Geotechnical Challenges and Suitable Methodology for Highwall Mining of Coal Seams with Less Than 3 Metre Parting
摘要
The success of highwall mining in multi-seam conditions depends largely on proper mining sequence and web pillar design. Highwall web pillars, being long and slender, are more susceptible to failure. Mining coal seams with < 3 m parting causes geotechnical issues like strata instability, seam interactions, stress concentrations, spalling, pillar collapse, and subsidence. Parting stability is governed by several factors such as cover depth, parting thickness, eccentricity between roadways, extraction ratio, in-situ stress, and rock competency. Pillar failure, whether progressive or instantaneous, is primarily controlled by the width-to-height (w/h) ratio; undersized pillars—spalling extends inward, eventually leading to collapse. Additionally, failure of thin partings may lead to heightened pillars with low w/h ratios, making them unstable. A case study on the proposed highwall mining at Gare Palma IV/1 mine, operated by M/s Jindal Power Limited, has been discussed. Highwall mining is planned for three coal seams viz. IX, VIII, and VII(T + M)—measuring 5 m, 4 m, and 6 m thick, respectively. The cover depth in the mining area varies from 78.43 to 108.75 m. The IX seam, the uppermost seam, lies 2 m above the VIII seam, while the VIII seam is separated from the VII(T + M) seam by 9 m. The study aims to design an extraction methodology for coal seams with low parting.