A novel in-seam borehole hydraulic flushing gas extraction technology in the heading face: Enhanced permeability mechanism, gas flow characteristics, and application

The effective extraction radius of borehole is the main parameter for determining the design and layout for coalbed methane extraction. This paper is aimed at the problem that the criteria and calculation methods for the effective extraction radius of coal seams are not comprehensive. With Wudong Coal Mine in China taken as an example, the critical gas pressure (0.441 MPa) for the calculation of effective extraction radius is first defined. Next, the gas seepage unit model around the borehole is developed, and the theoretical mathematical expression to calculate the effective extraction radius is derived. Then, the numerical simulation of gas extraction is carried out through a computational fluid dynamics program, and the effective extraction radius is obtained numerically. Furthermore, the influence of original gas pressure, borehole diameter, and negative pressure of gas extraction on gas extraction is analyzed. Finally, the results from the theoretical calculation and numerical simulation are validated by the field engineering measurement and the average relative error is small (less than 10%). The results indicate that the effective extraction radius has a linear relationship with the extraction time. Moreover, it is found that the original gas pressure is the main factor affecting the effective extraction radius and the effective extraction radius is proportional to the borehole diameter and negative pressure through analysis. Therefore, the above findings can provide a theoretical basis for determining parameters such as borehole spacing and extraction time of gas extraction in coal mines.

Section: Numerical Simulation Of Effective Extraction Radius Of Borehsupporting

confidence: 84%

Section: Definition Of Effective Gas Extraction Radiusmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The French scientist, H. Darcy, pointed out that the seepage velocity of fluid in porous media has a linear relationship with the hydraulic gradient. The equation of Darcy's law is as follows:

v_{r} = \frac{k}{μ} \times \frac{\partial P}{\partial r}

where k is the permeability of coal seam around boreholes, m 2 ; μ is the dynamic viscosity coefficient of gas, Pa·s;

\frac{\partial P}{\partial r}

is the pressure gradient of gas along the radial direction around boreholes.…”

Section: Theoretical Calculation Of Effective Extraction Radiusmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Criteria For Calculating Effective Extraction Radiusmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Theoretical, numerical, and experimental analysis of effective extraction radius of coalbed methane boreholes by a gas seepage model based on defined criteria

Wang

Chang

et al. 2019

“…At present, methods of coal seam permeability enhancement include N 2 injection, deep hole presplitting blasting, hydraulic fracturing, hydraulic flushing, hydraulic slotting, and other methods . The permeability has shown a trend of increasing sharply, slightly decrease, and then stable at a constant value after injecting N 2 in CO 2 ‐rich low permeable seam .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A new cross‐borehole hydraulic caving technique in the coal seam with a soft layer for preventing coal and gas outbursts during coal roadway excavation

Qin

Wei

Lou

et al. 2020

Predrainage of gas by cross‐boreholes is an important method to prevent coal and gas outbursts in the process of a coal roadway excavation. Limitations of technologies and poor effects of preventing coal and gas outbursts occur in the coal seam with a soft layer. In this study, a new hydraulic caving technology for cross‐boreholes has been proposed to solve this problem. A CT equipment was used to observe the development of coal fissures around cross‐boreholes in the coal seam with a soft layer. The plastic zone range and permeability distribution of ordinary hydraulic slotting technologies and the new hydraulic caving technology also were compared by numerical simulation. The field test of hydraulic caving was taken in the Xuehu Mine (China). The results show that the fracture development degree of soft coal is greater than that of hard coal at the same distance from cross‐boreholes. The fracture development degree in the plastic zone is greater than that in the elastic zone. The hydraulic caving technique can achieve the same effect as the ordinary hydraulic slotting with less workload. The mass of coal discharged from a cross‐borehole was 1.15 t/m and the average methane concentration of single drainage borehole increased by 1.09‐4.1 times, and the average methane extraction amount of single drainage borehole increased by 6.06 times. Elimination of coal and gas outburst had been completed after 110 days of extraction in the area of hydraulic caving, and Q and S values are lower than the critical value during roadway excavation. It is conclusion that hydraulic caving technique can effectively improve the permeability and rapidly eliminate coal and gas outburst in the coal seam with a soft layer.

Hydraulic flushing in soft coal sublayer: Gas extraction enhancement mechanism and field application

Zhang

Wang

Yuan

et al. 2019

Self Cite

In China, one or several ultrathin soft coal sublayers are widely developed in the coal seam. Therefore, a method of using hydraulic flushing in soft sublayer to enhance the gas extraction in these particular coal seams is developed in this work. We first established a new fully coupled gas extraction model by combing gas diffusion, gas flow, and a permeability model that considers the effect of stress change and plastic failure. By adopting this model, the gas extraction enhancement mechanism and its main influence factors were studied using the numerical simulation method based on the engineering and geological background in the Yangquan No.5 coalmine. Thereafter, a hydraulic flushing equipment, which could move freely in the underground coalmine, was developed to apply the hydraulic flushing method in soft coal sublayers used in the 8402 working face. Its gas extraction effect was systematically investigated. Our simulation results match well with the field results, suggesting that our model is feasible. Meanwhile, after adopting this method, the gas extraction condition in this coalmine improves significantly. The borehole number decreases by 66.7%, while the gas extraction rate and gas extraction concentration increase by 1.33 times and 3 times, respectively. Moreover, during the coal mining process, the gas adsorption index of drilling cuttings, the quantity of drilling cuttings, and the CH4 concentration also decrease dramatically.