Thick coal seam fracture stimulations were carried out to improve pre gas drainage efficiency using the highly pressurized multi-discharge carbon dioxide gas fracturing technique. The paper presents research results obtained from field work and numerical simulation. The field data demonstrates that the multi-discharge fracturing technique can effectively enhance thick coal seam permeability, so as to improve thick coal seam gas drainage efficiency. On the other hand, regardless of numbers of discharge set used, the effective gas drainage radius remains unchanged, which is inconsistent with the traditional coal seam fracture stimulation, so the causes are discussed in detail. Numerical simulation indicates that the technique provides two basic functions in improving efficiency of coal seam gas drainage: 1) improving coal seam permeability and 2) forming gas pressure gradient of coal seam. The former creates fracture network of coal seam, and the latter, as a driving force, drives coal seam gas from a fracturing borehole to the drainage boreholes through the network developed.
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