Influence of Longwall Mining on the Stability of Shale Gas Wells in Barrier Pillars

Details

• Personal Author:
  Lu J ; Su D ; Zhang P
• Description:
  With the shale gas boom over the past decade, many shale gas wells have been drilled through the Pittsburgh coal seam to the Marcellus shale formation. The wells located in longwall barrier pillars are influenced by longwall mining, and their stability has been a safety concern for both the mining and gas industries. This study presented a case in which two longwall panels in the Pittsburgh seam were mined near two shale gas wells in a barrier pillar between the two longwall bleeders. The first longwall panel was mined before the gas wells were drilled and installed in the barrier pillar adjacent to the longwall setup bleeders. The second longwall setup bleeders were developed later on the other side of the barrier pillar, and the second longwall panel was subsequently mined. The stability of the gas wells was evaluated using a numerical modeling approach. The model was set up based on site-specific mining conditions and overburden geology and included sufficient details to simulate the gas well casings, mining sequence, and longwall retreating. The modeling procedures produced realistic results of stresses and deformations around the barrier pillar and in gas well casings, which were verified by in-mine observations. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Geology Mining Occupational Health Oil And Gas Industry Safety
• Keywords:
  Coal Mines Gas Industry Ground Stability Longwall Mining Mathematical Models Mining Industry Models Pillar Mechanics Stress Surface Properties Underground Mines Underground Mining

  More +
• Series:
  Mining Publications
• Publisher:
  American Rock Mechanics Association (ARMA)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  New York ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 3 ; Pennsylvania
• 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:20057686
• Citation:
  53rd US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, June 23-26, 2019, New York, New York. Alexandria, VA: American Rock Mechanics Association (ARMA), 2019 Jun; :ARMA 19-0276
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• NORA Priority Area:
  Mining ; Oil and Gas Extraction
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  53rd US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, June 23-26, 2019, New York, New York
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:1faccc486f97c260b4ead1d78f7610514391d5575f698d435e7c1da2b1e709d31f239404f4196155baa67a4d5a5723d3a7ccd180ad1609e10491d8ecd6091f76
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/227927/cdc_227927_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.56 MB ]