Petroleum Reservoir Evaluation and Development ›› 2025, Vol. 15 ›› Issue (6): 1061-1069.doi: 10.13809/j.cnki.cn32-1825/te.2025.06.012

• Engineering Techniques • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Research and application of surface gas control technology for soft and low-permeability coal seams in Huainan mining area

PENG Yumin1(), DING Huazhong1, DING Tongfu1(), SU Lei1, TONG Bi1, JIA Shengfeng1, CHEN Benliang2, TANG Yonggan1, LIU Chao1, YUAN Guang1, LUO Rongdao1, ZHANG Mingzhi1, GAO Meng1   

  1. 1. Huainan Mining Group Coalbed Methane Development and Utilization Co. , Ltd. , Huainan, Anhui 232000, China
    2. National Engineering & Technology Academy for Coal Mining, Huainan, Anhui 232000, China
  • Received:2024-09-06 Online:2025-10-24 Published:2025-12-26

Abstract:

The Huainan mining area is located at the forefront of the intersection of the east-west and north-south tectonic zones in China, with extremely complex geological structures. After a series of tectonic evolution, the coal seams have become fragmented and soft, characterized by “four highs and one softness”: high gas content, high formation pressure, high geothermal temperature, high confined water pressure, and soft and low-permeability coal. As the depth of mining in the Huainan mining area increases year by year, the complexity and hazard of gas disasters have significantly increased, leading to a more prominent contradiction between underground gas control engineering and production succession. Coal mine gas control and coal mining are closely related. Pre-extracting gas through surface gas control wells can effectively prevent gas-related accidents and improve the efficiency of coal safety production. Taking coal mining areas planned for 5 to 10 years as units, surface gas control wells were drilled along the coal mining working face following the track and transportation directions, with an offset of 30~40 m, covering all the designed working faces. Using a three-drilling completion method, rotary casing technology, large-scale fracturing with acidic fracturing fluid system, and drainage and production technology combined with and without sucker rod, the project achieved a 100% success rate, the highest sand ratio of 20% during fracturing, and the highest daily gas production of 11 067 m³ per well. Through verification in the underground coal mines, the original gas pressure in the 13-1 coal seam within the ranges of 65 m and 30 m reduced from 6.8 MPa to 2.7 MPa and 2.4 MPa, respectively, and the gas content decreased from 11.8 m³/t to 7.2 m³/t and 5.2 m³/t, respectively. The fracturing and drainage technology of surface gas control wells had significant effects on reducing the gas pressure and gas content of the coal seam. The implementation of surface gas control technology is beneficial to coal mine safety, energy structure optimization, and carbon emission reduction. Establishing a demonstration area for surface gas control offers valuable insights for implementing surface gas control technology in soft and low-permeability coal seams under geological conditions in China.

Key words: Huainan mining area, soft and low-permeability coal, surface gas control, rotary casing technology, underground coal mine validation

CLC Number: 

  • TE37