• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.6 no.6
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• pp.613-624
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• 2014

The fractures in coal are the main migration and output channels of coalbed methane, directly influencing the permeability of the coal seams. It is of great significance to study the effect of fracture distribution in coals on the permeability of coal seam. The development rules of endogenetic and exogenetic fractures are different among various coal lithotypes. There is also difference in the fracture density for the same lithotype with different thicknesses. Through the observation and description of the macroscopic fractures in coal and the origin of fractures in coal, the effect of the coal lithotype and its thickness on fracture development in coal was discussed. It was found through the study that the density of fractures in vitrain band was the maximum for the same coal rank and thickness, followed by clarain band. There were few fractures developed in the durain band. However, the changes of fracture density in three types of bands presented different declining trends for low, medium and high coal rank. There were no fractures developed in the fusain. There were three variation patterns for the fracture densities at the same coal rank and coal lithotype: linear decrease, nonlinear decrease, and first decrease then remaining unchanged. However, the overall trend was that the fracture density decreased with the increase of thickness of coal band for the same coal rank and coal lithotype.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.255-264
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• 2020

With the ongoing development of deep mining of coal resources, some coal mine dynamic disasters have exhibited characteristics of both coal-gas outbursts and rockbursts. Therefore, research is required on the mechanism of rockburst-outburst coupling disaster. In this study, the failure characteristics of coal-rock combination structures were investigated using lab-scale physical simulation experiments. The energy criterion of the rockburst-outburst coupling disaster was obtained, and the mechanism of the disaster induced by the gas-solid coupling instability of the coal-rock combination structure was determined. The experimental results indicate that the damage of the coal-rock structure is significantly different from that of a coal body. The influence of the coal-rock structure should be considered in the study of rockburst-outburst coupling disaster. The deformation degree of the roof is controlled by the more significant main role of the gas pressure and the difference in the strength between the rock body and the coal body. The outburst holes and spall characteristics of the coal body after the failure of the coal-rock structure are strongly affected by the difference in strength between the roof and the coal body. The research results provide an in-depth understanding of the mechanism of rockburst-outburst coupling disasters in deep mining.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.149-169
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• 2022

Indonesia coal is widely consumed as a major energy source in Asian countries, such as China, India, and Korea. In the paper, the characteristics of the coal-bearing basin and coal deposits in Indonesia are comprehensively reviewed using the exploration data accumulated through the coal exploration projects supported by Korean government subsidy. Cenozoic coal bearing sedimentary basins in Indonesia extensively contain coal deposits and are most productive in East Asia. Properties of coal deposits are variable depending on stratigraphy, depositional histories and tectonics. Eocene coal deposits tend to have thinner coal thickness and fewer numbers of coal seams, but have been major exploration targets due to higher calorific value and good coal quality. Late Oligocene-Early Miocene coal deposits occur in small scales, but are suitable enough for small to medium-sized coal mines. Miocene-Pliocene coal deposits, which are widely distributed across East Kalimantan and Sumatra, are being actively mined by taking advantage of thick coal thickness and abundant reserves in spite of their lower calorific values. The experience of various exploration informs that we need to have an overall understanding on geological conditions for successful coal exploration. The details on coal-bearing basin and coal deposits in Indonesia provided through the paper will be useful data for up-coming exploration activities by Korean companies.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.85-95
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• 2018

Water affects the mechanical properties of coal and stress wave propagation. To comprehensively investigate the effect of water content on the properties of coal, laboratory tests including X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis, P-wave test, S-wave test, static and dynamic compression test with different water contents were conducted. The compressive strength, elastic modulus and failure strain and their mechanism of coal specimen under coupled static-dynamic load with the increased water content were observed. Meanwhile, energy transmission and dissipation characteristics of a stress wave in coal specimens with different water contents under dynamic load and its relation with the failure features, such as fragmentation and fractal dimension, of coal was analyzed. Furthermore, the dynamic interpretation of water infusion to prevent coal burst based on water infusion model of coal seam roadway was provided.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.15-22
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• 2019

Coal combustion products are generated during coal combustion and can be grouped into fly ash and bottom ash depending on collection methods. Fly ash and bottom ash can be recycled for various purposes based on their characteristics. Australia is the fourth largest coal production country in the world and reuses coal ash as cement, concrete, mine filler, and agricultural soil amendment. When fly ash is used as a supplement for cement and concrete, strength of the cement and the durability of the concrete can be improved. Use of coal combustion product for mine backfill stabilizes underground mine voids and stores a large amount of coal ash in the voids. Because of alkalinity of coal combustion products, it can neutralize acid mine drainage when used for mine backfill. In addition, it can be used as an agricultural soil amendment to improve acidity and physical properties of the soil and to supply plant nutrients. Recycling of fly ash in Australia will be further expanded because of its low trace element contents that can be toxic to plants and low radioactive element contents existing within soil background concentrations. The characteristics of coal combustion products are related to the characteristics of the coal used for combustion, and since Korea imports coal from Australia, Korean coal combustion products also can be recycled for various purposes.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.199-209
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• 2010

Coal gasification technology in the sector of domestic clean coal technologies is being into the limelight since recent dramatic rise of international oil price. In this study, we used a low rank coal from Inner Mongolia, China as a starting material for gasification. Various properties including optical, mineralogical, X-ray spectroscopic, X-ray diffraction, and drying property were measured and tested in order to estimate the suitability of the coal to gasification. The coal was identified as a brown coal of lignite group from the measurement of vitrinite reflectance. The coal has very low slagging and fouling potentials, and the ignition temperature is about $250^{\circ}C$. The major impurities consist of quartz, siderite, and clay minerals. Additionally, the coal had moisture content above 28%. Tests for finding effective drying method showed that the microwave drying is more effective than thermal drying.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.281-292
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• 2024

North Korea relies heavily on coal as the primary energy source, playing an important role in all energy demand sectors except for the transportation sector. Approximately half of the total electricity is generated through coal-fired power plants, and coal is used to produce heat and power for all industrial facilities. Furthermore, coal has been a significant contributor to earning foreign currency through long-term exports to China. Nevertheless, since the 1980s, indiscriminate mining activities have led to rapid depletion of coal production in most coal mines. Aging mine facilities, lack of investment in new equipment, shortages of fuel and electricity, difficulties in material supply, and frequent damage from flooding have collectively contributed to a noticeable decline in coal production since the late 1980s. North Korea's coal deposits are distributed in various geological formations from the Proterozoic to the Cenozoic, but the most critical coal-bearing formations are Ripsok and Sadong formations distributed in the Pyeongnam Basin of the Late Paleozoic from Carboniferous to Permian, which are called as Pyeongnam North and South Coal Fields. Over 90% of North Korea's coal is produced in these coal fields. The classification of coal in North Korea differs from the international classification based on coalification (peat, lignite, sub-bituminous coal, bituminous coal, and anthracite). North Korean classification based on industrial aspect is classified into bituminous coal, anthracite, and low-grade coal (Chomuyeontan). Based on the energy factor, it is classified into high-calorie coal, medium calorie coal, and low-calorie coal. In North Korea, the term "Chomuyeontan" refers to a type of coal that is not classified globally and is unique to North Korea. It is a low-grade coal exclusively used in North Korea and is not found or used in any other country worldwide. This article compares North Korea's coal classification and the international coal classification of coal and provides insights into the geological characteristics, reserves, utilization, and research trends of North Korean coal resources. This study could serve as a guide for preparing scientific and industrial agendas related to coal collaboration between North Korea and South Korea.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.9-17
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• 2018

Brazilian splitting tests, uniaxial compression tests and triaxial compression tests are carried out on the coal samples cored from Shanxi group $II_1$ coal seam of Jiaozuo coal mine, Henan province, China, to obtain their property parameters. Considering the bedding has notable effect on the property parameter of coal, the samples with different bedding angles are prepared. The effects of bedding on the anisotropic characteristics of the coal seam are investigated. A geological geomechanical model is built based on the geology characteristics of the Jiaozuo coal mine target reservoir to study the effects of bedding on the fracture propagations during hydraulic fracturing. The effects of injection pressure, well completion method, in-situ stress difference coefficient, and fracturing fluid displacement on the fracture propagations are investigated. Results show bedding has notable effects on the property parameters of coal, which is the key factor affecting the anisotropy of coal. The hydraulic cracks trends to bifurcate and swerve at the bedding due to its low strength. Induced fractures are produced easily at the locations around the bedding. The bedding is beneficial to form a complicated fracture network. Experimental and numerical simulations can help to understand the effects of bedding on hydraulic fracturing in coalbed methane reservoirs.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.82 no.6
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• pp.713-724
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• 2022

Effects of coal tensile strength and plow configuration on the coal fragmentation process was modeled by two-dimensional particles flow code (PFC2D). Three tensile strength values, 0.5, 1,5 and 3.5 MPa were considered in this numerical study. The cutters of plow penetrated in the coal for 4 mm at a rate of 0.016 m/s. According to the PFC manual, the local damping factor was 0.7. Three failure mechanism of coal during the fragmentation process by plow were modelled. The coal material beneath the cutters showed the elastic, plastic and fracturing behaviors in this analysis. In all the models, the plastic zone was fractured and some micro-cracks were induced but the elastic zone remained undamaged. It was observed that the tensile strength affected the failure mechanism of coal significantly and as it increased the extent of the fractured zone underneath the plow cutter decreased during the fragmentation process.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.81-89
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• 2014

Approximately 8.5 million tons of fly ash and 740,000 tons of briquette ash were produced in 2010. Inefficient recycling of coal ash has been a heavy economic and environmental burden and economical coal ash utilization technologies are required to turn coal ash into valuable resources. In this study the patents and literature were analyzed to understand the present situation of coal ash recycling technologies and to promote utilization of coal ash for producing a non-sintering green cement, geopolymer. The survey was based on the open patents of USA, European Union, Japan and Korea, and the papers in SCI - indexed journals published between 1979 and 2013. Technical key words were used for data collection and noise filtering. Trends of recycling technologies in utilization of coal ash for producing geopolymers were discussed in terms of time periods, countries, companies and various forms of technologies.