Abstract
The particular “rich coal, meager oil, and deficient gas” energy structure of China determines its high degree of dependence on coal resources. After over 100 years of high-intensity mining activities in Northeast China, East Region, and the Southern Region, coal mining in these areas is facing a series of serious problems, which force China’s energy exploitation map to be rewritten. New energy bases will move to the western and northern regions in the next few years. However, overlapping phenomena of multiple resources are frequently encountered. Previous exploitation mainly focused on coal mining, which destroys many mutualistic and accompanying resources, such as uranium, gas, and oil. Aiming at solving this unscientific development mode, this research presents a case study in the Ordos Basin, where uranium, coal, and gas/oil show a three-dimensional overlapping phenomenon along the vertical downward direction. The upper uranium and lower coal situation in this basin is remarkable; specifically, coal mining disturbs the overlaying aquifer, thus requiring the uranium to be leached first. The technical approach must be sufficiently reliable to avoid the leakage of radioactive elements in subsequent coal mining procedures. Hence, the unbalanced injection and extraction of uranium mining is used to completely eradicate the discharged emissions to the environment. The gas and oil are typically not extracted because of their deep occurrence strata and their overlapping phenomenon with coal seams. Use of the integrated coal and gas production method is recommended, and relevant fracturing methods to increase the gas migrating degree in the strata are also introduced. The results and recommendations in this study are applicable in some other areas with similarities.
Highlights
Energy is an indispensable resource for mankind, and this dependency is becoming increasingly obvious in the 21st century
The natural occurrence horizon of oil and gas exceeds that of coal seams, and current exploitation and further exploration of oil and gas have significant impacts on the normal coal mining process because the drillings must pass through the coal seams for deeper resources
Most people express concern regarding uranium mining from a psychological perspective, and local residents may be resistant to the exploitation of radioactive minerals
Summary
Energy is an indispensable resource for mankind, and this dependency is becoming increasingly obvious in the 21st century. To seek as much income as possible, some coal mines try to explore resources buried deep, even more in China has been undergoing an abnormal period, and the coal economy has suffered greatly than 1500 m below the surface, where coal mining faces increased technological difficulties, mining costs, because of downward macro‐economic pressure and environment protection pressure.
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