Mining Engineering Commons^™

Exploring The Deformation Mechanics Of Coal Ribs Using The Distinct Element Modeling Approach, Maurice Sunkpal, Taghi Sherizadeh

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Understanding coal rib geomechanics is essential for improving rib stability and eliminating fatality and injury trends due to rib failures. There are presently no standardized rib control practices available in most countries. In light of this observed dearth, this investigation aims to improve understanding of rib failure mechanisms using the distinct element modeling (DEM) technique. DEM is chosen because of its superior advantage to explicitly represent discontinuities and their constitutive behaviors, besides that of the intact rock matrix. To analyze the rib stability, a numerical monitoring protocol is implemented to monitor the deformation characteristics of the coal rock mass as …

Earth Imaging From The Surface Of The Moon With A Dscovr/Epic-Type Camera, Nick Gorkavyi, Simon Carn, Matt Deland, Yuri Knyazikhin, Nick Krotkov, Alexander Marshak, Et Al.

Michigan Tech Publications

The Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) on the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite observes the entire Sun-illuminated Earth from sunrise to sunset from the L1 Sun-Earth Lagrange point. The L1 location, however, confines the observed phase angles to ∼2°–12°, a nearly backscattering direction, precluding any information on the bidirectional surface reflectance factor (BRF) or cloud/aerosol phase function. Deploying an analog of EPIC on the Moon’s surface would offer a unique opportunity to image the full range of Earth phases, including observing ocean/cloud glint reflection for different phase angles; monitoring of transient volcanic clouds; detection of circum-polar mesospheric and stratospheric …

Flow Characterization In Mine Ventilation Fan Blade Design Using Cfd, Anwar Endris Hassen

Journal of Sustainable Mining

In axial ventilation fans, the generation of a uniform flow velocity is desirable for better efficiency. To that end, different fan blade types have been developed to achieve better flow uniformity. This article aimed to characterize the flow distribution and its uniformity in four blade designs, namely constant chord, tapered blade, skewed blade, and tapered skewed blade, using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). The study employs an iterative study where key study decisions are made as the study progresses. The study began with the selection of a blade profile for the study. A comparative study between the NACA seven-digit and four-digit …

Data Management System For A Semiautonomous Shuttle Car For Underground Room And Pillar Coal Mines, Vasilis Androulakis, Steven Schafrik, Joseph Sottile, Zacharias Agioutantis

Mining Engineering Faculty Publications

In recent years, autonomous solutions in the multidisciplinary field of mining engineering have been an extremely popular applied research topic. This is a result of the increasing demands of society on mineral resources along with the accelerating exploitation of the currently economically viable resources, which lead the mining sector to turn to deeper, more-difficult-to-mine orebodies. An appropriate data management system comprises a crucial aspect of the designing and the engineering of a system that involves autonomous or semiautonomous vehicles. The vast volume of data collected from onboard sensors, as well as from a potential IoT network dispersed around a smart …

Geoindicators For Assessing Illegal Gold Mining Environmental Impacts In Choco, Colombia, Jennifer Angel-Amaya

International Programs

In Choco artisanal gold mining has been made for centuries. However, since 2009, with the rise in gold prices, alluvial mining has been mechanized causing social and environmental devastation.

Colombia´s T-622 (2016) ruling calls for the restoration of affected areas. Geoindicators could be used to assess the environmental impacts prior restoration.

Evaluating Mine Design Alternatives For Social Risks Using Discrete Choice Analysis, Kwame Awuah-Offei, Sisi Que, Atta Ur Rehman

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

As with other engineering design tasks, mine design involves setting design objectives and constraints (the feasible solution space) and finding the optimal design alternative. Mine engineers often struggle to incorporate the preferences of local community members into their evaluation of mine design alternatives because the mining literature lacks tools to quantify such risks during mine planning. This paper presents an approach to evaluate community acceptance (i.e., community preferences for the alternatives) using discrete choice models and decision-based design during mine planning. Using discrete choice models and a rigorous framework, engineers can estimate the cost of social risks as a function …

Findings Report: Virtual Workshop On ‘Resilient Supply Of Critical Minerals’, Marek Locmelis, Angela D. Lueking, Michael S. Moats, Kwame Awuah-Offei, Lana Z. Alagha, Mark W. Fitch, Alanna Krolikowski, Shelby Clark

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Executive Summary
On August 2-3, 2021, the Thomas J. O’Keefe Institute for Sustainable Supply of Strategic Minerals at Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) hosted the NSF-funded virtual workshop ‘Resilient Supply of Critical Minerals’. The workshop was convened via Zoom and attracted 158 registrants, including 108 registrants from academia (61 students), 30 registrants from government agencies, and 20 registrants from the private sector. Four topical sessions were covered:

A. Mineral Exploration and Source Diversification.
B. Supply Chain and Policy Issues.
C. Improving Mineral Recycling and Reprocessing Technologies.
D. Technological Alternatives to Critical Minerals.

Each topical session was composed …

Application Of Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry To Monitor Surface Deformations Of The Trans-European Transport Network (Ten-T) – A Case Study Of The Motorways Crossing Areas Of Mining Operations In The Upper Silesian Coal Basin, Poland, Adam Smoliński, Mariusz Stawinoga, Tomasz Pindel

Journal of Sustainable Mining

Underground hard coal mining causes surface deformations. When the mining operations are conducted beneath linear objects, such as motorways, there is a risk of deformations of the axis of the road and its horizontal and vertical alignment (additional bends and vertical curvatures, longitudinal inclinations, deformations of crosssections). In the areas subjected to mining operations, mining plants conduct geodetic monitoring. Due to their labour intensity and costs, geodetic measurements are usually made only a few times a year. The article discusses the possibility of applying Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) to monitor the subsidence of the vertical alignment of motorways caused …

Adapting Open Pit Mine Design Fundamentals To Leverage The Advantages Of Autonomous Haulage Systems, Race Owens

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

It is common practice, and even legally required in many jurisdictions, to design two-lane haul roads in open pit mines to three and a half times the widest dimension of the haul trucks operating on the road. In open pit gold mines with high strip ratios, the road width has a significant impact on the economics of a design. It is possible to minimize the flattening of the highwall if the road width is reduced, assuming the width used is not needed to flatten the slopes for geotechnical purposes. With the use of autonomous haulage and pull-outs, it may be …

Remote Sensing-Based Statistical Approach For Defining Drained Lake Basins In A Continuous Permafrost Region, North Slope Of Alaska, Helena Bergstedt, Benjamin M. Jones, Kenneth M Hinkel, Louise Farquharson, Benjamin V. Gaglioti, Andrew D. Parsekian, Mikhail Kanevskiy, Noriaki Ohara, Amy L. Breen, Rodrigo C. Rangel, Guido Grosse, Ingmar Nitze

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Lake formation and drainage are pervasive phenomena in permafrost regions. Drained lake basins (DLBs) are often the most common landforms in lowland permafrost regions in the Arctic (50% to 75% of the landscape). However, detailed assessments of DLB distribution and abundance are limited. In this study, we present a novel and scalable remote sensing-based approach to identifying DLBs in lowland permafrost regions, using the North Slope of Alaska as a case study. We validated this first North Slope-wide DLB data product against several previously published sub-regional scale datasets and manually classified points. The study area covered >71,000 km2, including a …

Analysis On The Deployment Of Mining Research Supported By The Grant Program Of Deep Resources Exploration And Mining, Fan Jun, Zhang Jialin, Qin Yuan, Wang Hao, Gao Yanan, Pei Yongzhi

Coal Geology & Exploration

The Deep Resources Exploration and Mining(DREAM) grant program, within the framework of The National Key Research and Development Program grants, is a pillar to implement China’s science and technology strategy in the area of deep resources exploitation. To tackle the insufficient of theories and technologies for the 1000-meter-deep mining, a section of mining, covering the research of basic theories, general technologies and application demonstration, was arranged in the layout of DREAM under the principle of "whole chain design, integrated implementation". In the aspect of basic research, DREAM mainly focused on the deep rock mechanics and mining theory, such as the …

Experimental Study On Multi-Scale Pore Structure Characteristics Of Tar-Rich Coal In Yushenfu Mining Area, Shen Yanjun, Wang Xu, Zhao Chunhu, Wang Shengquan, Guo Chen, Shi Qingmin, Ma Wen

Coal Geology & Exploration

Extracting oil and refining gas from oil-rich coal is an important measure to make up for the shortage of oil and gas supply in China. The research on pore development characteristics and permeability of tar-rich coal will help to better develop and utilize tar-rich coal. Taking the tar-rich coal in Yushenfu mining area as the research object, this paper studies the multi-scale pore structure and the whole segment pore characterization of tar-rich coal by such methods as low-temperature liquid nitrogen adsorption, mercury intrusion porosimetry, nuclear magnetic resonance and gas permeability measurement method. Based on the test results of multi-scale pore …

Prediction Model Of Coalbed Methane Content Based On Well Logging Parameter Optimization, Chen Tao, Zhang Zhansong, Zhou Xueqing, Guo Jianhong, Xiao Hang, Tan Chenyang, Qin Ruibao, Yu Jie

Coal Geology & Exploration

With the development of coalbed methane(CBM) exploration, higher accuracy of CBM content prediction is required. Based on the response characteristics of CBM logging, the correlation between logging parameters and gas content is analyzed, and the optimization strategy of logging parameters by combining MIV technology with LSSVM is proposed. The optimal logging parameters are selected as the input independent variables of network modeling, and the core parameters of LSSVM(Least Squares Support Vector Machine) network are optimized by particle swarm optimization. Finally, a set of MIV-PSO-LSSVM model suitable for CBM content prediction is constructed. The prediction performances of LSSVM, PSO-LSSVM, MIV-LSSVM, MIV-PSO-LSSVM …

Analysis Of Interlayer Interference In Combined Development Of Coalbed Methane Wells And Discussion On Combined Production Methods：A Case Study Of Shoushan No.1 Coal Mine In Pingdingshan, Xu Yaobo

Coal Geology & Exploration

The combined development of multiple coal seams is a key technology to increase the production of single CBM wells. However, in engineering practice, most coal seams have interlayer interference problems, resulting in an insignificant increase in combined development gas production. In order to improve the gas production and development efficiency of combined development in coalbed methane wells, taking the combined production of coalbed methane in the No.4-2 coal seam and the No.2-1 coal seam of the Shoushan No.1 Coal Mine in Pingdingshan as an example, this paper analyses the influence factors and interference rules of interlayer interference, and proposes the …

Model Tests On The Red Clay Foundation Reinforced By The Natural Coir Fiber, Li Liangyong, Ma Weidi, Xie Peng, Cao Qian, Huang Ruilong

Coal Geology & Exploration

Due to the advantages of low cost, good seismic performance, simple construction, etc., reinforcement method has become a common method of foundation improvement. However, the geosynthetic used in the reinforcement method is not natural and environmentally friendly. To solve this problem, the natural coir fiber is used to reinforce the red clay foundation in this paper. The effect of the coir fiber reinforcement depth on the deformation and bearing capacity of the red clay foundation is studied through load tests. The distribution law of the earth pressure along depth is analyzed. The results show that the load bearing ratio increases …

Application And Development Of Permanent Magnet Torque Motor In Down-Hole Tools For Oil And Gas Drilling And Production, Li Wei, Deng Lang, Zou Xing, Xia Yang, Chen Xi

Coal Geology & Exploration

Permanent magnet torque motor is a kind of a power driving device with great development potential. It has several advantages, such as high torque density, fast response speed, strong overload capacity, high efficiency and energy saving, therefore, it possesses wide application prospects in many fields in both industrial production and daily life and so on. In view of the current application overview and technical requirements of permanent magnet torque motors in oil and gas drilling and production down-hole intelligent tools, firstly, this paper briefly introduces the structure composition and working principle of permanent magnet torque motor. Then, it elaborates the …

Water Inrush Mechanism Of Thick Alluvium Aquifer With High Pressure Based On The “Bidirectional Fractures” Model In Huainan And Huaibei Mining Area, Liu Qimeng, Liu Yu, Xie Zhigang, Bai Hanying, Fu Xiang, Miao Changjun

Coal Geology & Exploration

The coal reserves under Quaternary thick alluvium with high pressure are huge in Huainan and Huaibei Mining Areas. In the process of increasing the upper limit mining near the alluvium, water inrush accidents often occur. However, it is difficult to reasonably explain the mechanism of such accidents by using the traditional aupper three zonesa theory. In this paper, the hydrogeological and engineering geological conditions of thick alluvium with high pressure are analyzed, and the abidirectional fracturesa model is established. Laboratory experiment, numerical simulation, theoretical analysis, and engineering application inspection are used to study the development law of downward infiltration zone …

Classification Method Of Coal And Rock Drillability Based On Mechanical Specific Energy Theory, Xie Zhijiang, Chang Xue, Yang Lin, Pi Yangjun

Coal Geology & Exploration

The drillability classification of the surrounding rock during the drilling process of coal mine gas drainage through the Mechanical Specific Energy(MSE) can provide a basis for the drilling rig to adjust the drilling parameters. Aiming at the problems of difficulty and low efficiency of manual layer identification in the process of gas drainage and drilling, a coal and rock drillability classification method based on MSE as the drillability evaluation index combined with Extreme Learning Machine(ELM) is proposed. A simulation model of PDC bit crushing rock was established by ABAQUS, and the changing law of drilling speed and MSE in the …

Research On The Evolution Law Of Roadway Surrounding Rock Fissure Based On Fractal Dimension, Ding Wanqi, Ma Zhenqian, Zu Ziyin, Xie Hongfei, Yang Wei, Chen Chuan

Coal Geology & Exploration

To explore the evolution law of surrounding rock fissures under the influence of horizontal stress and dynamic disturbance in argillaceous roadways, the deformation and failure characteristics of argillaceous roadways, the evolution law of surrounding rock fissures and the fractal evolution characteristics of surrounding rock fissures under dynamic disturbance are studied by such methods as field investigation, numerical simulation and fractal theory analysis, with the 226 track gate of Shanjiaoshu Mine in Panzhou City as the engineering background. The results show that before dynamic disturbance, the expansion range of fracture zone and plastic zone of roadways gradually increases with the increase …

The Origin Of Coal Measure Breccia In Jinggong No.3 Coal Mine, Pingshuo, Shanxi, Shi Yanqiang

Coal Geology & Exploration

The genesis and occurrence of coal measure breccia in Jinggong No.3 Coal Mine of Pingshuo are special and closely related to the coal seams. Through core observation of supplementary drilling, combined with regional geology and analysis of previous drilling data, the composition, structure and structural characteristics of breccia in the study area are described in detail, and the horizon, thickness and distribution of breccia are delineated. It is found that the composition of breccia in Jinggong No.3 Coal Mine of Pingshuo is complex, and the size of breccia is different. The maximum diameter of mudstone is more than 1.20 m, …