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Seismic Coal Exploration

In-Seam Seismics

  • 1st Edition, Volume 16 - February 15, 1994
  • Latest edition
  • Authors: L. Dresen, H. Rüter
  • Language: English

The efficient mining of hard coal in deep coal mines using highly mechanized longwall techniques requires information on the geological structure ahead of the operating face. Even… Read more

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Description

The efficient mining of hard coal in deep coal mines using highly mechanized longwall techniques requires information on the geological structure ahead of the operating face. Even minor tectonic faults with throws of only a few metres mean a loss in productivity, as they present severe working problems for underground mining equipment. Because investment costs to install a mechanized face are high, "insurance" in the form of spare capacity by both machine shifts or spare faces is uneconomic. Thus, to reduce mining costs it is essential to delineate the geology prior to mining. Today, the only effective geophysical tool to detect and to map minor faults in front of the coal cutter is in-seam seismics using channel, or so called seam waves. The techniques are well established and successfully applied for more than two decades.

In-Seam Seismics covers the entire range of elementary and advanced topics in mathematics, physics and data processing of dispersive channel waves. The results of analogue and numerical modelling provide a thorough understanding of transmission, reflection, recording and interpretation of seam waves and coal seam disturbances. Fire damp proof instrumentation, target orientated underground layouts, processing and interpretation of real data impart the state-of-the-art of in-seam seismics. Selected and well-rounded case histories complete the presentation of in-seam seismics. They can help the mining engineer to come to a decision to plan and to apply in-seam seismics in case of underground mining problems.

A clear text, only formulae which are necessary, many carefully designed figures, an extended list of references and a lucid index make it easy for the reader to get acquainted with seam waves or to promote the technique of in-seam seismics.

Readership

For exploration geophysicists, geologists, mining engineers, surveyors and mine managers. Also of use to those using dispersive waves in exploration or civil engineering.

Table of contents

Chapter headings and section headings: Introduction. (L. Dresen, H. Rüter). Overview. Coal mining concerns. Typical geologic disturbances. Geological sequences with seams as channels of lower seismic velocities. Procedures in fault detection. In-seam seismic activities worldwide, a general overview. Physics of Channel Waves in Coal Seams. (B.A. Dombrowski, L. Dresen, H. Rüter). Introduction. Seam waves as a result of interfering body waves. Dispersive wave trains, phase and group velocity. Dispersion curves. Attenuation of channel waves in coal seams. Reflection and transmission of Love channel waves at faults and seam ends. Anisotropy of coal seams. Generation of seam waves. Sensitivity curves. Data Processing. (B.A. Dombrowski, L. Dresen, H. Rüter). Introduction. Preprocessing. Analysis. Imaging mapping. Analogue and Numerical Modeling. (L. Dresen, D. Orlowsky, H. Rüter). Introduction. Analogue model techniques. Numerical methods. Results of numerical and analogue modeling. Conclusions drawn from the model seismic investigations for the in-situ application of the in-seam seismic method. Instrumentation. (L. Dresen, I. Heyde, H. Rüter). Introduction. Conditions for instrumentation in a coal mine. Requirements for the measuring instruments. Examples of Seismic equipment. Wave sources. Receivers. Data Acquisition. (L. Dresen, I. Heyde, H. Rüter). Introduction. Transmission surveys. Reflections surveys. Wave sources and receivers. General survey operations. Case Histories. (L. Dresen, I. Heyde, H. Rüter). In-seam seismic surveys in Australian coal mines. In-seam seismic surveys in the UK. In-seam seismic surveys in Germany. References. Subject Index.
100 line drawings, 221 illus., 287 lit. refs.

Product details

  • Edition: 1
  • Latest edition
  • Volume: 16
  • Published: February 15, 1994
  • Language: English

About the authors

LD

L. Dresen

Affiliations and expertise
Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Institut für Geophysik, Bochum, Germany

HR

H. Rüter

Affiliations and expertise
Deutsche Montan Technologie, Institut für Lagerstätte, Vermessung und Angewandte Geophysik, Bochum, Germany

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