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Estimation of the Height of Complete Groundwater Drainage Above Mined Longwall Panels
Author(s) -
Tammetta Paul
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
groundwater
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.84
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1745-6584
pISSN - 0017-467X
DOI - 10.1111/gwat.12003
Subject(s) - overburden , longwall mining , groundwater , geology , drainage , geotechnical engineering , mining engineering , pillar , hydraulic head , hydrology (agriculture) , engineering , coal mining , structural engineering , coal , ecology , biology , waste management
The height of complete groundwater drainage above subsided longwall panels (referred to as H ) at underground mines is determined using a data base of hydraulic head measurements made with multiple devices down the depth profile at each of a number of sites worldwide. H is shown to be relatively independent of most parameters except the geometry of the mined void and the overburden thickness. An empirical equation linking H to these parameters is developed using hydraulic head data, and confirmed using an independent data base of ground movement. H is shown to be the same as the height of the zone of major ground movement above a panel. H for special cases (above longwall chain pillars, above pillar extraction panels, and underneath significant water bodies) is invariably smaller than H above center panel for ordinary cases. A new caving model, from a groundwater perspective, is proposed for continuously sheared longwall panels at ordinary locations. It removes complexity and reduces the uncertainty in estimating H . The derived equation for H applies to a variety of strata types.