DefinePK

Abstract

The study aimed to increase the productivity and safety of longwall mining operations at the Taldinskaya-Zapadnaya-2 multiple-seam coal mine which is located in the Kuznetsk Basin (Russia). In order to study the impact of the mined-out coal seam ? 70 on stress distribution in the underlying coal seam ? 69 taking into account the mine layout adopted at the Taldinskaya-Zapadnaya-2 mine, numerical models were developed using the finite element method (FEM). Numerical models showing how the seams interact with each other were developed based on 3D models representing the rock mass containing the two coal seams, mine workings, and mining voids. To describe rock behaviour under stress, the Mohr-Coulomb model was used. Developing three rock mass models made it possible to describe both independently and jointly the impact of the high-stress zone created by the pillars and that of the abutment pressure zone in the panel being mined. As a result of the study, hazardous areas in the mine workings located under the edges of coal seam ? 70 were identified and recommendations for changing the parameters of the mine layout of coal seam ? 69 were given. The novelty of the study lies in developing a scientifically grounded approach to conducting studies of the interaction between multiple coal seams, which implies developing numerical models of how the zones of high stress and abutment pressure both independently and jointly influence the most hazardous areas identified in each longwall panel.