Effects of Borehole Arrangement on Methane Migration and Implications for High Efficiency Extraction in Intact and Tectonic Combined Coal Seams

Gas extraction by bedding boreholes is a key means to realize safe mining of coal mine and protect the environment. The traditional bedding boreholes are usually constructed in the center of the coal seam, which may not obtain a high methane extraction rate because of the existence of tectonic coal sublayer with low permeability. In this paper, the gas migration characteristics of combined coal seams composed of tectonic and intact coal sublayers are investigated, and the efficient gas extraction method is further explored. The results indicate that only 2.676 kg/m3 of gas can be extracted under the traditional bedding borehole arrangement in 300 days. The tectonic coal sublayer with low permeability restricts the gas in the intact coal sublayers to flow to the extraction boreholes, which is the main reason for the low gas extraction rate. By arranging boreholes up and down alternately with a vertical spacing of 2.74 m, the maximum gas amount of 3.526 kg/m3 can be extracted, showing an increased rate of 31.8%. The optimal vertical spacing between adjacent boreholes (VSAB) raises with the relatively increasing thickness or decreasing permeability of the tectonic coal sublayer. The optimal VSAB has a linear relationship with the thickness ratio of the tectonic coal sublayer to the combined coal seams. The optimal VSAB can be obtained referring to the numerical relationship, and then, the extraction boreholes can be dilled to achieve efficient gas extraction of combined coal seams. In engineering, the dislocation arrangement of borehole can greatly improve the gas extraction efficiency and coal mine safety.