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Engineering Hydrogeology Research Related to Mining Activities
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Engineering Hydrogeology Research Related to Mining Activities

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Hydraulics and Hydrodynamics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 March 2025) | Viewed by 8002

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Wei Qiao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Mine Water Hazards Prevention and Controlling Technology, School of Resources and Geosciences, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Interests: hydrogeology; engineering geology; geological disasters research related to mining activities; geothermal resource development; intelligent warning and monitor of geological disasters
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Yifan Zeng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. National Engineering Research Center of Coal Mine Water Hazard Controlling, Beijing 100083, China
2. College of Geoscience and Surveying Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: coal mine water hazard controlling; grouting treatment; water exploration and discharge; advanced drainage; water resource protection; roof water disaster control; mine water inrush

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Coal mining usually produces a large amount of mine water and causes a series of engineering hydrogeology problems. On the one hand, coal mining causes safety and environmental impact problems, such as groundwater loss and mine water pollution. On the other hand, coal mining causes some water inrush accidents, such as water inrush from separate layers, water inrush from sand and water inrush from coal seam floors. Although many scholars have been rapidly advancing the field by adopting new ideas and concepts, the safety of mining conditions and the groundwater environment in the mining area have been greatly improved, and the technology, processes and materials of mine water prevention and treatment have been greatly developed, but there are still some problems which include the engineering hydrogeological mechanism of water inrush, hydrogeological problems of deep recharge of mine water, intelligent monitoring and early warning of coal mine water disaster, water-preserved coal mining and research on rock dynamics with fluid–structure coupling. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Mechanism of water inrush;
  • Mine water hazards prevention and controlling technology;
  • Prediction of mine water hazard;
  • New technology of mine water hazard monitoring and early warning;
  • Water-preserved coal mining;
  • Prevention and control of mine water pollution;
  • Mine water reinjection and geological storage;
  • Modeling of groundwater in mining area;
  • Research on rock dynamics with fluid–structure coupling.

Prof. Dr. Wei Qiao
Dr. Yifan Zeng
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • mechanism of water inrush
  • prediction of mine water hazard
  • intelligent warning and monitor of mine water hazard
  • mine water injection and storage
  • mine water reinjection and geological storage
  • mine inflow
  • evolution of groundwater flow field
  • water inrush from separate layer
  • research on rock dynamics with fluid–structure coupling

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 3621 KiB  
Article
Research on Data-Driven Prediction of Inrush Probability in Coal Mines Under the Mechanism of Feature Reconstruction in Information Interconnectivity
by Shuyu Xu, Zhiwen Peng and Qiushuang Zheng
Water 2025, 17(6), 843; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17060843 - 14 Mar 2025
Viewed by 165
Abstract
As coal mining extends deeper, the complexities of groundwater systems and the instability of geological formations exacerbate the challenges of accurately investigating and preventing water inrush incidents in mines. To tackle the issues stemming from the multifaceted causes of such difficulties associated with [...] Read more.
As coal mining extends deeper, the complexities of groundwater systems and the instability of geological formations exacerbate the challenges of accurately investigating and preventing water inrush incidents in mines. To tackle the issues stemming from the multifaceted causes of such difficulties associated with data acquisition—coupled with a limited sample size leading to prediction inaccuracies—this study introduces a bicubic interpolation data augmentation algorithm and presents a data-driven CNN-ResNet-RF model designed for effective data expansion. The bicubic interpolation technique adeptly extracts correlational information from the evidence chain related to water inrush events, thereby enriching the training dataset. The CNN facilitates the extraction of preliminary features from the augmented input variables through convolution and pooling, which are subsequently concatenated with raw features derived from ResNet. The enriched correlational information and reconstructed features are then inputted into a Random Forest model to predict the probability of water inrush in mining operations. Empirical validation reveals that the data augmentation coupled with the CNN-ResNet-RF model significantly enhances the extraction of information from sample data, outperforming conventional predictive models. The model’s efficacy is evidenced by a RMSE of 0.5946, a MAE of 0.4666, a MAPE of 0.38%, and a R2 of 0.9072. This method provides an accurate representation of the nonlinear dynamics of mine water inrushing—a process governed by numerous factors and characterized by a small dataset with a complex formation mechanism. Ultimately, it enables precise assessments of high-risk water inrush areas, offering theoretical and decision-making support for the proactive implementation of targeted mitigation strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Hydrogeology Research Related to Mining Activities)
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18 pages, 10136 KiB  
Article
Failure Characteristics and Stress Distribution of Intact Floor Under Coupled Static and Dynamic Loads in Mining Projects
by Qisong Huang, Bo Xu, Junjun Feng, Jun Peng and Xiangyu Wang
Water 2025, 17(5), 699; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17050699 - 27 Feb 2025
Viewed by 313
Abstract
Numerous floor water inrush (FWI) disasters have occurred during the roof weighting period in China. Therefore, to clarify why FWI accidents tend to cluster at a specific mining stage, a novel method for evaluating the failure depth of mining floors (FDMF) under dynamic [...] Read more.
Numerous floor water inrush (FWI) disasters have occurred during the roof weighting period in China. Therefore, to clarify why FWI accidents tend to cluster at a specific mining stage, a novel method for evaluating the failure depth of mining floors (FDMF) under dynamic loads induced by roof breakage is proposed in this study. By employing Matlab programming, the stress distribution and failure patterns of the intact floor were analyzed, revealing the dynamic stress response and failure characteristics. In addition, the accuracy of the proposed theoretical model was further verified through numerical simulation and field measurement. The results indicate that dynamic loads significantly impact vertical stress and shear stress, but only have a minor impact on horizontal stress. This leads to an expansion of the stress concentration zone and an increase in the intensity of the mining floor. Moreover, the FDMF is notably enhanced under the dynamic load induced by roof weighting. Besides, both the numerical simulations and field measurement results align closely with the theoretical predictions, which confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method. This study provides a theoretical foundation for understanding FWI mechanisms under the combined influence of dynamic and static loads. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Hydrogeology Research Related to Mining Activities)
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19 pages, 11433 KiB  
Article
An Improved Water Yield Evaluation Method Based on Partition Variable-Weight Theory
by Yanping Miao, Zeyang Liu, Xuhe Zheng, Xiaosheng Chen, Xianhui Wang and Yifan Zeng
Water 2025, 17(4), 486; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17040486 - 8 Feb 2025
Viewed by 675
Abstract
Existing aquifer water richness evaluation methods typically employ fixed indicator weights, failing to account for variations within individual controlling factors or interactions among multiple factors. This study introduces an enhanced water richness index method based on zoned variable weighting theory. Through unified normalization [...] Read more.
Existing aquifer water richness evaluation methods typically employ fixed indicator weights, failing to account for variations within individual controlling factors or interactions among multiple factors. This study introduces an enhanced water richness index method based on zoned variable weighting theory. Through unified normalization of water inrush controlling factors for each main mining coal seam, construction of variable weighting status vectors, division of unified variable weighting intervals, and determination of vulnerability index zoning thresholds, the method dynamically assigns weights to different evaluation indicators and adjusts weights based on varying state values. The study proposes a standardization and dimensionless processing approach for key controlling factors influencing aquifer water richness, including lithological differences, hydraulic properties, and weathering degrees. Using K-means clustering, variable-weighting interval thresholds are established for each controlling factor. The research also explores the construction of state variable-weighting vectors and the determination of adjustment parameters, quantitatively assessing the interactive relationships and relative importance of controlling factors on aquifer water richness. A variable-weighting-based water richness index model is developed. Taking the weathered bedrock aquifer of the No. 2 coal seam roof in the Hongliulin coal mine as a case study, this paper demonstrates the specific implementation steps of the proposed method. The results show that the variable-weighting model more accurately reflects aquifer heterogeneity and offers higher predictive accuracy compared to traditional constant-weighting methods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Hydrogeology Research Related to Mining Activities)
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25 pages, 14152 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Water Inrush Risk in the Fault Zone of the Coal Seam Floor in Madaotou Coal Mine, Shanxi Province, China
by Shuai Yu, Hanghang Ding, Moyuan Yang and Menglin Zhang
Water 2025, 17(2), 259; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17020259 - 17 Jan 2025
Viewed by 520
Abstract
As coal seams are mined at greater depths, the threat of high water pressure from the confined aquifer in the floor that mining operations face has become increasingly prominent. Taking the Madaotou mine field in the Datong Coalfield as the research object, in [...] Read more.
As coal seams are mined at greater depths, the threat of high water pressure from the confined aquifer in the floor that mining operations face has become increasingly prominent. Taking the Madaotou mine field in the Datong Coalfield as the research object, in the context of mining under pressure, for the main coal seams in the mining area, first of all, an improved evaluation method for the vulnerability of floor water inrush is adopted for hazard prediction. Secondly, numerical simulation is used to conduct a simulation analysis on the fault zones in high-risk areas. By using the fuzzy C-means clustering method (FCCM) to improve the classification method for the normalized indicators in the original variable-weight vulnerability evaluation, the risk zoning for water inrush from the coal seam floor is determined. Then, through the numerical simulation method, a simulation analysis is carried out on high-risk areas to simulate the disturbance changes of different mining methods on the fault zones so as to put forward reasonable mining methods. The results show that the classification of the variable-weight intervals of water inrush from the coal seam floor is more suitable to be classified by using fuzzy clustering, thus improving the prediction accuracy. Based on the time effect of the delayed water inrush of faults, different mining methods determine the duration of the disturbance on the fault zones. Therefore, by reducing the disturbance time on the fault zones, the risk of karst water inrush from the floor of the fault zones can be reduced. Through prediction evaluation and simulation analysis, the evaluation of the risk of water inrush in coal mines has been greatly improved, which is of great significance for ensuring the safe and efficient mining of mines. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Hydrogeology Research Related to Mining Activities)
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20 pages, 6013 KiB  
Article
Sustainable Utilization of Dewatering Sludge for the Development of Reinforcement Grouting Materials in Downhole Applications
by Xianxiang Zhu, Yanhui Du and Song Li
Water 2025, 17(2), 192; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17020192 - 12 Jan 2025
Viewed by 752
Abstract
The mining and processing of coal resources generate substantial coal-based solid wastes, such as coal gangue and slag, which pose environmental challenges, occupy land, and are difficult to manage. However, utilizing these wastes for the stabilization and solidification (S/S) of municipal sludge containing [...] Read more.
The mining and processing of coal resources generate substantial coal-based solid wastes, such as coal gangue and slag, which pose environmental challenges, occupy land, and are difficult to manage. However, utilizing these wastes for the stabilization and solidification (S/S) of municipal sludge containing chromium (Cr) and nickel (Ni) offers an effective solution for mitigating environmental and groundwater pollution while enabling sustainable waste treatment and resource utilization. This study applied an alkali-activated coal gangue–S95 granulated blast furnace slag-based binder (CGS) to the S/S treatment of municipal sludge. The effects of the liquid-to-solid ratio, alkali activator dosage, sludge content, and incineration on compressive strength and the leaching of Cr and Ni were analyzed. The results showed that compressive strength decreased with increases in the sludge content and liquid-to-solid ratio, while incinerated sludge (ESA) samples exhibited better strength than raw sludge (ES). Incineration decomposed the calcite (CaCO3) into CaO, which facilitated the oxidation of Cr(III) to Cr(VI) and increased Cr leaching in the ESA. However, the ESA samples demonstrated superior heavy metal stabilization, as CGS reduced Cr(VI) to Cr(III) and immobilized it through the formation of chromite phases. Using ESA as a binder in CGS provides a safe, efficient approach for resource recovery and heavy metal stabilization, offering a novel solution for the environmental management and utilization of coal-based solid wastes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Hydrogeology Research Related to Mining Activities)
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22 pages, 5592 KiB  
Article
Multi-Factor Prediction of Water Inflow from the Working Face Based on an Improved SSA-RG-MHA Model
by Yingying Ding, Shangxian Yin, Zhenxue Dai, Huiqing Lian and Changsen Bu
Water 2024, 16(23), 3390; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16233390 - 25 Nov 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 735
Abstract
The accurate prediction of mine water inflow is very important for mine design and safe production. The existing forecasting methods based on single factors are often less accurate and stable. Multi-factor data-driven models play a key role in predicting water inflow without taking [...] Read more.
The accurate prediction of mine water inflow is very important for mine design and safe production. The existing forecasting methods based on single factors are often less accurate and stable. Multi-factor data-driven models play a key role in predicting water inflow without taking physical changes into account. Therefore, a multi-factor prediction method based on an improved SSA-RG-MHA model is introduced in this study. The model uses two sets of data related to water inflow as the input to improve prediction accuracy and stability. The model first applies a residual network (ResNet) to mitigate the problems of disappearing gradients and explosions. Gated Recurrent Units (GRUs) are then used to learn the characteristics of long-term sequence data. The model combines ResNet and GRU into a new network architecture and incorporates a multiple attention (MHA) mechanism to focus on information at different time scales. Finally, the optimized sparrow search algorithm (SSA) is used to optimize the network parameters to improve the global search ability and avoid local optimization. The mine water inflow is affected by many factors, among which the water level and microseismic energy data are particularly important. Therefore, these data types are selected as the key variables of mine water inflow prediction. The experimental results show that the improved SSA-RG-MHA model significantly reduces the prediction error: the mean absolute error (MAE), root mean square error (RMSE), and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) were reduced to 4.42 m3/h, 7.17 m3/h, and 5%, respectively. The multi-factor water inflow prediction method is more stable and reliable than single-factor models as it comprehensively considers the factors affecting the water inflow of the working face. Compared with other multi-factor models, this model exhibits higher prediction accuracy and robustness, providing a basis for mine water hazard monitoring and early warning. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Hydrogeology Research Related to Mining Activities)
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12 pages, 1777 KiB  
Article
Use of Moringa Oleifera as a Natural Coagulant in the Reduction of Water Turbidity in Mining Activities
by Angélica Geovanna Zea Cobos, Jessica Gutiérrez and Pablo Caballero
Water 2024, 16(16), 2315; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16162315 - 17 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1985
Abstract
Mining is a key industrial activity contributing to the global economy, but it generates large volumes of wastewater with high turbidity due to mineral extraction and processing. In Ecuador, the growth of industrial and artisanal mining has worsened water pollution. Effective wastewater management [...] Read more.
Mining is a key industrial activity contributing to the global economy, but it generates large volumes of wastewater with high turbidity due to mineral extraction and processing. In Ecuador, the growth of industrial and artisanal mining has worsened water pollution. Effective wastewater management is essential to mitigate the environmental impacts. Traditionally, chemical coagulants like aluminum sulfate reduce water turbidity, but they have drawbacks such as high costs, chemical waste generation, and adverse health effects. The residual aluminum in drinking water can harm the central nervous system and is linked to diseases like Alzheimer’s and dialysis-related conditions. Given these concerns, evaluating plant species as natural coagulants is crucial. Moringa oleifera, widely found in tropical dry forests, has shown effectiveness in water treatment. This study assesses the efficacy of Moringa oleifera paste as a natural coagulant to reduce turbidity in mining wastewater compared to the efficacy of aluminum sulfate. Coagulation and flocculation tests determined the optimal doses and efficiency of both coagulants. The results indicated that Moringa oleifera achieved an 85% turbidity reduction compared to a 92% reduction with aluminum sulfate. This demonstrates its viability and effectiveness as a sustainable, economical, and safe alternative for water purification, promoting environmentally friendly practices in the mining industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Hydrogeology Research Related to Mining Activities)
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20 pages, 16475 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of the Effects of Pre-Grouting in Combination with Group Holes on the Risk of Water Inrush through Coal Seam Floors
by Shiyuan Tian, Chunfang Gao, Junchao Yue, Peiguo Heng, Shuitao Guo and Xinyi Wang
Water 2024, 16(8), 1160; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16081160 - 19 Apr 2024
Viewed by 1129
Abstract
Coal mine pre-grouting is an important means to reduce the risk of coal seam floor water inrush, and the scientific evaluation of its effects is an important basis for the formulation of water control countermeasures and the realization of safe mining. This paper [...] Read more.
Coal mine pre-grouting is an important means to reduce the risk of coal seam floor water inrush, and the scientific evaluation of its effects is an important basis for the formulation of water control countermeasures and the realization of safe mining. This paper takes the Guhanshan Mine 15,051 working face grouting project as the research object and selects the grouting volume, the length of the meter grouting, the dry material value in tons of water, the complexity of faults, and the threat of water inrush at the working face as the index factors with which to evaluate the effectiveness of the grouting. The geological structure is quantified by fractal theory. The subjective, objective, and comprehensive weights of the index factors are determined by the analytic hierarchy process, the CRITIC method, and the combination weighting method. The grouting effect on the working face is quantitatively identified by the fuzzy variable set comprehensive evaluation model, and zoning is carried out. The research shows that the areas with optimal, good, qualified, and poor grouting effect at the 15,051 working face account for 4.66%, 74.34%, 21.00%, and 0% of the working face area, respectively, and the proportion at the level of qualified or above accounts for 100%. The safety results at the 15,051 working face prove that the selected evaluation index factors are representative, the established model is reliable, and the evaluation results are in line with actual conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Hydrogeology Research Related to Mining Activities)
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Review

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24 pages, 3758 KiB  
Review
Technical Analysis and Application Prospects of Magnetic Source Transient Electromagnetic Coil Devices in Hydrogeological Survey of Mining Area
by Yang Yang, Fei Yang, Bo Wang, Wangping Qian, Ying Wang and Yuanbin Zuo
Water 2025, 17(2), 171; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17020171 - 10 Jan 2025
Viewed by 691
Abstract
The transient electromagnetic method (TEM) has a wide range of applications in the hydrogeological exploration of mining engineering. This method is highly sensitive to groundwater responses and provides reliable data for the prevention of water-related disasters, such as sudden water surges and gushes. [...] Read more.
The transient electromagnetic method (TEM) has a wide range of applications in the hydrogeological exploration of mining engineering. This method is highly sensitive to groundwater responses and provides reliable data for the prevention of water-related disasters, such as sudden water surges and gushes. However, there are currently a lack of comprehensive and systematic analyses and summaries regarding the characteristics of magnetic source transient electromagnetic coil devices. Based on the fixed characteristics of the field source, this paper categorizes magnetic source transient electromagnetic coil devices into fixed-source devices and moving-source devices. It provides an in-depth introduction and analysis of the working principles, technical characteristics, existing applications, and development trends of these two types of devices. This study provides important references for the selection and application of magnetic source transient electromagnetic coil devices. In the future, the development of magnetic source transient electromagnetic devices will focus on deeper measurement depths, higher lateral resolution, non-contact coupling, and efficient detection, moving towards multifunctionality, automation, and intelligence. This paper can provide a technical reference for the selection of magnetic source transient electromagnetic coil devices and their application in hydrogeological exploration of mining engineering. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Hydrogeology Research Related to Mining Activities)
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