Ventilation Research Findings for Enhanced Worker Safety When Mining Near Unconventional Gas Wells in Longwall Abutment Pillars

Details

• Personal Author:
  Addis JD ; Ajayi KM ; Dougherty H ; Harris, Marcia L. ; Khademian Z ; Kimutis R ; Schatzel, Steven J. ; Van Dyke M ; Watkins E
• Description:
  Unconventional gas wells continue to be drilled through current and future coal reserves in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio. The ability for both mining and gas producing activities to coexist safely is a continuing question for federal and state regulatory entities as well as for industry representatives. A hypothetical, gas well casing failure resulting from mining-induced ground movements could produce unsafe conditions and an explosion hazard in nearby operating mines. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is conducting research to characterize a hypothetical breach from an unconventional gas well near an operating longwall coal mine and any resulting mine safety consequences for a range of mining conditions. Regional conditions include overburden depths of under 152 m (500 ft), between 152 m (500 ft) and 274 m (900 ft), and overburden depth over 274 m (900 ft). Geologic conditions also include typical southwestern Pennsylvania topography and stream valley environments. Differing ventilation schemes commonly used in Pittsburgh coal bed mines have been considered in assessing the distribution of gas from a hypothetical breach in mine workings. Multiple technical approaches are utilized to address the ventilation research questions. These methods include experimental techniques, analytical methods and interpretations, and numerical and physical modeling tasks. The NIOSH team is providing scientific input to regulatory and industry partners in the development of new recommendations for shale gas wells influenced by longwall mining. A summary of the current findings by the research team, across all tasks, is provided. Although this summary represents years of research by the NIOSH team, refinements to the technical interpretations may continue to be produced over the life of the project as more research data become available. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Coal Coal Mining Explosions Mining Occupational Health Safety Ventilation
• Keywords:
  Coal Mining Explosive Gases Geotechnical Engineering Longwall Mining Mining Industry
• Series:
  Mining Publications
• ISBN:
  9781032551463
• Publisher:
  CRC Press
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5 ; Pennsylvania ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  PMRD - Pittsburgh Mining Research Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20069421
• Citation:
  Underground Ventilation: Proceedings of the 19th North American Mine Ventilation Symposium (NAMVS 2023), June 17-22, 2023, Rapid City, South Dakota. Tukkaraja P ed. London: CRC Press, 2023 Sep; :529-540
• Editor(s):
  Tukkaraja P
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Underground Ventilation: Proceedings of the 19th North American Mine Ventilation Symposium (NAMVS 2023), June 17-22, 2023, Rapid City, South Dakota
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:ee3aa20bb783b9f948b7bc618fa797b1b26848a04ba2b7498002b86036dff1b8beabd1bd4b4f244ff36eade3a6b8b1183a42d1984a5ef1ea0baa8e3efa333415
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/215644/cdc_215644_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.60 MB ]