Exploitation
Mohammad Sina Abdollahi; Mehdi Najafi; Alireza Yarahamdi Bafghi; Ramin Rafiee
Abstract
The stability analysis of chain pillars is crucial, especially as coal extraction rates increase, making it essential to reduce the size of these pillars. Therefore, a new method for estimating the load on chain pillars holds significant importance. This research introduces a novel solution for estimating ...
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The stability analysis of chain pillars is crucial, especially as coal extraction rates increase, making it essential to reduce the size of these pillars. Therefore, a new method for estimating the load on chain pillars holds significant importance. This research introduces a novel solution for estimating side abutment load and analyzing the stability of chain pillars using the dynamic mode of the Coulmann Graphical (CG) method. The solution is implemented using Visual Studio software and is named Coulmann Chain Pillar Stability Analysis (CCPSA). The CG method is widely recognized in civil engineering as a highly efficient technique for determining soil side abutment pressure in both static and dynamic conditions. This method involves calculating the top-rupture wedge of chain pillars using the CG method. The CCPSA software functions share significant similarities with those of the Analysis Longwall Pillar Stability (ALPS) method. However, the main point of departure between the proposed method and the ALPS empirical method lies in their respective approaches to calculating side abutment load on chain pillars and evaluating subsidence conditions. The effectiveness of this method has been validated using a database of chain pillars from various mines worldwide and has been compared with the ALPS method. The results of the comparison demonstrate that the CCPSA is highly effective in evaluating chain pillar stability. This underscores the potential of the CG method and CCPSA software in providing valuable insights for assessing and ensuring the stability of chain pillars in mining operations.
F. Abbasi; M.H. Khosravi; A. Jafari; Ali Bashari; B. Alipenhani
Abstract
The instability of the roof and walls of the tunnels excavated in coal mines has always attracted the attention of the miners and experts in this field. In this work, the instability of the main tunnels of the mechanized Parvadeh coal mine in Tabas, Iran, at the intersection with coal seam is studied. ...
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The instability of the roof and walls of the tunnels excavated in coal mines has always attracted the attention of the miners and experts in this field. In this work, the instability of the main tunnels of the mechanized Parvadeh coal mine in Tabas, Iran, at the intersection with coal seam is studied. The main tunnels of this mine show significant horizontal displacements due to the complex ground conditions and great depth. The behavior of the rock mass surrounding the tunnel is investigated using various experimental methods, and according to the results obtained, the surrounding rock mass has squeezing conditions. In order to analyze the stability of the main tunnels, a series of 2D and 3D numerical modelings are performed using the FLAC2&3D finite difference software, and the results obtained are compared with the actual displacement values recorded in the walls of the main tunnels of the mine. The analysis results show that the tunnels under study are unstable with a steel frame support, and therefore, the use of different support systems for the stabilization is investigated. The results of modeling different types of support systems show that the use of shotcrete instead of galvanized sheet (as strut) does not have a significant effect on the reduced displacements. Also although the installation of steel sets is very effective in preventing the displacement of the walls, due to the swelling problems in the tunnel bottom and the placement of the conveyor and haulage rail, it cannot be used in practice. Finally, the use of truss bolt has yielded good results, and it can be proposed as a new support system in these tunnels. In addition, the modeling results show that in case the coal seam is higher than the tunnel foot, less displacement will occur in the tunnel walls compared to the other cases. In other words, changing the tunnel level in the future excavations can help reduce the displacements.
Rock Mechanics
A. Asgari; A. Ramezanzadeh; Seyed M. E. Jalali; B. Brouard
Abstract
Ensuring the stability and integrity of underground gas storage salt caverns is a very complicated subject due to the non-linear and time-dependent behavior of rock salts under complicated thermal and mechanical loading conditions. For this reason, pressure and temperature fluctuations in the caverns ...
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Ensuring the stability and integrity of underground gas storage salt caverns is a very complicated subject due to the non-linear and time-dependent behavior of rock salts under complicated thermal and mechanical loading conditions. For this reason, pressure and temperature fluctuations in the caverns and their surrounding strata must be integrated into the analysis and the numerical tools that are used for this purpose. LOCAS, a 2D axisymmetric finite-element code, dedicated to the stability analysis of underground salt spaces, was applied to assess the effects of various operating and geometrical parameters on the cavern behavior. In this paper, we aimed to give an overall assessment of the behavior of the salt caverns used for natural gas storage. In this work, some specific loading scenarios were considered first, followed by thorough parametric and sensitivity analyses to reveal the impacts of the geometrical parameters and operational parameters involved on the behavior of salt caverns using the modern stability criteria. The findings showed that the onset of dilation was more likely to happen within the first cavern life cycle when pressure dropped to the minimum level. As for the potential of tension occurrence in the surrounding rock, this is more likely to happen by increasing the number of operation cycles, especially in the upper one-third of the cavern wall. Finally, it was seen that the cavern depth and minimum cavern internal pressure had even more important influences than the others on the salt cavern behavior.
