Numerical simulation study of strip filling for water-preserved coal mining

The Jurassic coalfield in northern Shaanxi, China is one of the seven largest coalfields in the world. It is located in an arid region of northwestern China, with poor water resources and fragile ecological environment. Due to coal mining, the rock layers on the coal seam will be slumped and fractured to produce fissures. The penetrated fissures will cause a mine water burst disaster and cause damage to groundwater and surface water. The strip filling method can control the expansion of the diversion fissure zone and protect the groundwater and surface water from the underground mining of coal. In this paper, the effects of different strip filling conditions on the diversion fissure zone are studied by discrete element numerical experiments. The study indicates that the upward-fissure and the downward-fissure penetrations are the direct causes of the instability of the water-blocking rock group. After the upward fissure extends to a certain extent, there will be a downward fissure. Under the condition of controlling the width of the filling strip and the compressive strength, the strip filling method can effectively prevent the upward and downward fissures of the water-blocking rock group from penetrating and can ensure that the surface water system is not affected by the underground coal mining activities.