Study of the Migrating Mine Gas Piston Effect during Reactivation of Tectonic Faults

Abstract

The hypothesis of the piston effect during mine gas migration caused by fault reactivation was studied, with the use of computer modeling, to explain cases of a sudden appearance of mine gases on the earth surface in coal mining areas. The study is based on the factual data of the mode and amplitudes of subsidence along faults during mining, the morphology of the fault planes, and the theoretical ideas about the discrete nature of the fault wall displacement along uneven contact surfaces. It is taken into account that the walls of the fault, due to the asperity types “ridge” and “sag”, form contacts of the “ridge–ridge” and “ridge–sag” patterns. This study examines the situation where gas pressure in the fracture space can sharply increase due to the jerky displacement of reactivated tectonic fault walls with a rough fault plane. It is assumed that, in the first phase of reactivation, the fracture space expands as a result of the displacer opening and the fact that fault plane asperities engage in the “ridge–ridge” type of contact. With the subsequent relative displacement of the fault walls in the second phase of reactivation, the contact changes into the “ridge–sag” type and a sharp reduction in the fracture space volume occurs. It is shown that a “piston effect” emerges due to the reduction in fracture space and that it promotes an increase in gas pressure and stimulates gas movement to the surface through the available channels. The resulting “piston effects” may also be responsible for the suddenly raised gas content recorded in the air of surface structures and recurrent mine gas migration onto the surface. The findings expand our understanding of the sudden gasification of the earth surface and living spaces in coal mining areas and contribute to the understanding of the gas migration process, thereby helping to monitor hazards.

The Impact of Atmospheric Pressure Changes on Methane Emission from Goafs to Coal Mine Workings

“…In ventilated mine workings, the inflow of methane into the mine's air from sealed goaves significantly affects the safety of miners. To ensure worker safety, technological processes in which the release of methane into mine air is recorded are analyzed, and a ventilation and methane balance is carried out [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]. It should be mentioned that changes in atmospheric pressure and their impact on the content of methane and other gases in mine air are controlled by monitoring systems and analyzed by the supervisory services of mine ventilation departments.…”