Comprehensive evaluation of water-inrush risk from coal floors

Abstract

Lower groups of coal seams are presently being mined in the Yanzhou coal mining area. We need to evaluate the risk from water-inrush from coal floors in order to have safe production in the lower groups of coal seams in mines. Based on a systematic collection of hydrogeological data and some data from mined working faces in these lower groups, we evaluated the factors affecting water-inrush from coal floors of the area by a method of dimensionless analysis. We obtained the order of the factors affecting water-inrush from coal floors and recalculated data on depths of destroyed floors by multiple linear regression analysis and obtained new empirical formulas. We also analyzed the water-inrush coefficient of mined working faces of the lower groups of coal seams and improved the evaluation standard of the water-inrush coefficient method. Finally, we made a comprehensive evaluation of water-inrush risks from coal floors by using the water-inrush coefficient method and a fuzzy clustering method. The evaluation results provide a solid foundation for preventing and controlling the damage caused by water of an Ordovician limestone aquifer in the lower group of coal seams in the mines of Yanzhou. It provides also important guidelines for lower groups of coal seams in other coal mines.