The influence of mining factors on seismic activity during longwall mining of a coal seam

In this article an attempt to determine the influence of mining factors on the seismic activity during the longwall mining of the upper layer of coal seam no. 405/2 in one of the Polish hard coal mines in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin was conducted. Two longwall panels were mined in analogous geological conditions and based on the same mining system and technology. However, there was significant difference with regards to the mining factors, which was reflected in the observed seismic activity. Some tools used in mining seismology were applied to illustrate the aforementioned influence of mining factors, e.g. the frequency-energy distribution, the frequency-magnitude distribution, the 2 D distribution of released seismic energy, the relationship between released seismic energy and the volume of mined coal, the Benioff strain release, and the Gutenberg-Richter(GR) b coefficient distribution(b is the proportion between high and low energy tremors). Concerning the Benioff strain release, a new solution, based on the slope of a fitted line in a moving time window, is proposed.     

Hydrogen wettability of clays: Implications for underground hydrogen storage

This study investigates the ability of hydrogen (H₂) to wet clay surfaces in the presence of brine, with implications for underground hydrogen storage in clay-containing reservoirs. Rather than measuring contact angles directly with hydrogen gas, a suite of other gases (carbon dioxide (CO₂), argon (Ar), nitrogen (N₂), and helium (He)) were employed in the gas-brine-clay system under storage conditions (moderate temperature (333 K) and high pressures (5, 10, 15, and 20 MPa)), characteristic of a subsurface environment with a shallow geothermal gradient. By virtue of analogies to H₂ and empirical correlations, wettabilities of hydrogen on three clay surfaces were mathematically derived and interpreted. The three clays were kaolinite, illite, and montmorillonite and represent 1:1, 2:1 non-expansive, and 2:1 expansive clay groups, respectively. All clays showed water-wetting behaviour with contact angles below 40° under all experimental set-ups. It follows that the presence of clays in the reservoir (or caprock) is conducive to capillary and/or residual trapping of the gas. Another positive inference is that any tested gas, particularly nitrogen, is suitable as cushion gas to maintain formation pressure during hydrogen storage because they all turned out to be more gas-wetting than hydrogen on the clay surfaces; this allows easier displacement and/or retrieval of hydrogen during injection/production. One downside of the predominant water wettability of the clays is the upstaged role of biogeochemical reactions at the wetted brine-clay/silicate interface and their potential to affect porosity and permeability. Water-wetting decreased from kaolinite as most water-wetting clay over illite to montmorillonite as most hydrogen-wetting clay. Their wetting behaviour is consistent with molecular dynamic modelling that establishes that the accessible basal plane of kaolinite's octahedral sheet is highly hydrophilic and enables strong hydrogen bonds whereas the same octahedral sheet in illite and montmorillonite is not accessible to the brine, rendering these clays less water-wetting.     

Reasons for breaking of chemical bonds of gas molecules during movement of explosion products in cracks formed in rock mass

The purpose of this study was to develop a physico-mathematical model and technique for estimation of chemical bond stability depending on electric field intensity of an external point charge. A hypothesis for a possible physico-chemical mechanism of the formation of additional harmful gases in the rock destruction by blasting was proposed. The theoretical basis of the hypothesis is the method of theretical evaluation of bond energy depending on the distance to a point charge, the third Coulomb centre. The quantum-mechanical model for calculating the electronic terms of molecules makes it possible to solve problems associated with the determination of parameters of molecules under the action of various physical fields on the system under consideration. The model was approved for some diatomic molecules. The discrepancy between the experimental data and calculated data did not exceed 14%, which proves accuracy of the obtained results. The model can be used in the field of research into the causes of gas-dynamic phenomena in underground coal mines, in studies of the degree of stability of nanostructured components of coal under physical influences, and in the theoretical design of new compounds and structures in the field of nanomaterial science and nanotechnology.     

用非连续变形法分析岩锚吊车梁稳定性

岩锚吊车梁是水电站地下厂房重要建筑物之一,其稳定分析方法一直是一个值得探讨的问题。文章用DDA对某水电站地下厂房的岩锚吊车梁稳定性进行分析,把所分析的结果与常规的刚体极限平衡法的计算结果进行了对比,两者结果是一致的,由此说明DDA所分析的成果是可靠的,DDA程序可以用来分析岩锚吊车梁稳定性。     

Wireless underground sensor networks: Research challenges

This work introduces the concept of a Wireless Underground Sensor Network (WUSN). WUSNs can be used to monitor a variety of conditions, such as soil properties for agricultural applications and toxic substances for environmental monitoring. Unlike existing methods of monitoring underground conditions, which rely on buried sensors connected via wire to the surface, WUSN devices are deployed completely belowground and do not require any wired connections. Each device contains all necessary sensors, memory, a processor, a radio, an antenna, and a power source. This makes their deployment much simpler than existing underground sensing solutions. Wireless communication within a dense substance such as soil or rock is, however, significantly more challenging than through air. This factor, combined with the necessity to conserve energy due to the difficulty of unearthing and recharging WUSN devices, requires that communication protocols be redesigned to be as efficient as possible. This work provides an extensive overview of applications and design challenges for WUSNs, challenges for the underground communication channel including methods for predicting path losses in an underground link, and challenges at each layer of the communication protocol stack.     

井下原地溶浸技术试验研究

结合东同矿业公司井下原地溶浸的试验研究情况,分析了细菌浸出-萃取-电积工艺过程中存在的问题并提出了解决方法,探讨了该工艺应用研究的发展方向与前景。     

三峡地下电站主厂房顶拱开挖施工

三峡工程地下电站主厂房顶拱跨度32．60m，上覆山体最薄处仅35m，属埋深浅、局部围岩偏薄的超大型地下洞室。通过合理的施工组织、质量和安全控制，主厂房顶拱开挖按时、保质完成。三峡工程地下电站主厂房顶拱开挖施工技术及管理经验可供有关工程参考。     

Economic Model to Optimize Underground Utility Protection

The need for better protecting our vital infrastructure from being damaged or destroyed has received increased attention since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The tragedy of having thousands of innocent people die before the eyes of an entire nation awakened people to the reality of “managed” attacks of unthinkable magnitudes. However, tragedies of a smaller scale are a daily occurrence but accepted as “collateral damage” of work in an unsafe environment. This paper presents a cost-benefit analysis to address the question of how much money should be spent in protecting underground utilities from damage. During the study of an actual incident it was found that the total costs of such accidents are vastly underreported because only costs for emergency responses and repair are tallied up. This paper makes the case that a comprehensive approach for assessing the total economic impact of such incidents on the public, business, and government is the critical stepping stone to a mathematical optimization of expenditure for damage prevention. In addition, the reader will quickly realize that the use of the presented optimization model provides theoretical underpinning for the engineering profession in its effort to better protect our critical infrastructure from terrorist attacks.     

地下硐室锚喷支护堵漏防渗处理实践

本文简要地介绍了我国几个地下矿在锚喷网联合支护的硐室工程中堵漏防渗处理所取得的良好效果，可供类似矿山参考。     

Hydrocarbon storage in unlined rock caverns in Greek limestone

The existence of tank farms in the vicinity of cities is a principal component of the urban vulnerability and risk conditions. Even if such environments have been accepted in the past, the enforcement of stricter environmental legislations and the emerging of a strong public opposition towards this co-existence, usually result in the relocation of the facilities. Nevertheless, the relocation process has to overcome a great deal of issues, such as high land cost and strong opposition from neighbouring communities, that often hinder or might even postpone the whole project. Answer to such standstill cases can be given by the development of underground complexes that can facilitate the storage requirements, efficiently and with enhanced environmental protection. Hence, the first area that should be considered for the tank farm relocation is found right beneath the existing facilities. This paper presents the Greek experience, paying special attention to the storage facilities found in the Perama area. The development of an underground storage complex is proposed in that particular area, which could finally offer a viable solution, satisfying the interests of all involved parties. The unlined caverns are to be excavated in limestone bedrock and the characteristics of this alternative are illustrated in detail, followed by the comparative cost analysis between the underground scheme and the surface relocation of the tank farm to another area in Attica.