scholarly journals Research on Reducing Mining-Induced Disasters by Filling in Steeply Inclined Thick Coal Seams

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (20) ◽  
pp. 5802 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng ◽  
Zhaoyuan ◽  
Jianqiang ◽  
Bo ◽  
Yanbin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Ground Surface ◽  
Peak Stress ◽  
Field Investigation ◽  
Linear Increase ◽  
Electromagnetic Spectrum ◽  
Burial Depth ◽  
Filling Material ◽  
Coal Seams ◽  
Surface Filling

Surface filling during the mining of steeply inclined thick coal seams is an efficient method for restraining disasters caused by the cascading movement of overburden rocks. This study aims to control rock damage during the mining of thick coal seams steeply inclined at typically more than 45° in fully mechanized coal caving work surfaces with high section heights. Based on the green mining concept, we analyzed the movement of roof strata after filling using multiple methods, including field investigation, theoretical analysis, numerical calculation, and field monitoring. Results show that, in dynamic mine disasters caused mainly by complex coal conditions and strong disturbances in fully mechanized coal caving in large sections, the strength of the filling material is dependent on the features of the surrounding rock and burial depth. Also, the mining-induced peak stress shows a linear increase after filling, with the goafs in stress-free conditions, and failure zones occur in the roof and floor strata after mining. The stability of the rock pillars and overburden strata are better, and there are no large-scale tensile fissures in the ground surface. We adopted an intelligent underground radar detection technique that can reflect the rock-failure characteristics through the propagation characteristics of the electromagnetic spectrum. The detection results show that the coal goafs were filled properly as they were matched with the caving roof, which will collapse along with the release of the top coal, with the filling body able to move downward along with the discharge of top coal. The use of surface filling can restrain the dynamic disaster induced by a fully mechanized coal caving surface with a large section when mining steeply inclined thick coal seams, thereby ensuring safety and promoting the use of green mining practices.

scholarly journals Empirical models for predicting the spatial variation of soil thickness and shear strength for landslide susceptibility assessment

2018 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-91
Author(s):  
Cheryl F. Daleon ◽  
Glen A. Lorenzo
Keyword(s):  
Shear Strength ◽  
Spatial Variation ◽  
Empirical Model ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Slope Angle ◽  
Ground Surface ◽  
Friction Angle ◽  
Field Investigation ◽  
Soil Thickness ◽  
Actual Measurement

 Spatial variation of soil thickness, cohesion and friction angle are crucial in large scale slope stability analysis. However, determination of these parameters is challenging, costly and time consuming. In order to opt out expensive laboratory tests and laborious field investigation, efforts had been done by many researchers to predict these parameters over large areas. In this study, the soil samples and soil thickness data are gathered from 30 sampling boreholes and 60 probed points in an area with Pliocene-Pleistocene geology. The details on slope angle are obtained from the slope map through a processed Digital Elevation Model (DEM) in Geographic Information System (GIS) particularly the ArcGIS software. Slope angles are confirmed in the site through actual measurement using the clinometer. The soil thickness is measured from the ground surface down to the interface of soil and weathered bedrock. The cohesion and friction angle are determined from the direct shear test. Regression analysis is used to establish an empirical model correlating the soil thickness and shear strength parameters with the slope angle. The result revealed that the slope angle has yielded better correlation to the soil thickness than the cohesion and friction angle. The resulting slope angle-soil thickness empirical model is validated from ten different sites with similar geology.

scholarly journals Universal Masking to Control Healthcare-Associated Transmission of SARS-CoV-2

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Eliza R. Thompson ◽  
Faith S. Williams ◽  
Pat A. Giacin ◽  
Shay Drummond ◽  
Eric Brown ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Infection Prevention ◽  
Index Patient ◽  
Field Investigation ◽  
Point Prevalence ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Infection Control Measures ◽  
Va Health Care System ◽  
Healthcare Associated

Abstract Objective: To assess extent of a healthcare-associated outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 and evaluate effectiveness of infection control measures, including universal masking Design: Outbreak investigation including 4 large-scale point-prevalence surveys Setting: Integrated VA Health Care System with 2 facilities and 330 beds Participants: Index patient and 250 exposed patients and staff Methods: We identified exposed patients and staff and classified them as probable and confirmed cases based on symptoms and testing. We performed a field investigation and assessment of patient and staff interactions to develop probable transmission routes. Infection prevention interventions implemented included droplet and contact precautions, employee quarantine, and universal masking with medical and cloth facemasks. Four point-prevalence surveys of patient and staff subsets were conducted using real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction for SARS-CoV-2. Results: Among 250 potentially exposed patients and staff, 14 confirmed cases of Covid-19 were identified. Patient roommates and staff with prolonged patient contact were most likely to be infected. The last potential date of transmission from staff to patient was day 22, the day universal masking was implemented. Subsequent point-prevalence surveys in 126 patients and 234 staff identified 0 patient cases and 5 staff cases of Covid-19, without evidence of healthcare-associated transmission. Conclusions: Universal masking with medical facemasks was effective in preventing further spread of SARS-CoV-2 in our facility in conjunction with other traditional infection prevention measures.

scholarly journals Sustainable Spatial Energy Planning of Large-Scale Wind and PV Farms in Israel: A Collaborative and Participatory Planning Approach

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 551
Author(s):  
Sofia Spyridonidou ◽  
Georgia Sismani ◽  
Eva Loukogeorgaki ◽  
Dimitra G. Vagiona ◽  
Hagit Ulanovsky ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Field Investigation ◽  
Participatory Planning ◽  
Energy Planning ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
Selection Processes ◽  
Planning Framework ◽  
Planning Approach ◽  
Near Future

In this work, an innovative sustainable spatial energy planning framework is developed on national scale for identifying and prioritizing appropriate, technically and economically feasible, environmentally sustainable as well as socially acceptable sites for the siting of large-scale onshore Wind Farms (WFs) and Photovoltaic Farms (PVFs) in Israel. The proposed holistic framework consists of distinctive steps allocated in two successive modules (the Planning and the Field Investigation module), and it covers all relevant dimensions of a sustainable siting analysis (economic, social, and environmental). It advances a collaborative and participatory planning approach by combining spatial planning tools (Geographic Information Systems (GIS)) and multi-criteria decision-making methods (e.g., Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP)) with versatile participatory planning techniques in order to consider the opinion of three different participatory groups (public, experts, and renewable energy planners) within the site-selection processes. Moreover, it facilitates verification of GIS results by conducting appropriate field observations. Sites of high suitability, accepted by all participatory groups and field verified, form the final outcome of the proposed framework. The results illustrate the existence of high suitable sites for large-scale WFs’ and PVFs’ siting and, thus, the potential deployment of such projects towards the fulfillment of the Israeli energy targets in the near future.

scholarly journals Remote Sensing of Vegetation Recovery in Grasslands after the 1988 Yellowstone Fires in Yellowstone National Park

1990 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 151-153
Author(s):  
Evelyn Merrill ◽  
Cathy Wilson ◽  
Ronald Marrs
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Spectral Data ◽  
Satellite Imagery ◽  
Yellowstone National Park ◽  
National Park ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Vegetation Recovery ◽  
Electromagnetic Spectrum ◽  
Traditional Methods ◽  
Vegetative Biomass

Traditional methods for measurement of vegetative biomass can be time-consuming and labor­intensive, especially across large areas. Yet such estimates are necessary to investigate the effects of large scale disturbances on ecosystem components and processes. One alternative to traditional methods for monitoring rangeland vegetation is to use satellite imagery. Because foliage of plants differentially absorbs and reflects energy within the electromagnetic spectrum, remote sensing of spectral data can be used to quantify the amount of green vegetative biomass present in an area (Tucker and Sellers 1986).

Transpiration of Acacia plantation under managed tropical peatland in Riau, Sumatra

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yogi Suardiwerianto ◽  
Sofyan Kurnianto ◽  
Adibtya Asyhari ◽  
Tubagus Muhamad Risky ◽  
Muhammad Fikky Hidayat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transpiration Rate ◽  
Groundwater Level ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Hydrological Modeling ◽  
Ground Surface ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Ratio Method ◽  
Flow Measurements ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Relative Contribution

<p>Transpiration is a key process in the terrestrial ecosystems linking water, carbon, and energy exchanges between the vegetation and the atmosphere. However, the understanding of transpiration rate, its spatiotemporal dynamics, and the controlling factors in tropical peatlands are still constrained by limited measurements. This study aims to investigate the transpiration rates at the stand level of Acacia plantation under different groundwater levels. The measurements were performed at two large-scale lysimeter plots with groundwater level of 40 and 80 cm below the ground surface. The transpiration rate was quantified based on sap flow measurements from 16 trees with different diameters at breast height using heat ratio method. The initial results indicate that the transpiration rate was closely correlated to the meteorological parameters, including atmospheric vapor pressure deficit and solar radiation. The two plots with different groundwater level regimes exhibit the same diurnal pattern of transpiration rate yet shows differences in their magnitude. The findings from this study will improve the understanding about relative contribution of transpiration to the total water balance under different groundwater levels. Further, an ongoing measurement of above and below-ground biomass growth and hydrological modeling work will advance the knowledge on plant-water interaction from this ecosystem.</p>

scholarly journals Innovative Seismic Microzonation Maps of Urban Areas for the Management of Building Heritage: A Catania Case Study

Geosciences ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 480
Author(s):  
Glenda Abate ◽  
Simone Bramante ◽  
Maria Rossella Massimino
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Free Field ◽  
Ground Surface ◽  
Seismic Microzonation ◽  
Field Conditions ◽  
Seismic Retrofitting ◽  
Geotechnical Characteristics ◽  
Fixed Base ◽  
Scale Estimate

Several urban areas in the Mediterranean have already been subjected to seismic microzonation studies aimed at determining the acceleration expected on the ground surface, therefore mitigating the associated seismic risks. These studies have been generally related to free-field conditions. The present paper shows innovative seismic microzonation maps based on a large-scale estimate of soil-structure interaction (SSI) effects on design accelerations for some areas characterized by a high seismic risk in Catania, Italy. The proposed procedure combined: (1) geotechnical characteristics; (2) building features; and (3) 1-D seismic response analyses in free-field conditions. The seismic hazard and site effects were evaluated using artificial inputs and inputs recorded recently in Catania. Structural fundamental periods and related spectral accelerations, considering both the fixed-base building configuration and flexible-base configuration, were mapped in the Google My Maps environment. These results showed that SSI often had a beneficial effect, but sometimes it had detrimental effects, especially for some masonry buildings. These maps provided important information for planning the seismic retrofitting of investigated buildings, which were based on more detailed analyses of SSI and the developed maps requiring them.

scholarly journals Study on Reservoir Properties and Critical Depth in Deep Coal Seams in Qinshui Basin, China

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Guiqiang Zheng ◽  
Bin Sun ◽  
Dawei Lv ◽  
Zhejun Pan ◽  
Huiqing Lian
Keyword(s):  
Coal Seam ◽  
Step Change ◽  
Gas Content ◽  
Burial Depth ◽  
Critical Depth ◽  
Coal Seams ◽  
Reservoir Properties ◽  
Qinshui Basin ◽  
Geological Conditions ◽  
Change Characteristics

Coalbed methane (CBM) reservoir properties and relationship of properties with burial depth were studied based on the data derived from 204 deep CBM production wells in Qinshui Basin, China. Through the study, it is found that permeability and porosity decrease with the increase of burial depth and the decreasing trend shows step-change characteristics at a critical burial depth. They also show divisional characteristics at certain burial depth. Gas content, geostress, and geotemperature increase with the increase of burial depth, and the increasing trend shows step-change characteristics and also have divisional characteristics at certain burial depth. Based on the previous study on the reservoir property changes with burial depth, three series of critical depth using different parameters are obtained through simulating the critical depth using the BP neural network method. It is found that the critical depth is different when using different parameters. Combined the previous study with the normalization of three different parameter types, the critical depth in Qinshui Basin was defined as shallow coal seam is lower than 650 m and transition band is 650–1000 m, while deep coal seam is deeper than 1000 m. In deep coal seams, the geological conditions and recovery becomes poor, so it can be defined as unfavorable zones. Therefore, other development means, for example, CO2 injection, need to be used to accelerate the deep coal methane development.

scholarly journals Effect of Soluble Salt Loss via Spring Water on Irrigation-Induced Landslide Deformation

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 2889
Author(s):  
Zonglin Zhang ◽  
Runqiang Zeng ◽  
Xingmin Meng ◽  
Yi Zhang ◽  
Shufen Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Field Investigation ◽  
Spring Water ◽  
Gansu Province ◽  
Soluble Salt ◽  
Strong Positive Correlation ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
Landslide Deformation ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Sbas Insar

Landslide exposes the previously blocked groundwater discharge. High concentrations of soluble salt form salt sinters that can be observed near discharge passages. Based on existing laboratory investigation results of soil leaching and shearing reported in the literature, the effect of the soluble salt loss via spring water on irrigation-induced landslide deformation was studied under large-scale conditions. During our field investigation of landslides in the Heitai terrace of the Yellow River’s upper reaches in Gansu Province, China, 35 spring outlets were found, and the Heitai terrace was divided into five subareas, based on the difference in spring flow. Deformation data for the terrace were obtained by small baseline subset technology (SBAS-InSAR). These data were analyzed in combination with the amount of soluble salt loss, to explore the correlation between the deformation of the landslide and the soluble salt loss in the loess irrigation area. The results showed that the cumulative deformation and the loss of soluble salt were increasing continuously in the terrace. Although the increasing intensity of each subarea was different, the changing intensity of the two during the corresponding monitoring period was highly consistent. The statistical analysis revealed a strong positive correlation between the accumulated loss of soluble salt via spring water and the accumulated displacement of the terrace edge (p < 0.01). After the slope k between the two was tested by the Grubbs test and t-test, the k was no abnormality (α = 0.05) and difference (Sig > 0.05), further providing the basis for confirming the existence of this positive correlation. When the loss of soluble salt in rock and soil increased gradually, the accumulated deformation of the terrace edge also increased continuously. The findings of this study are of great significance for understanding the formation mechanism of landslides and the identifying landslide revival in irrigation areas of the Loess Plateau.

scholarly journals LOFAR observations of the XMM-LSS field

2019 ◽  
Vol 622 ◽  
pp. A4 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. L. Hale ◽  
W. Williams ◽  
M. J. Jarvis ◽  
M. J. Hardcastle ◽  
L. K. Morabito ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Angular Resolution ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Primary Beam ◽  
Electromagnetic Spectrum ◽  
Radio Sources ◽  
Spectral Indices ◽  
The North ◽  
True Source ◽  
Scale Calibration

We present observations of the XMM Large-Scale Structure (XMM-LSS) field observed with the LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR) at 120–168 MHz. Centred at a J2000 declination of −4.5°, this is a challenging field to observe with LOFAR because of its low elevation with respect to the array. The low elevation of this field reduces the effective collecting area of the telescope, thereby reducing sensitivity. This low elevation also causes the primary beam to be elongated in the north-south direction, which can introduce side lobes in the synthesised beam in this direction. However the XMM-LSS field is a key field to study because of the wealth of ancillary information, encompassing most of the electromagnetic spectrum. The field was observed for a total of 12 h from three four-hour LOFAR tracks using the Dutch array. The final image presented encompasses ∼27 deg2, which is the region of the observations with a >50% primary beam response. Once combined, the observations reach a central rms of 280μJy beam−1at 144 MHz and have an angular resolution of 7.5 × 8.5″. We present our catalogue of detected sources and investigate how our observations compare to previous radio observations. This includes investigating the flux scale calibration of these observations compared to previous measurements, the implied spectral indices of the sources, the observed source counts and corrections to obtain the true source counts, and finally the clustering of the observed radio sources.

scholarly journals Investigation of Hydraulic Fracturing Crack Propagation Behavior in Multi-Layered Coal Seams

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 1153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shirong Cao ◽  
Xiyuan Li ◽  
Zhe Zhou ◽  
Yingwei Wang ◽  
Hong Ding
Keyword(s):  
Coal Seam ◽  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Crack Propagation ◽  
Principal Stress ◽  
Fracture Propagation ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Burial Depth ◽  
Coal Seams ◽  
Initiation Pressure ◽  
Dip Angle

Coalbed methane is not only a clean energy source, but also a major problem affecting the efficient production of coal mines. Hydraulic fracturing is an effective technology for enhancing the coal seam permeability to achieve the efficient extraction of methane. This study investigated the effect of a coal seam reservoir’s geological factors on the initiation pressure and fracture propagation. Through theoretical analysis, a multi-layered coal seam initiation pressure calculation model was established based on the broken failure criterion of maximum tensile stress theory. Laboratory experiments were carried out to investigate the effects of the coal seam stress and coal seam dip angle on the crack initiation pressure and fracture propagation. The results reveal that the multi-layered coal seam hydraulic fracturing initiation pressure did not change with the coal seam inclination when the burial depth was the same. When the dip angle was the same, the initiation pressure linearly increased with the reservoir depth. A three-dimensional model was established to simulate the actual hydraulic fracturing crack propagation in multi-layered coal seams. The results reveal that the hydraulic crack propagated along the direction of the maximum principal stress and opened in the direction of the minimum principal stress. As the burial depth of the reservoir increased, the width of the hydraulic crack also increased. This study can provide the theoretical foundation for the effective implementation of hydraulic fracturing in multi-layered coal seams.

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