Coal Mining Project Research Articles

Aspects of development: Voices from predisplacement site in Eastern India

The present research paper is an ethnographic account of the travails and resistance of an adivasi (native) community of India called Santhals. These adivasis are facing the threat of eviction due to a planned coal mining in the area, located in West Bengal, a state in the eastern part of India. Amid the ongoing protest against coal mines, many families are ready to give up their land for the project. Even differences in opinion are common among the leaders of those protest groups. These differences in perception about a coal mine project are the central theme of this paper. Drawing from it the paper is going to scrutinize the grand terms like ‘Affected Persons’, used in ‘National Mineral Policy 2019’ and ‘Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act (2013)’, and ‘Local Community’ to show that any generalization or universalization of those various perceptions suppress the real needs of the people since they get affected in multiple ways. Further, this paper regards ‘development’ as ‘pharmakon’ for its dual nature, since people in the same community perceive it as poison; in contrast, for others, it is the remedy for their poverty. Tracing from all the varying voices, the paper finally argues for finding ‘significant others’, who are significantly excluded from decision-making.

Investment Valuation of Long-Term Coal Mining Project at Pit J Using Discounted Cash Flow Method

Investment Valuation of Long-Term Coal Mining Project at Pit J Using Discounted Cash Flow Method

Sequential investment decisions for mining projects using compound multiple volatility real options approach

Managers evaluating investment decisions in mining projects have reported using the net present value approach (NPV). However, NPV has the drawback of collapsing variations from uncertainties in future project cash flows into a fixed expected project value today. Ignoring future uncertainties and contingencies can lead managers to make incorrect up-front binary decisions, such as investing in or abandoning the project now. The real options analysis approach (ROA) instead captures variations from uncertainties as volatilities in project value and allows flexibility in investment decisions to be contingent on information as it is revealed. Managers we consulted agreed that ROA is superior to NPV in principle, but too complex to apply in practice. The advanced mathematics and restrictive assumptions required by analytical ROAs make them especially impractical for real-world projects exposed to multiple uncertainties. Furthermore, real-world projects are often multistage and involve valuing a compound option, which is an option on an underlying option, for sequential investment decisions. Extant numerical compound ROAs have been applied to such projects but suffer from various drawbacks. Amongst other issues, they combine variations from multiple uncertainties into a consolidated volatility of project value. This conceals the impact of each source of uncertainty, resulting in inaccurate project valuation and incorrect investment decisions. We present an innovative compound multiple volatility real options approach (C-MVR) to value a multistage project while accommodating separate volatilities of project value arising from multiple uncertainties for making sequential investment decisions. The resultant value is termed the compound enhanced net present value. Implementing C-MVR for a real coal mining project demonstrates how other ROAs can be seen as inaccurate simplifications that produce erroneous investment decisions. C-MVR provides a rigorous and versatile approach that can be applied to many investment decisions across various industries.

Sensitivity analysis of coal mine project investment using fuzzy model

Sensitivity analysis of coal mine project investment using fuzzy model

Research on wear resistance of conical pick based on bionic dimple structure

Heavy equipment such as continuous mining machine and shearer are widely used in coal mining projects, and conical picks are essential cutting tools. The wear resistance of the conical picks directly affects the efficiency and reliability of the equipment. Additionally, when the conical pick cannot rotate properly, severe one-sided wear occurs and accelerates the failure of the conical pick. In this paper, a bionic dimple-structured conical pick is designed, and a mathematical model of the dimple structure is established. The self-rotation and wear resistance characteristics of the Dimple Type Pick (DTP) and the Ordinary Type Pick (OTP) are studied using the discrete element software EDEM and the dynamic analysis software ADAMS. The orthogonal experimental method is used to analyze the friction performance and mechanism of the conical pick surface from aspects such as dimple depth, number, and radius. The results show that the rotational torque of the two types of conical picks increases first and then decreases during the cutting process. The maximum torque of the DTP is 42.67% higher than that of the OTP, which indicates that DTP has better self-rotation performance than OTP. Dimple depth is the main factor affecting DTP wear, followed by the number of dimples, while the impact of dimple radius is minimal. According to the analysis on the response surface, the optimal design parameters of the dimple structure are as follows: the dimple depth is 0.3 mm, the number of dimples is 4, and the radius is 1.5 mm. The wear resistance of the optimized dimple-structured conical pick showed an improvement of 89.82% and 79.04%, compared to the OTP and the DTP. This research provides theoretical and experimental support for the development of wear-resistant and long-life conical picks.

Evaluation of risk factors affecting the safety of coal mine construction projects using an integrated DEMATEL-ISM approach

Purpose The purpose is to identify and evaluate the safety risk factors in the coal mine construction process.Design/methodology/approach The text mining technique was applied in the stage of safety risk factor identification. The association rules method was used to obtain associations with safety risk factors. Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) and Interpretative Structural Modeling (ISM) were utilized to evaluate safety risk factors.Findings The results show that 18 safety risk factors are divided into 6 levels. There are 12 risk transmission paths in total. Meanwhile, unsafe behavior and equipment malfunction failure are the direct causes of accidents, and inadequate management system is the basic factor that determines the safety risk status.Research limitations/implications Due to the limitation of the computational matrix workload, this article only categorizes numerous lexical items into 18 factors. Then, the workshop relied on a limited number of experts; thus, the findings may be potentially biased. Next, the accident report lacks a universal standard for compilation, and the use of text mining technique may be further optimized. Finally, since the data are all from China, subsequent cross-country studies should be considered.Social implications The results can help China coal mine project managers to have a clear understanding of safety risks, efficiently carry out risk hazard identification work and take timely measures to cut off the path of transmission with risks identified in this study. This helps reduce the economic losses of coal mining enterprises, thus improving the safety standards of the entire coal mining industry and the national standards for coal mine safety policy formulation.Originality/value Coal mine construction projects are characterized by complexity and difficulties in construction. Current research on the identification and assessment of safety risk factors in coal mine construction is insufficient. This study combines objective and systematic research approaches. The findings contribute to the safety risk management of China coal mine construction projects by providing a basis for the development of safety measures.

Study on Gas Extraction Technology for Goaf Using L-Shaped Borehole on the Ground

This study aimed to examine gas extraction technology in the goaf of an L-shaped borehole in the mining fissure zone of a short-distance coal seam group. The numerical simulation method was used to analyze the failure law of overlying rock during mining, and a mathematical model was established for gas migration in the mining overburden. Finally, gas extraction tests were performed for the L-shaped borehole in the mining fissure zone. The results showed that as the coal mining project progressed, the damage area of the overlying strata in the goaf became larger, and the plastic damage area of the overlying rock along the strike had a saddle shape, being concave in the middle and convex at both ends. The closer the L-shaped borehole in the mining fissure zone was to the coal seam roof, the greater the amount of air leaking from the working face into the goaf, and the lower the overall gas concentration in the goaf. When the vertical distance of the L-shaped borehole was too high, the ability of the L-shaped borehole to control the gas concentration in the lower goaf was weakened. Moreover, the mining fracture zone was a good space for gas migration and storage. Thus, arranging the L-shaped borehole in this zone can greatly improve the efficiency of borehole gas extraction. According to the overlying rock conditions and mining conditions of Tunlan Mine, the L-shaped borehole was positioned 43 m away from the roof of the coal seam. The extraction rate of the L-shaped borehole reached 9.30 m3∙min−1, and the gas concentration in the corners of the working face was kept below 0.4%, yielding an excellent extraction effect.

A KNETSCH PROPOSITION AND A DUE PROCESS FOR THE EVALUATION OF MINING PROJECTS IN ECOLOGICALLY SENSITIVE AREAS: AN ILLUSTRATION THROUGH TWO AUSTRALIAN CASE STUDIES

Drawn on some Knetsch observations, this paper illustrates a due process for the economic evaluation of mining projects that impact sensitive and irreversible ecological assets. Towards this end, two case studies of coal mining projects in Australia are considered — one on the Liverpool Plains in New South Wales and the other on the Galilee Basin in Central Queensland. The adverse environmental and social externalities of these projects are well known — especially the impacts on the Gunnedah and the Great Artesian Basins. Notwithstanding these impacts, which are exceedingly difficult to value, private financial analyses demonstrate significant revenue gains. Mining firms find such gains difficult to ignore. Nevertheless, economic analyses illustrate that the net benefits to Australia are possibly absent even without accounting for the costs of environmental social externalities. Given that the property rights of the mineral reserves are vested with the State, the Resource Rent Tax (RRT) becomes a legitimate fiscal policy tool. The paper argues that the assessment of mining decisions must account for the depreciation of the Mineral asset. When this depreciation is measured alongside the Hartwick–Rule, the mining projects demonstrate monetary viability only when the RRT is enforced and is invested in its entirety on options that generate annual returns in excess of 3% to 4%. If recognized, the costs of environmental and social externalities could readily wipe out this, and for that matter any, monetary viability owing to the irreversible nature of the natural social endowments.

QUANTIFYING ROUGH FRACTURE BEHAVIORS IN GAS-BEARING COAL SEAM: A FULLY COUPLED FRACTAL ANALYSIS

In gas-bearing coal seam mining projects, the pivotal considerations encompass the assessment of gas migration, emission trends, and coal seam stability, which are crucial for ensuring both the safety and efficiency of the project. The accurate evaluation of the nonlinear evolution of the fracture network, acting as the primary conduit for gas migration and influenced by mining disturbances, coal seam stress, overlying strata pressure, and gas pressure, emerges as a key determinant in gauging coal seam stress and safety. To address the industry challenge of quantitatively assessing the complex behaviors of fracture networks during gas-bearing coal seam extraction, this study introduces a novel, interdisciplinary fractal analysis model. Drawing upon fractal theory for classical porous media, four fractal parameters capable of quantitatively characterizing the microscopic behaviors of fractures are proposed and defined as functions of permeability. Subsequently, the gas pressure in gas-bearing coal seams, coal seam deformation and stress, in-situ stress, overlying strata pressure, and adsorption–desorption effects are comprehensively coupled and applied to the classic gas-bearing coal seam at the Jianxin Coal Mine’s 4301 working face in Shaanxi, China. Upon the robust validation of the proposed model, the present computational results reveal: (1) the proposed micro-parameters adeptly characterize the number, roughness, tortuosity, and length of fractures in gas-bearing coal seams; (2) a larger fractal dimension of fractures leads to increased coal seam stress and strain, while the fractal dimensions of fracture tortuosity and roughness are inversely proportional to coal seam stress and strain; (3) these fractal parameters directly induce evolutionary changes in gas seepage behavior, leading to varying degrees of mechanical property evolution in the coal seam. When [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] increased from 1.2 to 1.8, the maximum change in coal seam deformation was 16.9% and 13.8%, respectively, and when [Formula: see text] increases from 0.03 to 0.12, the coal seam deformation changes by 15.1%. This represents a quantitative characterization unattainable by previously published coal seam analysis models, including mainstream fractal computation models.

Classification and Design of Backfill Coal Mining Systems Based on Typical Engineering Cases

Backfill coal mining technology has drawn widespread attention due to its benefits of “controlling surface deformation and subsidence, reducing mining-induced disturbance in the stope, and recycling solid mine wastes”. However, the backfill coal mining technology is still progressing slowly in China. The geological environment of China’s mining areas is complex and highly diversified, and backfill coal mining is expected to fulfill different goals in a wide range of engineering scenarios. These facts explain the poor reproducibility of backfill coal mining projects. This study reviews the existing backfill coal mining systems in China. Based on findings from a survey of engineering cases, we summarize five types of new backfill coal mining methods classified by deployment style; namely, borehole grouting backfill, roadway backfill, borehole–roadway backfill, in situ backfill, and roadway-in-situ backfill. A total of 15 backfill coal mining methods falling into the above five categories are described. An engineering design workflow for backfill coal mining consisting of five steps is proposed; namely, identifying the targets of backfill, analyzing the feasibility of deploying the backfill system, comparing the engineering quantities of different engineering schemes, estimating the economic efficiency of backfill, and backfill performance tracking and monitoring. Real cases of backfill engineering design are analyzed to inform the fast and reasonable design of backfill strategy for specific working faces in certain coal mines.

Structure design and service performance of bionic conical pick

Heavy equipment such as continuous mining machines and shearers are widely used in coal mining projects, and conical picks are essential cutting tools. During the cutting process, different conical pick structures can have significant impacts on the cutting performance of the equipment, and the wear resistance of the conical picks will directly affect the efficiency and reliability of the equipment. In this paper, a bionic dimple-structured conical pick is designed, and a mathematical model of the dimple structure is established. The cutting performance, self-rotation performance, and wear resistance of dimple-type picks (DTPs) and ordinary-type picks (OTPs) are studied using the discrete element software EDEM and the dynamic analysis software ADAMS. The results show that during the cutting process, the trend of rotational torque over time for both types of conical picks first increases and then decreases, with the maximum rotational torque of DTP being greater than that of OTP, indicating that the self-rotation performance of DTP is superior to OTP. Compared with OTP, DTP exhibits a smaller total wear amount and better wear resistance performance. When comparing end plates equipped with DTP to those with OTP, the end plates with DTP have a smaller load fluctuation coefficient, lower cutting resistance, lower specific energy consumption for cutting, and greater total coal mass.

Spatio temporal change analysis of mining landscape of the Pakri Barwadi Coal Mining Project and its buffer areas, Jharkhand, India

Spatio temporal change analysis of mining landscape of the Pakri Barwadi Coal Mining Project and its buffer areas, Jharkhand, India

Determination Method for the Strength Model of a Jointed Rock Mass Based on the Geological Strength Index

The mechanical characteristics of materials are the key to numerical calculation, the determination of material parameters of jointed rock mass is conundrum in academia. For the purpose of more efficiently and accurately select the mechanical parameters of the jointed rock masses, in this paper, a new method is proposed which for constructing a numerical model of jointed rock masses, which based on the Geological Strength Index (GSI) and the principles of damage mechanics. With the help of basic concepts of damage mechanics, the joint equivalent coefficient is proposed, establishing the relationship between GSI and joint spacing. The selection way for the mechanical parameters of a jointed rock masses is given in combination with the Hoek-Brown strength criterion. Then, a numerical calculation model is constructed by utilizing 3DEC numerical simulation software to discuss the stability of the adjoining rock under the condition of different GSIs, which is successfully applied to the Wangjialing coal mine project. The numerical results match quite closely with the field conditions, the maximum error is 18%, the minimum error is 5.6%, verifying the rationality and accuracy of this way and providing a new way for the accurate numerical simulation of jointed rock masses.

A case study on the deformation and failure mechanism of a soft rock mining roadway in the Xin'Shang'Hai No. 1 coal mine, China

Mining roadways in soft rock are seriously deformed and damaged, which affects the normal production of the mine. Based on the Xin'Shang'Hai No. 1 Coal Mine project, a true 3D physical model test was carried out to obtain the deformation evolution and failure features of the mining roadway. The results show that the strata movement of the panel drives the surrounding rock of the mining roadway to deform toward the center; the net size of the roadway near the longwall face decreases by 48.3%. The convergence of soft rock mining roadways can be divided into four phases, and the average convergence rate of a fast phase is 3.1 times that of a slow phase. The evolution of roadway failure is deformation accumulation → sidewall cracking → lining spalling → coal sidewall breaking → floor heave → bolt (cable) failure → full section deformation. Coal sidewall failure is an important turning point of mining stress-induced roadway failure. The extension of the broken area into the rock leads to the failure of the coal seam between the roof and floor and then induces the overall instability of the roadway. The radial deformation and stress evolution of the mining roadway are analyzed by numerical simulation, and the model test results are verified. The mining roadway in soft rock shows full section convergence characteristics under the stress of mining. Finally, countermeasures are proposed according to the failure mechanism to provide a reference for similar roadways.

Stranded assets and early closures in global coal mining under 1.5∘C

With the Glasgow Climate Pact 2021, the global community has committed explicitly to phasing down coal consumption. Yet the coal supply sector continues to develop new capacities, despite the risk of asset stranding. This article presents the first assessment of the implications of 1.5∘C mitigation pathways for the coal mining industry. Based on open coal mine data and a new version of the open coal sector model COALMOD-World, the prospects for individual coal mining regions and their risk of early mine closures and asset stranding are analyzed. Results show that global cumulative production capacity from operating thermal coal mines exceed the remaining consumption values for 2020 through 2050 by more than 50%. This supply-consumption discrepancy would hit Russia and the USA especially hard, causing the stranding of around 80% of operating capacities in each case. But the early closure of operating coal mines would affect all of the world’s major thermal coal producing regions, with most regions seeing more than three-fourths of their mine capacity closing early by 2030. Stranded assets from operating coal mines would total some USD2015 120 to 150 billion until 2050, with an additional USD2015 100 billion should currently proposed new coal mining projects be realized. If demand declines in accordance with 1.5∘C pathways, new coal mines or mine extensions would be redundant in all coal regions. Although the stranded asset value of mines is relatively small compared to that of the coal power plant sector, early closures would especially affect workers and local communities. Thus, efforts are urgently needed to ensure a just transition in coal mining regions and to address excess operating and proposed coal supply capacities that continue to fuel global warming.

Значение освоения ресурсов угля в развитии арктического региона

Extraction of the Arctic natural resources is the basis for the development of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation (AZRF), economic stability and energy security of Russia in the long term. The importance for the implementation of large-scale resource projects in the Far North is associated with logistics, which is provided by the Northern Sea Route. This article discusses the importance of the Arctic coal resources extraction for the integrated development of the Arctic region. At the moment, a number of large Arctic coal mining projects are being implementing. We analyzed their positive and negative aspects in the general context of the Arctic advancement, using general research methods of working with open data and publications. In addition, we have developed a step-by-step SWOT analysis of the Arctic coal extraction which includes five main points considering both the implementation of the Arctic coal mining projects and the overall socio-economic advancement of the Russian Arctic. As a result, we assessed the positive and negative aspects of the Arctic coal projects as well as the main opportunities that such projects open up and the threats that may affect the implementation. The study novelty lies in the application of the author's SWOT analysis methodology to the study of strategic prospects for development of the Arctic coal resources. It can be detailed by the research of the prospects of specific coal mineral resource centers.The author's methodology can also be applied to other types of Arctic mineral resources analysis.

Rethinking ‘just transitions’ from coal: the dynamics of land and labour in anti-coal struggles

ABSTRACT Communities resisting large coal mining projects navigate the significant tensions between imperatives of urgent climate action and economic growth in complex and contingent ways. Drawing on empirical research in a mining region of Central-Eastern India, this paper examines how the changing ‘agrarian’ context of rural livelihoods and household reproduction within mining-affected communities shapes the motivations of local anti-coal struggles, and the articulation of climate-change related concerns within them. It argues that such a conceptualization of political contestations over coal extraction points to crucial possibilities for building broader counter-hegemonic movements for more inclusive ‘just transitions’ away from coal.

Evaluation of eco-environmental quality for the coal-mining region using multi-source data

The contradiction between the exploitation of coal resources and the protection of the ecological environment in western China is becoming increasingly prominent. Reasonable ecological environment evaluation is the premise for alleviating this contradiction. First, this paper evaluates the eco-environment of Ibei coalfield by combining the genetic projection pursuit model and geographic information system (GIS) and using remote sensing image data and other statistical data of this area. The powerful spatial analysis function of GIS and the advantages of the genetic projection pursuit model in weight calculation have been fully used to improve the reliability of the evaluation results. Furthermore, spatial autocorrelation is used to analyze the spatial characteristics of ecological environment quality in the mining area and plan the specific governance scope. The geographic detector is used to determine the driving factors of the eco-environment of the mining area. The results show that Ibei Coalfield presents a spatially heterogeneous eco-environment pattern. The high-intensity mining area (previously mined area of Ili No.4 Coal Mine) has the worst ecological environment quality, followed by the coal reserve area of Ili No.4 Coal Mine and the planned survey area of Ili No.5 Coal Mine. The eco-environment quality (EEQ) of the study area is affected by both human and natural factors. Mining intensity and surface subsidence are the main human factors affecting the ecological environment in the study area. The main natural factors affecting the ecological environment in the study area are annual average precipitation, elevation, annual average evaporation, NDVI and land use type. Meanwhile, the interaction effect of any two indicators is greater than that of a single indicator. It is also indicated that the eco-environment of the mining area is nonlinearly correlated to impact indicators. The spatial autocorrelation analysis shows three areas that should be treated strategically that are the management area, close attention area and protective area. Corresponding management measures are put forward for different regions. This paper can provide scientific references for mining area eco-environmental protection, which is significant for the sustainability of coal mine projects.

Quantifying the environmental impact of a major coal mine project on the adjacent Great Barrier Reef ecosystems

A major coal mine project in Queensland, Australia, is currently under review. It is planned to be located about 10 km away from the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBRWHA). Sediment dispersal patterns and their impact on marine ecosystems have not been properly assessed yet. Here, we simulate the dispersal of different sediment types with a high-resolution ocean model, and derive their environmental footprint. We show that sediments finer than 32 μm could reach dense seagrass meadows and a dugong sanctuary within a few weeks. The intense tidal circulation leads to non-isotropic and long-distance sediment dispersal patterns along the coast. Our results suggest that the sediments released by this project will not be quickly mixed but rather be concentrated where the most valuable ecosystems are located. If accepted, this coal mine could therefore have a far-reaching impact on the GBRWHA and its iconic marine species.

Two tiers and double standards: foreign investors and the local community of La Guajira, Colombia

ABSTRACT Under international investment law (IIL), multinational companies enjoy a broad protection of property and investment. They can sue through investment arbitration and claim compensation for any act of the host state that presumably affects their interests. In contrast, local communities that live around large-scale mining sites are often adversely affected by multinational companies and IIL itself. They are protected by domestic law and human rights frameworks, but their claims are limited in scope, reparations and effectiveness. This denotes the existence of two tiers and double standards system, with the interests of private foreign actors and their capital placed above the needs of local communities. In this article, I utilize a large-scale coal mining project in Colombia, the Cerrejón project, as a case study to illustrate the multiple ways in which IIL is implicated in the relations between the State, the foreign investor and the local community.