Detection of gas accumulation in coal mines



Project manager Igor Skopichenko
Project manager Igor Skopichenko

The problem of detecting gas accumulation in coal mines is very important for both Ukraine's coal mines and the world’s.

 

Every year in the world there are accidents at mines due to the accumulation of methane and its subsequent ignition, leading to a powerful explosion and human losses.

 

Existing gas analyzers can only partially solve this problem, as it is often the wandering gas that tries to accumulate in one place to a critical mass, but it is very difficult to determine this location by existing methods.

 

The project team has developed equipment and methods for detecting gas accumulation sites from the earth's surface. This allows the gas mines to be detected in the coal mines and to map the coalbed methane accumulation zones in the coalfields remotely, from the earth's surface, without descending into the mine.

 

The method is absolutely environmentally safe, does not require bulky motor vehicles or the presence of operators in gas accumulation sites, and ensures the safety of searching for coalbed methane.

 

This development has already been tested and can be implemented in industrial use at all coal mines and other mines where the availability of gas is possible.

 

Main directions of the project:

  • detection of gas accumulation in coal mines, conducting the analysis remotely from the earth's surface without descending into the mine
  • detection and mapping of coalbed methane accumulation zones by analyzing remotely from the ground without going down to the mine
  • determination of the drilling point, and depth of accumulated gas, for the purpose of mining coalbed methane, for subsequent use

Our measuring methods with the use of excitation-receiving installation of a very small size allow the exploration of subsoil in almost any area.

 

ADVANTAGES:

  • conducting research on modern technology provides an opportunity to determine the drilling site and pump gas that can be further used
  • pumping this gas out of the mine gives further safety to the mine and ensures the safety of coal production at the fields and saves lives
  • modern technology provides an opportunity to detect the volume of accumulation of this gas and provides the possibility of further accident-free coal production at the mine

Search operations are carried out without any adverse effect on the environment, ie the method is absolutely environmentally friendly.