Comprehensive Utilization of Borehole AFET and Logging Method Detecting Goaf Area in Coal Mines

China, as the world's largest coal producer and consumer, faces increasingly severe challenges from coal mine goaf areas formed through decades of intensive mining. These underground voids, resulting from exhausted resources or technical limitations, not only cause environmental issues like land subsidence and groundwater contamination but also pose critical safety risks for ongoing mining operations, including water inrushes, gas outbursts, and roof collapses. Conventional geophysical methods such as seismic surveys and electromagnetic detection demonstrate limited effectiveness in complex geological conditions due to susceptibility to electrical heterogeneity, electromagnetic interference, and interpretation ambiguities.This study presents an innovative integrated approach combining the Audio-Frequency Electrical Transillumination (AFET) method with multi-parameter borehole logging to establish a three-dimensional detection system. The AFET technique employs 0.1-10 kHz electromagnetic waves to identify electrical anomalies associated with goafs, enabling extensive horizontal scanning. This is complemented by vertical high-resolution profiling through borehole measurements of resistivity, spontaneous potential, and acoustic velocity. Field applications in Shanxi Province's typical coal mines achieved breakthrough results: Using a grid-drilling pattern (15m spacing, 300m depth), the method successfully detected three concealed goafs missed by conventional approaches, with spatial positioning errors under 0.5m. Notably, it accurately identified two un-collapsed water-filled cavities. This surface-borehole synergistic approach overcomes single-method limitations, enhancing goaf detection accuracy to over 92%. The technique provides reliable technical support for safe mining practices and represents significant progress in precise detection of hidden geological hazards in Chinese coal mines, offering valuable insights for global mining geophysics.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Journal of Environmental & Earth Sciences
Published
2025-04-17
DOI
https://doi.org/10.30564/jees.v7i5.7934
Primary Topic
Geoscience and Mining Technology
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Comprehensive Utilization of Borehole AFET and Logging Method Detecting Goaf Area in Coal Mines

Zipeng Guo
Journal of Environmental & Earth Sciences
Geoscience and Mining Technology
article

Comprehensive Utilization of Borehole AFET and Logging Method Detecting Goaf Area in Coal Mines

Zipeng Guo
article en

Abstract

China, as the world's largest coal producer and consumer, faces increasingly severe challenges from coal mine goaf areas formed through decades of intensive mining. These underground voids, resulting from exhausted resources or technical limitations, not only cause environmental issues like land subsidence and groundwater contamination but also pose critical safety risks for ongoing mining operations, including water inrushes, gas outbursts, and roof collapses. Conventional geophysical methods such as seismic surveys and electromagnetic detection demonstrate limited effectiveness in complex geological conditions due to susceptibility to electrical heterogeneity, electromagnetic interference, and interpretation ambiguities.This study presents an innovative integrated approach combining the Audio-Frequency Electrical Transillumination (AFET) method with multi-parameter borehole logging to establish a three-dimensional detection system. The AFET technique employs 0.1-10 kHz electromagnetic waves to identify electrical anomalies associated with goafs, enabling extensive horizontal scanning. This is complemented by vertical high-resolution profiling through borehole measurements of resistivity, spontaneous potential, and acoustic velocity. Field applications in Shanxi Province's typical coal mines achieved breakthrough results: Using a grid-drilling pattern (15m spacing, 300m depth), the method successfully detected three concealed goafs missed by conventional approaches, with spatial positioning errors under 0.5m. Notably, it accurately identified two un-collapsed water-filled cavities. This surface-borehole synergistic approach overcomes single-method limitations, enhancing goaf detection accuracy to over 92%. The technique provides reliable technical support for safe mining practices and represents significant progress in precise detection of hidden geological hazards in Chinese coal mines, offering valuable insights for global mining geophysics.

Journal of Environmental & Earth SciencesVol. 7(5)
Shenhua Group (China) (CN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 92%
Geoscience and Mining Technology
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.