Safe and Efficient Coal Mining Below the Goaf: A Case Study

• Main Authors: Weidong Pan, Shaopeng Zhang, Yi Liu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-02-01
• Series: Energies
• Subjects: short distance; multi-coal seam; fully mechanized working face; numerical simulation; safe and efficient mining
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/13/4/864

Mining at the fully mechanized working face below the goaf of the short-distance coal seam is influenced by the upper goaf. To address this problem, methods such as theoretical analyses, numerical simulation, and on-site measurement are used to study the strata behavior characteristics of the Ningxia Lingxin Coal Mine 051508 working face in this study. The roof weighting intervals of the working faces below the goaf and the non-goaf are obtained via theoretical calculations. The stoping processes of the working faces below the goaf and the non-goaf are simulated with FLAC^3D to obtain the distribution law of the bearing pressure and plastic zones before the working face. Based on the statistical analysis of the measured working resistance of the supports and its distribution, the roof weighting interval of the working face mining below the goaf is obtained. The results show that the roof weighting interval and the advanced abutment pressure during mining at the working face below the goaf are smaller than those below the non-goaf, providing a reasonable theoretical basis for mining below the goaf, and having important significance for safe and efficient mining.