Mining Publication: Drainage of Methane From the Overlying Pocahontas No. 4 Coalbed From Workings in the Pocahontas No. 3 Coalbed
Original creation date: January 1979
The Bureau of Mines conducted an experimental degasification project in Island Creek Coal Company Virginia Pocahontas No. 5 Mine. Methane from the overlying Pocahontas No. 4 Coalbed was entering mine workings in the Pocahontas No. 3 Coalbed through fractures in the roof rock. Small-diameter (1-5/8-inch) holes were drilled into the overlying coalbed to reduce the gas pressure and intercept methane flows, which were piped to the surface through an underground 6-inch- diam steel pipeline. The total methane flow rate from the vertical holes averaged 150,000 ft3/day for the first month. Methane flows into the mine were reduced by 47 pct, thereby demonstrating the effectiveness of this form of degasification in reducing ventilation requirements and providing a safer working environment.
Authors: GL Finfinger, J Cervik
Report of Investigations - January 1979
NIOSHTIC2 Number: 10000673
Pittsburgh, PA: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, RI 8359, 1979 Jan; :1-15
See Also
- A CART Technique to Adjust Production from Longwall Coal Operations under Ventilation Constraints
- Coal Mine Methane: A Review of Capture and Utilization Practices with Benefits to Mining Safety and to Greenhouse Gas Reduction
- Degasification System Selection for U.S. Longwall Mines Using an Expert Classification System
- Historical Development of Technologies for Controlling Methane in Underground Coal Mines
- Methane Control by Isolation of a Major Coal Panel - Pittsburgh Coalbed
- Methane Gas Content of the Mary Lee Group of Coalbeds, Jefferson, Tuscaloosa, and Walker Counties, Ala.
- A Numerical Evaluation on the Effects of Impermeable Faults on Degasification Efficiency and Methane Emissions During Underground Coal Mining
- Removing Methane (Degasification) from the Pittsburgh Coalbed in Northern West Virginia
- Rotary Drilling Techniques Used in the Beckley Coalbed
- Underground Gob Gas Drainage During Longwall Mining
- Content source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Mining Program