1107.69
3.55 ⌕ዙ
1.05 4➔
533
1.05 4➔
4.48 ㋇㋂⸲ዙ
3.25 ѝ㋂⸲ዙ

3.25 ѝ㋂⸲ዙ 531

1095
6.52 ⸲䍘⌕ዙ
529 1099.76
5.90 ⸲䍘⌕ዙ
3.55 ⌕ዙ

1060
1.50 ⌕ዙ
1.05 4➔
525 Ą
1093.99
523 9.70 ⌕ዙ
1092.76 1092.61
1091.61
3.25 ѝ㋂⸲ዙ 0.70 ➔

9.70 ⌕ዙ

1085
0.70 ➔
6.52 ⸲䍘⌕ዙ

521Ą 1089.54
519
3.55 ⌕ዙ 6.39 ⌕ዙ

1.05 4➔
6.39 ⌕ዙ 1084.32
517 9.70 ⌕ዙ
1083.09
3.25 ѝ㋂⸲ዙ 0.70
515
➔

513Ą

9.70
0.70
⌕ዙ
➔ 1071.98
6.39 ⌕ዙ 1076.37
1077.80

1075
1065
511
1068.83
1066.79
6.39 ⌕ዙ

1064.13
1060.75
509Ą
e

1055
1059.04

1052.18

1045
1049.84

1035
1035
1025
6L]HVFDOH1 :500

4303400 491200 4303350 491150 491100 4303300 491050 4303250 491000 4303200 490950 490900 4303150 490850 4303100 490800 4303050 490750 4303000 490700 490650 4302950 490600 4302900 490550 4302850 490500
491200

51105-c Return airway

490450




4302850

4303450

e
75
mğ

1068.83
1093.99
1039.73 1042.44 1049.22 1049.63 1049.84 1052.18 1059.04 1064.13 1066.79 1071.98 1076.37 1077.80 1081.01 1083.09 1084.32 1089.54 1092.76 1091.61 1092.61 1099.76 1107.69
H=10



F3

e
519 ğ 73
537
501 503 507 Ą 509Ą 511 513Ą 515 517 521Ą 523 525Ą 527Ą 529 531 533 535 539 541 543 545


505Ą 5 F2 H=3m

ᇎ䱵䖘䘩
110 
0


110
5
109





ᆄ
0 ਧ䫫
109 247 ː ˍ
5
108

ˎ
0
491150

108
14

ˏ
C6
e

5
107 ᇎ䱵䖘䘩

4ਧᆄ䇮䇑䖘䘩
490400 4302900

1070

5
4303500

106
10

0
106
5
105
0
105
5
104
8

0
104
e
85
ğ
H=4m

1035
F1

1053.15 1057.29 1061.14 1065.48 1067.33 1069.48 1075.35 1079.40 1080.19 1082.17 1085.56 1084.24 1086.85
1033.66 1036.34 1039.13 1045.96 1087.52
1031.88 1032.32 1031.92 1031.73
ᆄ
62
ਧ䫫
30 32 256 34Ą 36Ą 38 40Ą 42 44 46Ą 48Ą 50ą 52 54 56 58 60
20 22 24 26 64

North 51105-c Intake entry

4303550 491100

4302950
490350

4303550 491050 491000 4303500 490950 4303450 490900 4303400 490850 490800 4303350 490750 4303300 490700 4303250 490650 4303200 490600 4303150 490550 490500 4303100 490450 4303050 490400 4303000 490350

Figure 9 No.1 and No.2 drilled borehole track of 51109 working face in 5#coal seam of JiaoJiaZhai Colliery, XuanGang region
 Qingzhao Li et al. / Procedia Engineering 26 (2011) 560 – 569 567

Figure 10 Displacement of ZK1 borehole in 51109 working face

Figure 11 Displacement of ZK2 borehole in 51109 working face

4.2. Gas drainage effects and analysis

Before the implementation of this technology, the upper corner gas drainage method and the horizontal
parallel drilling holes along the bedding coal seam were employed for the gas drainage. Due to the low
permeability of the coal seam, the coal seam gas drainage ratio can only reach to about 30%. Gas emission
intensity was seriously stronger and unbalanced during the coal mining process. The maximum gas
568 Qingzhao Li et al. / Procedia Engineering 26 (2011) 560 – 569

concentration in some local point among the working face can reach to about 2%, which seriously affect
the safety of coal mining.
The "three dimensional gas drainage technologies" were applied successively in No.51109 and
No.51105 working face in XuanGang underground coal mine region and the corresponding monitoring
data are shown in Table 2, Table 3 and Figure 12. Compared with the previous drainage technology, the
total gas drainage ratios were significantly improved from about 30% to 67.33% for No.51109 working
face and to 76.44% for No.51105 working face. It can be seen that gas drainage by long drilling holes and
oblique clustered holes plays an important roles in the gas emission management by 63.36% for the
No.51109 working face and by 72.69% for No.51105 working face. From the monitoring data of gas
drainage pumping station (Figure 12), it presents that the net gas drainage amounts are about 4.20
(m3/min) and gas drainage concentration maintains about 10% (volume). This gas drainage technology
made the ventilation air methane concentration greatly reduced from the previous 2.0% to about 0.3%
(with fluctuations range of 0.2%-0.4%), which ensured the safety production of underground coal mine.
-1

Drainage methane concentration/ %

12
/ .min

25
3

10
Drainage methane amount M

20
8

6 15

4 10

2 5

0 0
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Date / month Date / month

(a) Gas drainage amount (b) Gas drainage concentration

0.5
1.0
Methane concentration / %
Gas drainage rate / %

0.4
0.8

0.3
0.6

0.4 0.2

0.2 0.1

0.0 0.0
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Date / month Date / month

(c) Gas drainage ratio (d) Gas concentration in VAM

Figure 12 Gas drainage monitoring data vs. time (No.51109 working face)

5. Conclusions

Underground coal mining needs effective technical methods for the control of gas emissions in order to
be able to work under safe conditions. Based on the coal seam geological conditions among the
XuangGang region, a major part of theoretical research and technical development has been directed to
this purpose. According to the roles of mining fractures development and relief gas flow, a novel method
 Qingzhao Li et al. / Procedia Engineering 26 (2011) 560 – 569 569

for the comprehensive gas drainage was proposed and engineering practiced in the mining field, which
includes long drilling boreholes, oblique crossed boreholes and upper corner flexible drainage pipelines.
Compared with previous gas control measurements, the total gas drainage ratio significantly enhanced
from 30% to 67.33% (No.51109 working face) and 76.44% (No.51105 working face). The ventilation air
methane concentration of working face greatly decreased down to about 0.3%, which ensured the safety
production of underground coal mine.

Acknowledgements

Financial supports from the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program)
(2011CB201205), the Foundation of Talents Introduction of CUMT, the Special Foundation for Young
Teachers of CUMT, and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2010QNA05),
China, are sincerely acknowledged.

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