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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Hazards and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 July 2023) | Viewed by 6464

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Wei Yang

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Guest Editor

School of Safety Enginnering, China University of Mining and Technology, Beijing 221116, China
Interests: prevention and control of dynamic mining hazards; digital twin of coal mine; theory and technology of detection during drilling; shale gas recovery; safety emergency technology and management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Xu Yu

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Guest Editor

School of Safety Engineering, University of Mining and Technology, Beijing 221116, China
Interests: unconventional natural gas recovery; hydraulic fracturing; hazards prevention in deep underground engineering; carbon storage and utilization

Dr. Chunchen Wei

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Guest Editor

School of Minerals and Energy Resources Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
Interests: mine data analysis; pillar stability assessment; dynamic rock failures and the associated ground support; and numerical modelling in mine geomechanics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Mining industry plays an important role in the global growth. It have provided basic materials for the development of many manufacturing companies in different areas. For example, Coal as a traditional energy has been recovered and used for nearly two hundred years. Now, it still makes great contribution in developing countries, such as China. However, up to date, shallow coal resources have been largely reduced because of long-time mining activities. Therefore, the mining operation are moving to deeper and deeper reservoirs. In deep (coal) mines, the reservoir’s characteristics of high stress, high pore pressure, and extremely low permeability are the primarily key factors that could cause mining hazards and disasters. In the history of mining, thousands of lives have been killed and it is still an issue to eliminate all danger and secure workers’ health.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to prevent the occurrence of the mining risks and manage the safety environment in underground space. We need both new technologies and manage methods for mining safety improvement to be implemented in mining space. The main focus will be on original and unpublished research and review articles in areas including, but not limited to, the following:

(1) Mechanism of complex dynamic hazards in deep mines;

(2) Technologies introduced to lower geological stress and pore pressure;

(3) Coalbed methane or coal mine gas extraction;

(4) Numerical modelling of multiscale Multiphysics interactions of mining process;

(5) Utilization of low-concentration methane from coal mine gas extraction;

(6) Research and review on safety manage in mining industry.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Wei Yang
Dr. Xu Yu
Dr. Chunchen Wei
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

mining hazards and disasters
hazards prevention and control in mining engineering
coalbed methane or coal mine gas extraction
low-concentration methane utilization
methane adsorption and desorption
reservoir reconstruction technology gas flow in porous media
unconventional geomechanics
CO₂-ecbm
carbon emission reduction in coal mine
THMC coupling in deep mining engineering

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 4995 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Pattern of Influence of the Mining Direction of the Protective Seam on the Stress of the Surrounding Rock

by Yingte Feng, Wenyuan Wang, Zhichao Zhang and Wei Yang

Sustainability 2023, 15(18), 13623; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151813623 - 12 Sep 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 599

Abstract

The maximum principal stress of the original rock has obvious directionality, and the pressure relief effect is different when the protective seam is mined along different directions. In this paper, the Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua (FLAC3D 6.0) numerical simulation software was used to establish a numerical calculation model according to the actual stratum conditions of the Pingdingshan No. 8 Coal Mine. The distribution and evolutionary characteristics of three-dimensional stress and three-dimensional displacement of the stope are studied under the condition that the mining direction of the protective seam is parallel to or vertical to the maximum principal stress direction of the original rock; the pattern of influence of the mining direction on the pressure relief and outburst prevention effect of the protective seam mining is analyzed. For the protective seam, the maximum principal stress in the coal in front of the protective seam cut–hole is significantly reduced, and the outburst potential is reduced in parallel mining. However, in vertical mining, the maximum principal stress in the coal in front of the protective seam cut–hole increases significantly, and the outburst potential increases. For the protective seam and surrounding rock, parallel mining can more fully reduce the maximum principal stress of the protective seam, reduce the difference in the three-dimensional stress, and effectively reduce the outburst potential of the protective seam. Therefore, parallel mining can not only improve the safety of the protective seam but also improve the pressure relief and outburst prevention effect of the protective seam. This conclusion is verified by the outburst prevention effect of the parallel mining of the remote upper protective seam in the Pingdingshan No. 8 Coal Mine. The research results are helpful for optimizing mine outburst potential prevention and control work from the aspect of mining layout. Through parallel mining, the outburst potential of the mine can be effectively reduced overall. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mining Risk and Safety Management)

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22 pages, 7239 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Single-Channel Microseismic Mine Signal Denoising Method and Application Based on Frequency Domain Singular Value Decomposition (FSVD)

by Quanjie Zhu, Longkun Sui, Qingsong Li, Yage Li, Lei Gu and Dacang Wang

Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 10588; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310588 - 5 Jul 2023

Viewed by 872

Abstract

The purpose of denoising microseismic mine signals (MMS) is to extract relevant signals from background interference, enabling their utilization in wave classification, identification, time analysis, location calculations, and detailed mining feature analysis, among other applications. To enhance the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of single-channel MMS, a frequency-domain denoising method based on the Fourier transform, inverse transform, and singular value decomposition was proposed, along with its processing workflow. The establishment of key parameters, such as time delay, τ, reconstruction order, k, Hankel matrix length, n, and dimension, m, were introduced. The reconstruction order for SVD was determined by introducing the energy difference spectrum, E, and the denoised two-dimensional microseismic time series was obtained based on the SVD recovery principle. Through the analysis and processing of three types of typical microseismic waveforms in mining (blast, rock burst, and background noise) and with the evaluation of four indicators, SNR, ESN, RMSE, and STI, the results show that the SNR is improved by more than 10 dB after FSVD processing, indicating a strong noise suppression capability. This method is of significant importance for the rapid analysis and processing of microseismic signals in mining, as well as subsequently and accurately picking the initial arrival times and the exploration and analysis of microseismic signal characteristics in mines. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mining Risk and Safety Management)

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15 pages, 6569 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Numerical Study on Influence of Wall Thermal Effect on Thermal Impact of Gas Explosion

by Xu Guo, Zhenzhen Jia and Qing Ye

Sustainability 2023, 15(10), 7792; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15107792 - 10 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 813

Abstract

A gas explosion can impact the roadway and cause serious damage. The thermal effect of the roadway wall is an important factor affecting the gas explosion and its impact. In view of the shortcomings of existing research studies, a basic numerical model of a pipe is established under the thermal impact effect of a gas explosion based on LS-DYNA software. The thermal conductivity coefficients of the pipe wall are set as 15, 30, 45 and 60 W/(m·K), respectively. Five measuring points A–E are set on the inner wall of the pipe, and four measuring points F-I are set in the air region. The equivalent stress distribution of the pipe wall, the pressure and displacement of each measuring point and the time history curve of shock wave velocity at the measuring point in the air region are numerically simulated under the impact of a gas explosion with different thermal effects. The research results show that the stress concentration phenomenon is more obvious and the equivalent stress distribution is more uneven, and the gas explosion intensity is greater when the pipe wall is approximately adiabatic. With an increase in the thermal conductivity coefficient, the amount of thermal dissipation through the pipe wall increases, the pressure peak value of each measuring point of the pipe wall decreases as a whole, and the radial displacement value of the arranged measuring points presents a smaller trend. With an increase in the thermal conductivity coefficient of the pipe wall, the thermal dissipation of the pipe wall increases, so the subsequent energy that drives the shock wave decreases, the impact degree on the pipe wall also decreases, and at the same time, in the pipe with a high thermal conductivity coefficient, the gas explosion energy involved in expansion work is lower, and thus the explosion intensity reduces. The shock wave velocity at a location farther away from the explosion source after a gas explosion also decreases. The research results have important practical significance for improving the theory of the wall thermal effect and the level of gas explosion prevention in confined spaces. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mining Risk and Safety Management)

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23 pages, 5595 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Safety Risk Assessment and Management of Panzhihua Open Pit (OP)-Underground (UG) Iron Mine Based on AHP-FCE, Sichuan Province, China

by Jielin Li, Cyril Chol Chol Deng, Jiye Xu, Zhongjian Ma, Pei Shuai and Liangbing Zhang

Sustainability 2023, 15(5), 4497; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15054497 - 2 Mar 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1679

Abstract

In order to prevent accident cases and improve safety in the mining industry, a safety risk assessment and management process is needed to identify and respond to high-risk hazards in mines. This study aims to investigate the main safety risks factors influencing the typology of accidents in the Panzhihua OP-UG iron ore mine with the concept of minimizing them, reducing injuries and fatalities, and improving prevention policies. A methodology based on the analytic hierarchy process and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (AHP-FCE) is applied to conduct a study on the assessment and evaluation of mine safety risks. Upon investigating the safety situation at the mine site, 85 risk factors were identified, of which 49 factors were considered to be non-threatening and therefore compatible with existing control measures. The remaining potential hazards, altogether 36 factors, were ultimately categorized into six major specific groups. A mine safety index system and safety risk evaluation model are established to support the evaluation process. The results show that the overall risk level of the Panzhihua OP-UG iron mine is at a medium level with a score of 86.5%. Appropriate risk management measures were recommended for each risk factor from the perspectives of theoretical analysis, safety system optimization of mine technology, disaster prevention and control of slope failure, etc. Finally, this research serves as a great industrial value and academic significance to provide technical support for the safety production of mining enterprises. Hence, the FCE method can serve as a technique to accurately evaluate the impact of iron mine risk. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mining Risk and Safety Management)

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15 pages, 4006 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study on Dynamic Response of Damper under Gas Explosion Impact

by Shujuan Li, Zhenzhen Jia and Qing Ye

Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 3356; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043356 - 12 Feb 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 975

Abstract

Mine ventilation provides fresh air to underground workers. The dampers can provide a qualified fresh air to each demand workplace by adjusting the air volume, which can ensure workers’ health. However, the powerful impact damage caused by gas explosions in the roadway can lead to deformation and damage to the dampers and even cause the breakdown of the ventilation system. At the same time, the impact effects of gas explosions may cause worker fatalities. For this reason, the dynamic response of gas explosions to dampers and their effects need to be studied. Based on the analysis of the damper construction and the damage characteristics of the gas explosion, ANSYS/LS-DYNA software is used to establish a mathematical-physical model of the damper with ventilation-regulating windows of six different sizes. The reliability of the model is verified by comparing the simulated pressure values with the values calculated by the Sadowski equation. The dynamic response characteristics of the dampers under the gas explosion impact are simulated and the displacement, equivalent stress and effective plastic strain of the dampers are measured. Finally, a theoretical analysis is carried out. The study results show that the displacement of the damper increases gradually from the edge to the center and the deformation is symmetrical in the absence of the ventilation-regulating window. The deformation region below the ventilation-regulating window is more obvious when the ventilation-regulating window is installed. The maximum stress of the damper first appears at the four corners of the damper, the stress of the unit at this position increases with the increase of the side length of the ventilation-regulating window. The stress of the unit in the lower left corner of the ventilation-regulating window first increases and then decreases with the increase of the side length of the ventilation-regulating window, and all the stresses of the units first increase and then decrease, and finally, the stresses basically approach a stable value. From the instantaneous ignition to the completion of the final reaction, the plastic strain gradually increases, but the area of the plastic strain region gradually decreases. The damage and deformation of the damper are basically consistent with the situation of the damper in the explosion accident. The research results can provide some theoretical basis and data support for the damper structure selection, damper location selection and setting of ventilation-regulating window. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mining Risk and Safety Management)

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14 pages, 3315 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental Research on Coal-Gas Outburst Prevention by Injection Liquid Freezing during Uncovering Coal Seam in Rock Crosscut

by Zhenzhen Jia, Feng Tao and Qing Ye

Sustainability 2023, 15(3), 1788; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15031788 - 17 Jan 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 898

Abstract

According to the existing problems of the control measures of uncovering coal seams in rock crosscut, such as long time of uncovering coal, poor construction safety, etc., the main effect factors of coal–gas outburst of uncovering coal seams in rock crosscut are analyzed, the existing hypotheses and the process of coal–gas outburst are described, and then the feasibility of the injection liquid freezing to prevent the coal–gas outburst is analyzed. It is concluded that the measure of the injection liquid freezing has the following functions: ① changing the physical properties of coal, ② improving the integrity of the surrounding rocks of the coal–rock interface, ③ enhancing coal strength, ④ effectively avoiding the discontinuous deformation of coal and rock under the action of gas pressure, ⑤ strengthening the block action of the external coal, ⑥ changing the stress distribution of coal near rock crosscut. The freezing makes the freezing ring in the roadway surroundings become a relatively stable flexible combination, which has a better stability. The experiment device of injection liquid freezing is designed, and the coal samples are analyzed before and after the freezing. The experiment results show that the indexes of coal–gas outburst are greatly dropped after adopting the measure of the injection liquid freezing, which can effectively control the coal–gas outburst. The experiments also show that it is feasible to prevent coal–gas outburst by the technology of the injection liquid freezing. The study results provide a new way to prevent the coal–gas outburst in uncovering coal seams in rock crosscut. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mining Risk and Safety Management)

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