Integrated geophysical approach for Coal mine fire in Jharia coalfield, India

Abstract

Jharia coalfield is one of India's largest and most productive coal fields, home of the oldest-burning coal seam fires in the world. This paper highlights the combined study comprising Surface Temperature measurement, Magnetic, and Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) methods for delineation and mapping of coal fires with their depths, extension and propagation direction. Surface temperature mapping allows straight forward demarcation of coal fire areas. Magnetic data provide a map showing the earlier burned, currently burning and unburned patches based on the contrast between magnetic effects of the subsurface and fluctuations with temperatures exceeding or under the Curie temperature. The pyrolysis of coal is one of the main processes in coal fires, which results in very high conductivity. Thus, electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) is also a promising technique for the characterization of a coal fire-affected area. Most of the features of low and high resistivity associated with active fires and voids have been delimited well in the ERT sections that are generated from combine inversion of all arrays. These are also delineated well by the surface temperature mapping, and Magnetic methods. The field photographs, available coal seam and borehole lithology clearly show the suitability of the combined study for characterization of coal seam fire. A model of the coal fire, char formation and void formation resulting from coal seam fire has been established. Finally, a fire propagation model of the study area has been established based on the combined geophysical data that can be effectively used for mine hazard mitigation.

Impact of Expanding Coal Industry on the Regional Environment in an Indian Coal-Belt - A Case Study from Jharkhand, India

“…The production rates of the operating companies in this region have been declining which is another important reason of worry for local economy generation because this will also affect the allied industries in the near future. The unsustainable overexploitation of mines has led to coal fire (Pal et al, 2021) and huge areas which cannot be used for any other purposes in future. Since these lands have not been reclaimed properly (Paul, 2010;Stracher & Taylor, 2004;Tripathi et al, 2016) so it would be difficult to use those land for any other economy generation purpose in future due to coal fires and other such effects.…”