Risk assessment of fault water inrush during deep mining

Abstract

With the gradual depletion of shallow coal resources, the Yanzhou mine in China will enter the lower coal seam mining phase. However, as mining depth increases, lower coal seam mining in Yanzhou is threatened by water inrush in the Benxi Formation limestone and Ordovician limestone. The existing prediction models for the water burst at the bottom of the coal seam are less accurate than expected owing to various controlling factors and their intrinsic links. By analyzing the hydrogeological exploration data of the Baodian lower seam and combining the results of the water inrush coefficient method and the Yanzhou mine pressure seepage test, an evaluation model of the seepage barrier capacity of the fault was established. The evaluation results show the water of the underlying limestone aquifer in the Baodian mine area mainly threatens the lower coal mining through the fault fracture zone. The security of mining above confined aquifer in the Baodian mine area gradually decreases from southwest to northeast. By comparing the water inrush coefficient method and the evaluation model of fault impermeability, the results show the evaluation model based on seepage barrier conditions is closer to the actual situation when analyzing the water breakout situation at the working face.