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. 2021 Sep 20;16(9):e0256911. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256911

Distribution of spontaneous combustion three zones and optimization of nitrogen injection location in the goaf of a fully mechanized top coal caving face

Yun Qi 1,2,*, Wei Wang 1,2,*, Qingjie Qi 2,3, Zhangxuan Ning 1, Youli Yao 1
Editor: Dragan Pamucar4
PMCID: PMC8452049  PMID: 34543303

Abstract

In order to effectively prevent and control spontaneous combustion of residual coal in the goaf and reduce the waste of nitrogen caused by setting the position of nitrogen injection, 1303 fully mechanized coal caving faces of the Jinniu Mine are studied. By deploying a bundle tube monitoring system in the inlet air side and return air side of the goaf, changes in gas concentration in the goaf are continuously monitored. In addition, the distribution area for spontaneous combustion three-zone in the goaf is divided into heat dissipation zone, oxidized spontaneous combustion zone, and suffocation zone. Simulations from the COMSOL Multiphysics 5.3 software provide insight based on the three zones division standard of spontaneous combustion in the goaf. The gradual deepening of the nitrogen injection position into the goaf affects the lower limit of the oxidized spontaneous combustion zone significantly, but the impact on the upper limit of the oxidized spontaneous combustion zone is not obvious and is negligible. With regard to the width of the oxidized spontaneous combustion zone, it initially decreases followed by a gradual increase. Numerical calculations suggest the optimal nitrogen injection position is 40 m from the roof cutting line, with an oxidized spontaneous combustion zone width of 28 m. Based on the simulation analysis results, nitrogen injection controlling measures have been adopted for spontaneous combustion of residual coal in the goaf of the 1303 fully mechanized coal caving faces, and coal self-ignition in the goaf has been successfully extinguished.

1 Introduction

Coal mine fires affect the safety of mines. Among coal mine fires, 85% stem from the spontaneous combustion of coal in the goaf [1–3]. Fully mechanized top caving technology improves production efficiency of mines, but it increases the leakage intensity of goaf and produces excessive residual coal. The increase in the leakage intensity increases the probability of spontaneous combustion of coal in the goaf [4–7]. Injecting nitrogen technology in mining operations aids in preventing the spontaneous combustion of coal in the goaf and in extinguishing fires that do occur the goaf.

Many studies involve nitrogen injection and fire prevention in the goaf. Krishna et al. [8] used CFD technology to study the change of a flow field and designed a nitrogen injection fire-fighting and extinguishing scheme in goafs. Li Zongxiang et al. [9] combined the finite element numerical method with computer graphics technology to simulate the change process of the boundary of nitrogen injection control zone with the amount of nitrogen injection. From this model, Li et al. obtained the negative exponential relationship between the amount of nitrogen injection and the boundary of the nitrogen injection control area. Gao Ke et al. [10] adopted the Fluent numerical method to optimize nitrogen injection. The method identified the required nitrogen injection amount, location of nitrogen injection, and air volume in the goaf area. Zhu Hongqing et al. [11] studied the law of spontaneous combustion and temperature rise in the context of nitrogen injection and fire prevention using the Fluent software.

These studies only focused on nitrogen injection in the context of fire prevention principles and the nitrogen injection process. However, they did not consider the effects of coal oxidation and gas emission in the goaf area.

To address these shortcomings, this work investigates the 1303 fully mechanized caving faces of the Jinniu coal mine. Field measurements were conducted to divide the “three-zone” distribution area of spontaneous combustion in the goaf. Using COMSOL Multiphysics 5.3 [12], the simulation can model the dependence between the spontaneous combustion “three-zone” distribution area and the nitrogen injection position via the leakage flow field and oxygen concentration field. The influence of nitrogen injection position on the width of oxidized spontaneous combustion zone was studied to optimize the location of nitrogen injection. Based on the results of the simulation analysis, the proposed nitrogen injection scheme could hold significant benefits industrial settings.

2 Analysis of the three zones of spontaneous combustion in goaf

2.1 Overview of 1303 fully mechanized caving mining faces

The 1303 fully mechanized coal caving faces in the Jinniu coal mine are in the mining area of the 1030 level 9+10+11# coal seam. The working face starts from the concentrated return airflow tunnel in the east and extends to the boundary of the well field in the west. The face also stretches from the 1305 working faces in the south to the 1301 working faces in the north. The design length of working faces is 906.6 m, the length of the slope is 90 m, the coal seam thickness is 5.24–7.30 m, and the average thickness is 6.17 m. Adopting fully mechanized top coal caving mining technology, all the caving methods are used to control the roof of the goaf. The mining height of the working face is 2.9 m, the top coal caving height is 3.3 m, and the ratio of mining and discharge is 1:1.13. The coal seams are well developed and contain 1–4 layers of clips. The clips are primarily thin-bedded mudstones with a uniform thickness. The average dip angle of the coal seam is 10° but falls within the range of 8–14°. The exploited coal seam belongs to the type II spontaneous combustion coal seam. The spontaneous combustion period is 21–55 days, and the coal dust explosion index is 45.79%. At this magnitude, the index qualifies as explosive.

2.2 Field monitoring of the three zones of spontaneous combustion in the goaf area

According to the basic characteristics of the 1303 fully mechanized caving faces, the tube monitoring system is placed in the intake and return air lanes. The GC-2010 gas chromatograph provided by Jinniu coal mine is used to measure the content of the gas in the goaf. Measuring points are arranged at the same relative positions in the intake and return air tunnels. The mutual distance between the measuring points is 20 m, and there are three measuring points on each side. The specific layout scheme is shown in Fig 1.

Fig 1. Layout of beam tube and temperature sensor.

Fig 1

The collapse of the roof of the goaf could easily damage the probe at the measuring point. A seamless steel tube is used to protect the beam tube from this damage after probe installation. The tube cable and the temperature measuring wire are fixed into the casing together. The length of the temperature wire is set to prevent breakage caused by tension. The sleeves are connected via a quick joint. A temperature sensor and a sampling head are installed at each measuring point. The sampling head is attached to the beam tube, and the temperature sensor is connected to the temperature measuring wire.

Over the course of two months, the temperature and gas concentrations in the goaf of 1303 fully mechanized caving faces was measured. The dependency of oxygen concentration with respect to the advancing degree of the working face is shown in Fig 2. Measurement point six is not monitored because the beam tube was blocked. Because the air leakage velocity is a vector, field measurement is very difficult. Therefore, it adopts the standard [13–16] of 8–18%, which is currently used in China. The spontaneous combustion zone of the intake air side is 52–109 m, and the air backside spontaneous combustion zone is 40–92 m.

Fig 2. Change curves of oxygen concentration with working face advancing.

Fig 2

3 Calculation model and solution conditions

3.1 Geometric model

According to the field measurements from the 1303 fully mechanized coal caving faces in the Jinniu coal mine, the height of the goaf is far less than the plane size. The two-dimensional model is superior to the three-dimensional model with regard to the accuracy and calculation time. As such, the two-dimensional geometric model of the goaf is shown in Fig 3.

Fig 3. Geometric model of goaf.

Fig 3

  • The length of the working face is 90 m, and the width is 7 m.

  • The length of the goaf length GL is dynamically changed, and the width is 90 m.

  • The boundary, W1, is the air inlet of the air entry lane with a width of 3 m.

  • W2 is the return air inlet of the return air lane with a width of 3 m.

  • W3, W4, and W7 are the non-acquired solid coal walls in the working face.

  • W5 is the outside protection coal wall of the inlet lane.

  • W6 is the outer protective coal wall of the return air lane.

  • G1 is the boundary of the goaf of the return air lane.

  • G2 is the boundary of the goaf of the intake airflow tunnel

  • G3 of the roof pressure stability area is used to calculate the edge of the area.

3.2 Mathematical model

When a gas is flowing in the deep part of the goaf at a low velocity and is assumed to be incompressible, fluid dynamics can be characterized as steady-state two-dimensional laminar flow. For this case, energy exchange is not considered. Therefore, the flow of air in the goaf is only needed to meet the momentum conservation equation and the continuity equation [17]. Assuming that the goaf is fully caving and that the top and bottom are not gas-permeable, the following control equation can be obtained:

∂u∂x+∂v∂y=0, (1)
∂(ρu)∂t+∂(ρuu)∂x+∂(ρuv)∂y=∂∂xμ∂u∂x+∂∂yμ∂u∂y−∂P∂x+Sx, (2)
∂(ρv)∂t+∂(ρuv)∂x+∂(ρvv)∂y=∂∂xμ∂u∂x+∂∂yμ∂u∂y−∂P∂y+Sy. (3)

In the above equations, u and v are velocity (m/s) components in the directions of x and y, respectively; ρ is the density (kg/m3) of the air in the mine, t (s) is gas flow time; P is the pressure (Pa) on the fluid microelement; μ is the air viscosity coefficient (kg·m-1·s-1) of the goaf; Sx and Sy are model related source items.

The source terms of the porous medium model include two parts: the viscous loss term and the momentum loss term [18]. When the fluid moves in porous media, the loss of momentum causes the pressure gradient to decrease. The pressure gradient drop is proportional to the rate of fluid flow. In a simple homogeneous porous medium:

Si=μα0vi+β12ρvjvj, (4)
∂∂xkx∂H∂x+∂∂yky∂H∂y=0, (5)
Qx⋅dcdx+Qy⋅dcdy=Dx∂2c∂x2+Dy∂2c∂y2−W. (6)

In Eqs (4) = (6), α0 is the permeability coefficient of the porous medium; β is the coefficient of inertia resistance; H is the roof caving height (m); Qx and Qy indicate the air leakage intensity (m3/m2·s) in the directions of x and y, respectively; k is absolute permeability (m2); c is the mass concentration of oxygen (kg/m3); D is the diffusion coefficient of oxygen in the coal (m2/s); and W is the oxygen consumption remittance of coal (mol·m-3·s-1).

To make the mathematical model more suitable for simulating experimental conditions, the influence of residual coal oxidation and gas emission on the oxygen concentration in goaf is considered. Below, a model of oxygen consumption remittance in goaf is constructed:

W=−WO2⋅H1H+W(c), (7)
WO2=1−nn⋅cc0⋅y0⋅eb0t, (8)
W(c)=n⋅H⋅WCH4n⋅H+WCH4⋅c, (9)
H1=k1M⋅1−α1+M1, (10)
H=kpMkp(0)−1. (11)

In the formula, W (O2) is the oxidative oxygen consumption of coal (mol·m-3·s-1); W (c) is the equivalent oxygen consumption intensity, considering the dilution effect of gas emission in the goaf (mol·m-3·s-1); W (CH4) is the amount of gas emission from the goaf (0.12~4.7 mol·m-3·s-1); γ0 is the undetermined coefficient of coal oxygen consumption rate (0.098 mol·m-3·s-1); c0 is the oxygen concentration in the new airflow (21%); H1 is the thickness of coal remains (m); n is the porosity with a value of 0.25; α1 is the recovery rate of the working face; k1 is a loose coefficient with a value of 1.5; M1 is the thickness of the upper non-recoverable coal seam, this was measured to be 0.4 m; kp is the coefficient of compaction, this was measured to be 1.1~1.5; kp(0) is initial bulging coefficient; and M is the mining height (4.5 m).

3.3 Boundary conditions and calculation parameter settings

The calculation conditions and parameters are selected based on the actual conditions in the field. The entrance boundary of the air entry lane is set as the velocity entrance. The airflow enters vertically into the entry lane of the intake airflow tunnel. The nitrogen injection port is set as the velocity entrance with the nitrogen concentration set at 97% with the remainder constituting the oxygen concentration at 3%. The exit boundary of the goaf is set as free export; the boundary between the working surface and the goaf area is set as the internal condition, and the rest of the surface is set as a wall boundary with a high seepage resistance. All the walls are non-slip boundary conditions, and the standard wall function method is applied near the wall of the working surface.

Wallboundary:E=0. (12)
Workingsurfaceboundary:E=R1q2(l−d)2. (13)

In the above equations, E is the pressure energy loss of fluid (J); R1 is ventilation resistance (0.0013 N·s2·m-8); q is the volume of air passing through the working surface (m3/min); l is the length of the working face (90 m); and d is the distance from the intake to the inlet side (m).

From experimental measurements, the airflow temperature in the intake airflow tunnel is 18.6°C, and the wind speed at the working surface is 1.62 m/s. As a whole, the average mine air density is 1.225 kg/m3, the air viscosity coefficient at room temperature is 1.7894×10−5 kg·m-1·s-1, and the diffusion coefficient of the gas is 2.88×10−5 m3/s. The looseness coefficient is set to be 1.5. The porosity of the goaf can be obtained from the empirical formula [19] based on the actual situation of roof falling and bulging.

n=0.00001x2−0.002x+0.3(x≤100)n=0.2(x>100). (14)

The permeability of the goaf is calculated by the porous medium Carman formula [20]:

k=Dm2n31801−n2⋅ (15)

In the formula: x is the distance from the working surface of the goaf (m). Dm is the average particle size (m).

4 Determination of nitrogen injection amount in the goaf

Before the numerical simulation is conducted, the required nitrogen injection amount is determined according to the actual production conditions and previous experience of the 1303 fully mechanized caving faces. As such, this method calculates the required amount of nitrogen injection based on the oxygen concentration in the oxidized spontaneous combustion zone. The nitrogen dilutes the original oxygen concentration in the oxidation temperature rising zone to meet the inserting requirement for preventing formation of an oxidation spontaneous combustion zone in the goaf. The amount of nitrogen injection can be calculated by the following formula:

QN=60Q0k′C1−C2CN+C2−1, (16)

where QN is the rate of nitrogen injection (m3/h), and k’ is an additional coefficient with a value of 1.3. Q0 is the amount of air leakage in the oxidizing rising temperature zone. This was measured to be 3.66 m3/h. C1 is the average oxygen concentration (15%) in the oxidizing rising temperature zone, and C2 is the concentration of oxygen (8%) when the goaf reaches the fire protection requirement. CN is the concentration of nitrogen injection. As stated earlier, this was set to 97%. From Eq (16) the nitrogen injection amount was calculated to be 400 m3/h.

5 Numerical simulation results and analysis

5.1 Numerical simulation results

The range of nitrogen diffusion and migration in the goaf will change because of the different positions of nitrogen injection, resulting in changes in the distribution area of the “three-zone” in the goaf. To determine the best position of nitrogen injection, with the nitrogen injection rate defined previously, the distribution of the “three-zone” of spontaneous combustion in the goaf is numerically simulated under the conditions of 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70 m spacing between the position of nitrogen injection and the cutoff line. The model can determine the two classification indices of the flow velocity and oxygen concentration in the comprehensive goaf. The modelled three-band distribution matches the experimental results. Specifically, the isolating lines of wind speed (0.004 m/s) and oxygen concentration (8%) are determined as the upper and lower limits of the oxidation temperature rising zone.

The distribution range of the “three-zone” of spontaneous combustion in goaf under different nitrogen injection positions is obtained by numerical simulation as shown in Fig 4. The red line indicates the equivalent line of the air leakage rate of 0.004 m/s, and the black line indicates the equivalent line of the oxygen concentration of 8%. The figure shows how a change in the location of nitrogen injection results in a different distribution trend for the oxidized spontaneous combustion zone of the goaf. With the movement of nitrogen injection into the deep goaf, the main influence is the 8% oxygen concentration equivalent line, while the variation trend of the 0.004 m/s air leakage velocity is not obvious.

Fig 4. Goaf oxidized zone distribution under different injection nitrogen position.

Fig 4

5.2 Analysis of numerical simulation results

The width of the oxidized spontaneous combustion zone in the goaf from different nitrogen injection positions can be obtained from Fig 4 and is shown in Table 1. The upper limit of the oxidized spontaneous combustion zone is not significantly affected by the position of the nitrogen injection port, but the position of the nitrogen injection port does influence the lower boundary limit of the oxidized spontaneous combustion zone. When the location of the nitrogen injection moves away from the cutting line, the width of the oxidized spontaneous combustion zone in the goaf begins to decrease followed by a gradual increase. For distances between the injection port and the cutting line of 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70 m, the width of the corresponding oxidized spontaneous combustion zone is 44, 35, 32, 28, 26, 28, and 30.6 m, respectively. The width of the oxidized spontaneous combustion zone is reduced to 75%, 60%, 55%, 48%, 45%, 48%, and 53%, respectively, under the condition of non-nitrogen injection. This demonstrates that nitrogen injection in the goaf can effectively reduce the width of the oxidized spontaneous combustion zone.

Table 1. Distribution of oxidized spontaneous combustion zone in goaf with different nitrogen injection position.

Position of nitrogen injection (Distance from crest line) /m Starting position of oxidation zone /m Termination position of oxidation zone /m width /m
10 46.5 90.5 44
20 46 81 35
30 45.5 77.5 32
40 44 72 28
50 44 70 26
60 44.5 72.5 28
70 46 76.6 30.6

Because the location parameters of nitrogen injection will affect both the impact of the nitrogen injection and operation costs, the model optimizes the nitrogen injection amount based on actual production conditions. From Table 1, the relationship between the width of the oxidized spontaneous combustion zone and the position of the nitrogen injection port is plotted using the Origin software, as shown in Fig 5. As seen in the diagram, the width of the oxidized spontaneous combustion zone gradually diminishes as the position of the nitrogen injection hole becomes deeper and deeper in the goaf. However, the width of the oxidized spontaneous combustion zone begins to increase when the spacing of the nitrogen injection port and the cut top line exceeds 50 m. This occurs because the nitrogen injection port is close to the asphyxiated zone in the goaf when it is buried too deep into the goaf. The oxygen concentration in the shallow positions of the goaf cannot present a proper dilution inserting effect, and the nitrogen injection pressure has minimal influence on the effect of nitrogen injection. As a result, the optimal nitrogen injection position of the goaf should be 40–50 m of the distance working face and the most suitable nitrogen injection position is set as 40 m.

Fig 5. Goaf oxidized zone width with injection nitrogen position change.

Fig 5

6 Application and effect analysis of nitrogen injection control measures

After consultation with the mineowner, the nitrogen injection pipeline is embedded inside the goaf of the 1303 fully mechanized caving faces of the Jinniu Mine based on the numerical simulation results. The distance between the nitrogen injection port and the top cut line is 40 m, and the nitrogen injection amount is 400 m3/h. The nitrogen source equipment uses the underground mobile molecular sieve nitrogen device (model number DT-400). A 4-inch iron pipe is selected as the nitrogen injection pipeline. The nitrogen injection method is primarily for nitrogen injection in the embedded pipe, and the nitrogen injection line is shown in Fig 6.

Fig 6. 1303 fully mechanized top-coal caving face goaf nitrogen injection circuit.

Fig 6

After 30 days of nitrogen injection, the gas in the goaf was collected by the existing beam tube monitoring system, and the effect of nitrogen injection on gas concentration in the goaf was analyzed. The impact of the nitrogen injection on the goaf oxygen concentration is shown in Fig 7. From Fig 7, the width of the oxidized spontaneous combustion zone in the goaf is reduced before nitrogen injection. Specifically, the width of the oxidized spontaneous combustion zone of the #1 point is 30 m, the width of the #2 point is 29 m, and the width of the #3 point is 32 m. These experimental results are consistent with the maximum width (28 m) of the simulated oxidized spontaneous combustion zone, which verifies the reliability of the numerical simulation results.

Fig 7. Change of oxygen concentration at each measuring point.

Fig 7

To further verify the combustion suppression effect of nitrogen injection on the goaf, the method of combining two indexes of air leakage velocity and oxygen concentration is used to divide the three zones in the goaf after nitrogen injection. Because leakage velocity cannot be measured experimentally, the following formula is used to estimate air leakage speed:

Qdi=vo2(T)di+1−dico2lnco2ico2i+2. (17)

In the formula, Q (di) is the speed (cm3·s-1·cm-2) of air leakage at di, the distance (m) of point i of the goaf from the working face. Also, vo2(T) is the oxygen consumption rate (mol·s-1·cm-3) at a coal body temperature (K) of T. Next, Co2 is the oxygen concentration (mol/cm3) in the airflow of the intake tunnel. The air leakage velocity calculated by the measured goaf oxygen concentration and formula (15) are used to divide the three zones distribution of spontaneous combustion. The width of the oxidized spontaneous combustion zone of the air inlet is 33 m, and the width of the oxidized spontaneous combustion zone of the return air side is 27 m. The three zones of spontaneous combustion divided by the oxygen concentration and the numerical calculation of the air leakage velocity are in agreement with the numerical simulation. This shows the optimum nitrogen injection parameters determined by the numerical simulation can meet the requirements of the mining industry.

In the context of prevention and control of spontaneous combustion in goaf, there is a minimum value for the recovery rate of the working face. The oxidized spontaneous combustion zone of the goaf is wider before the nitrogen injection measures are taken, and the actual recovery speed of 2.5 m/d cannot ensure the safe recovery of the working face. The parameters of nitrogen injection are optimized by numerical simulation, and the width of the oxidized spontaneous combustion zone is shortened significantly. The width of the oxidized spontaneous combustion zone of the air inlet is shortened by 42%, while the width of the oxidized spontaneous combustion zone of the return air side is shortened by 48%. These conditions satisfy the safe recovery speed,

vτ≥L. (18)

In the formula, v is the recovery speed (m/d) of the working face. In addition, τ is the natural ignition period (days), and L is the width (m) of the oxidized spontaneous combustion zone. The minimum recovery rate is 1.6 m/d with the use of nitrogen injection, so the working face under the current mining speed is in a safe state. As of January 2018, the 1303 fully mechanized coal caving faces had been successfully pushed forward for over 600 meters, and no spontaneous combustion of coal occurred in the goaf. These results highlight the efficacy of the nitrogen injection control measures for the spontaneous combustion of residual coal in the goaf of 1303 fully mechanized coal caving faces.

7 Conclusion

By measuring oxygen concentrations at different points along the working surface, the three-zone area of spontaneous combustion in the goaf area of the 1303 fully mechanized coal caving faces of the Jinniu coal mine was divided. The distance from the working face of the goaf to the working face (52–109 m) and the range of the return side (40–92 m) from the working face defines the oxidation spontaneous combustion zone.

The COMSOL Multiphysics 5.3 software was used to simulate the change law of the three-zone distribution of spontaneous combustion in the goaf under nitrogen injection. The model found that the upper limit of the oxidized spontaneous combustion zone is not significantly affected by the position of nitrogen injection, as the position of nitrogen injection position moves to the deep goaf. In addition, the model found the lower boundary limit of the oxidized spontaneous combustion zone is significantly affected by the position of nitrogen injection. Finally, the width of the oxidized spontaneous combustion zone begins to shrink followed by a gradual increase.

Combining the actual production status of the working face and the simulation results, nitrogen injection position parameters were optimized. When the nitrogen injection flow rate was set to 400 m3/h and the nitrogen injection port was appropriately extended to the rear of the cutting line (40 m), oxygen was properly diluted to prevent spontaneous combustion, and inerting goaf spontaneous combustion effect is the best, and the width of the oxidized spontaneous combustion zone is shortened by about 30 m.

Based on the results of the simulation analysis, nitrogen injection measures were taken in the goaf of the 1303 fully mechanized caving faces. The experimental results demonstrated that spontaneous combustion of the remaining coal in the goaf has been effectively prevented.

Supporting information

S1 File

(DOCX)

S2 File

(DOCX)

Abbreviations

CFD

Computational Fluid Dynamics

GC-2010

model of the gas Chromatograph Model

Data Availability

All relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting information files.

Funding Statement

The research presented in this paper was supported by the Key Laboratory of Mine Thermodynamic disasters and Control of Ministry of Education (Liaoning Technical University), Huludao, China. Thanks to "The National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant: 51274113); Key special-funded projects of the State key R & D program (2018YFC0807900)" for the financial support. The recipient of these funds is Qi Qingjie. Qi Qingjie is my doctoral supervisor and co-author of this paper.

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Decision Letter 0

Dragan Pamucar

22 Jul 2021

PONE-D-21-17754

Distribution of Spontaneous Combustion three zones and Optimization of Nitrogen Injection Location in the Goaf of a fully Mechanized top Coal Caving Face

PLOS ONE

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Reviewer #1: Dear editor and author,

Through reading " Distribution of Spontaneous Combustion three zones and Optimization of Nitrogen Injection Location in the Goaf of a fully Mechanized top Coal Caving Face ", it is considered that aiming at the problem of nitrogen waste caused by experience setting of nitrogen injection position in goaf residual coal spontaneous combustion, this paper uses COMSOL multiphysics 5.3 software to study the distribution law of oxidation spontaneous combustion zone in goaf under different nitrogen injection position, which has certain engineering application value.

However, there are still some problems to be discussed:

1.What is the innovation and contribution of the thesis work? Innovation is the basic condition of thesis recruitment and publication.

2.It is mentioned in this paper that two-dimensional model should be used, why not use three-dimensional model? What are the advantages of a two-dimensional model?

3. What is the basis for determining the upper and lower limits of the oxidation temperature rise zone by the isoline of 0.004 m·s-1 wind speed and 8% oxygen concentration in the numerical simulation?

4. The actual recovery speed of 2.5 m/d cannot ensure the safe recovery of the working face, using nitrogen injection can solve this problem. Why not consider other solutions, such as increasing recovery speed?

5. Due to the compressibility of goaf fluid, there will be energy exchange in the process of fluid compression, which leads to the fluid flow can not meet the momentum conservation equation and continuity equation. Is the compressibility of fluid considered in this paper?

6.The three zone distribution of spontaneous combustion in goaf mentioned in this paper is only applied to Jinniu coal mine. Are the results and data universal and suitable for popularization and application?

7.Is the result of field engineering test scientific? Whether it is consistent with practice or supported by other literature.

8.Most of the references in this paper are domestic literature, and the papers of foreign journals are rarely cited.

Reviewer #2: The wide application of fully mechanized top coal caving technology improves the production efficiency of the mine and the advancing speed of the working face. Still, it also leads to increased air leakage intensity in the goaf, more residual coal, and other problems. It increases the probability of spontaneous combustion of residual coal in the goaf. Therefore, in this paper, the research on nitrogen injection technology for fire prevention and extinguishing in the goaf has particular engineering application value.

After modification, the paper is acceptable, and the detailed comments are as follows.

1. Why is it proposed in 1.2 goaf spontaneous combustion "three zones" field monitoring. However, in the numerical simulation results of 4.1, The lower limit of the oxidation temperature rise zone is determined by the contour of the wind speed of 0.004 m/s, not the oxygen concentration. The authors did not analyze the application differences between field monitoring and numerical simulation.

2. Through comparative analysis, it is concluded that the field measurement of the maximum width of the oxidation spontaneous combustion zone is consistent with the numerical simulation results. The authors mentioned that "1303 fully mechanized top coal caving face has been successfully pushed forward for more than 600 meters, and there is no spontaneous combustion of residual coal in the goaf", but should analyze the effect of nitrogen injection in more detail. Please explain how the paper highlights the novelty and practicality of the research results.

3. In the numerical simulation of the distribution of spontaneous combustion "three zones" in goaf, please explain the source of the simplified model and the scientific basis for the simplified process. If so, please describe and quote relevant literature.

4. Explain the data source of Figures 2, 5, and 7, please. Where are the data sources of figures 2, 5, and 7?

5. Please explain why the width of the three belts on the inlet side is more significant than that on the return side.

6. Whether the advancing speed of the working face has an impact on the three zones and whether the author considers it or not.

7. In this paper, the measured temperature of the air inlet is 18.6 ℃. The temperature has a significant influence on the flow process of underground fluid. Is there any influence on the spontaneous combustion of three zones of goaf when the temperature changes in the numerical simulation?

8. There is almost no reference to foreign-related literature in the paper. Is there no related research in foreign journals? The authors should add foreign scholars appropriately. It is better to add the relevant research results in recent years.

**********

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Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: No

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PLoS One. 2021 Sep 20;16(9):e0256911. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256911.r002

Author response to Decision Letter 0


4 Aug 2021

Dear editor and reviewers:

Thank you for your letter and the reviewers’ comments on our manuscript entitled " Distribution of Spontaneous Combustion three zones and Optimization of Nitrogen Injection Location in the Goaf of a fully Mechanized top Coal Caving Face". Those comments are very helpful for revising and improving our paper, as well as the important guiding significance to other research. We have studied the comments carefully and made corrections which we hope meet with approval. The main corrections are in the manuscript and the responds to the reviewers’ comments are as follows (the replies are highlighted in blue ).

Replies to the reviewers’ comments:

Response to reviewers 1

1.What is the innovation and contribution of the thesis work? Innovation is the basic condition of thesis recruitment and publication.

Response: Predecessors have made detailed research on the principle of nitrogen injection fire prevention and extinguishing and nitrogen injection technology, but they did not consider the influence of residual coal oxidation and gas emission in goaf. In this paper, experimental research is carried out in 1303 fully mechanized top coal caving face of Jinniu coal mine, field measurement is carried out, and the distribution area of spontaneous combustion "three zones" in goaf is divided. COMSOL multiphysics 5.3 software is used to simulate the change of distribution area of spontaneous combustion "three zones" in goaf with the position of nitrogen injection port by coupling air leakage flow field and oxygen concentration field in goaf. The influence of nitrogen injection port position on the width of oxidation spontaneous combustion zone is analyzed, and the most suitable nitrogen injection position is optimized. According to the simulation analysis results, guiding the implementation of on-site nitrogen injection scheme is of great significance to change the previous nitrogen injection position and nitrogen injection amount, which is set only by experience, resulting in nitrogen waste.

2.It is mentioned in this paper that two-dimensional model should be used, why not use three-dimensional model? What are the advantages of a two-dimensional model?

Response: According to the data of 1303 fully mechanized top coal caving face in Jinniu coal mine and the field measured results, it can be seen that the height of goaf is far less than the plane size, and the two-dimensional model is better than the three-dimensional model in accuracy and calculation time. The results calculated by the two-dimensional model are more intuitive and more targeted. Although the three-dimensional model is closer to the real situation of the mine, the calculation process is too complex and there are many influencing factors to be considered. Therefore, the goaf model established in this paper is a two-dimensional geometric model.

3. What is the basis for determining the upper and lower limits of the oxidation temperature rise zone by the isoline of 0.004 m·s-1 wind speed and 8% oxygen concentration in the numerical simulation?

Response: In the on-site monitoring of the "three zones" of spontaneous combustion in goaf, it is proposed that "the division standard is 8% ~ 18% according to the oxygen concentration" and "the lower limit of oxidation temperature rise zone is determined by the wind speed 0.004 m / s isoline rather than the oxygen concentration" in the numerical simulation results in 4.1. According to the division of the "three zones" of spontaneous combustion in goaf, the oxygen concentration division method is widely used in China Air leakage wind speed division method (numerical simulation method) and heating rate division method. The indexes of oxidation temperature rise zone in goaf corresponding to the three division methods are the areas with oxygen concentration of 8% ~ 18%, air leakage wind speed of 0.0016 ~ 0.004m/s and temperature rise rate k > 10 ℃ / D in goaf.

The reason why the division standard of oxygen concentration of 8% ~ 18% is adopted in the actual measurement is to follow the oxygen concentration index widely used in the field measurement of three zones in goaf in China. In the numerical simulation, the wind speed of 0.004 m /s is adopted because the air leakage velocity in the goaf is a vector, which is difficult to measure in practice. It is usually used to establish and solve the mathematical model. The streamline and wind speed distribution of air leakage in the goaf under different boundary conditions can only be numerically simulated by computer. In view of the large amount of gas emission in the goaf of 1303 fully mechanized top coal caving face of Jinniu coal mine, The author believes that the combination of oxygen concentration and air leakage wind speed is more reasonable to divide the "three zones" of spontaneous combustion in goaf. That is, the boundary between the diffuse zone and the oxidation zone is limited to the wind speed of 0.004m/s, and the boundary between the oxidation zone and the asphyxia zone is limited to the oxygen concentration of 8%.

4. The actual recovery speed of 2.5 m/d cannot ensure the safe recovery of the working face, using nitrogen injection can solve this problem. Why not consider other solutions, such as increasing recovery speed?

Response: The mining speed of each coal mine is determined by underground geological conditions, parameters of mining machinery and equipment, effective operation time and other factors. Once the coal mining speed is determined, it can not be changed at will. At present, the coal mining speed of Jinniu coal mine is 2.5m/d, which can not ensure the safe mining of coal mining. Therefore, corresponding measures need to be taken to solve the problem of spontaneous combustion in goaf under this speed. Because the nitrogen injection fire prevention and extinguishing process is simple, easy to operate and does not pollute the fire prevention and extinguishing area, in addition, the nitrogen injection fire prevention and extinguishing has little damage to the equipment in the closed area, can effectively suppress the air leakage in the fire prevention and extinguishing area, and has good dilution and explosion suppression performance. If we blindly increase the mining speed, it will only increase the air leakage intensity and the risk of spontaneous combustion in the goaf. Therefore, nitrogen injection is selected as a fire prevention and extinguishing measure in this paper.

5. Due to the compressibility of goaf fluid, there will be energy exchange in the process of fluid compression, which leads to the fluid flow can not meet the momentum conservation equation and continuity equation. Is the compressibility of fluid considered in this paper?

Response: The problem of fluid compressibility is not considered in this paper. There will be energy changes after fluid compression, but because the fluid flow velocity in the goaf is relatively small, the gas in the goaf is assumed to be incompressible gas in this paper, and the energy exchange caused by gas compression is not considered. Therefore, the air flow in the goaf can meet the momentum conservation equation and continuity equation. Fluid compressibility will be considered in future research.

6. The three zone distribution of spontaneous combustion in goaf mentioned in this paper is only applied to Jinniu coal mine. Are the results and data universal and suitable for popularization and application?

Response: The distribution characteristics of three spontaneous combustion zones in goaf are universal, but each coal mine will lead to different positions and widths of three spontaneous combustion zones in goaf due to different geological factors, coal seam burial depth and coal seam thickness. Therefore, the results and data calculated according to the calculation parameters set according to the actual situation of Jinniu coal mine are not universal, However, the distribution characteristics of the three spontaneous combustion zones obtained are universal and can be extended to similar mining areas.

7. Is the result of field engineering test scientific? Whether it is consistent with practice or supported by other literature.

Response:According to the optimization results of nitrogen injection position in the paper, the field engineering test is carried out, and the changes of oxidation spontaneous combustion zone width in goaf before and after nitrogen injection are obtained, which verifies the inerting effect of nitrogen injection on spontaneous combustion risk in goaf, and verifies the correctness and scientificity of numerical simulation. This is consistent with the results in literature [9] -[10].

8. Most of the references in this paper are domestic literature, and the papers of foreign journals are rarely cited.

Response: It has been revised, and the research results of four foreign scholars have been cited in the paper. In addition, most references have been replaced by papers in foreign journals.

Response to reviewers 2

1. Why is it proposed in 1.2 goaf spontaneous combustion "three zones" field monitoring. However, in the numerical simulation results of 4.1, The lower limit of the oxidation temperature rise zone is determined by the contour of the wind speed of 0.004 m/s, not the oxygen concentration. The authors did not analyze the application differences between field monitoring and numerical simulation.

Response: Using the division standard of oxygen concentration of 8% ~ 18% to monitor the three spontaneous combustion zones in goaf is the most commonly used method in China. This method is not only simple, convenient and easy to operate, but also can reflect the oxidation oxygen supply and heat storage conditions of residual coal. However, the standard of wind speed of 0.004 m / s is adopted in the later numerical simulation, mainly because the wind speed is a vector in the actual measurement, and it is difficult to solve it through the mathematical model after the actual measurement. We can only use the computer to simulate the air leakage flow line and wind speed distribution in the goaf under different boundary conditions. In view of the characteristics of goaf spontaneous combustion risk in 1303 fully mechanized top coal caving face of Jinniu coal mine, the author believes that it is more reasonable to divide the "three zones" of goaf spontaneous combustion by using the measured oxygen concentration and numerical simulation with air leakage wind speed.

2. Through comparative analysis, it is concluded that the field measurement of the maximum width of the oxidation spontaneous combustion zone is consistent with the numerical simulation results. The authors mentioned that "1303 fully mechanized top coal caving face has been successfully pushed forward for more than 600 meters, and there is no spontaneous combustion of residual coal in the goaf", but should analyze the effect of nitrogen injection in more detail. Please explain how the paper highlights the novelty and practicality of the research results.

Response: In this paper, the distribution law of oxidation spontaneous combustion zone in goaf under different nitrogen injection port positions is numerically simulated and analyzed, so as to select the best nitrogen injection port position in goaf, determine nitrogen injection parameters by means of numerical simulation, save money and shorten the project cycle; According to the simulated optimal nitrogen injection parameters, the nitrogen injection scheme in goaf of 1303 fully mechanized top coal caving face is formulated and applied in the field. The consistency between simulated nitrogen injection and actual nitrogen injection is verified by the existing goaf riser monitoring system; After nitrogen injection measures are taken in the goaf, the oxidized natural zone is significantly reduced, and the minimum recovery speed is 1.6m/d, which is less than the current actual recovery speed of 2.5m/d. Therefore, it can ensure the safe recovery of the working face. The distribution law of oxidation spontaneous combustion zone in goaf under different nitrogen injection port positions and the practical application effect after the optimization of field nitrogen injection related parameters such as determining the best nitrogen injection port position can be seen in the text below figure 7 in the revised draft.

3. In the numerical simulation of the distribution of spontaneous combustion "three zones" in goaf, please explain the source of the simplified model and the scientific basis for the simplified process. If so, please describe and quote relevant literature.

Response: When the model is established, a large number of references are referred for corresponding simplification, such as references [4], [6], [9]. The simplified model includes wall boundary and working face boundary, which can meet the simulation of three zones of spontaneous combustion in goaf and simplify the calculation process. The calculation results of the simplified model are consistent with the actual distribution of three zones in the goaf of Jinniu coal mine, so the simplified process is scientific and accurate.

4. Explain the data source of Figures 2, 5, and 7, please. Where are the data sources of figures 2, 5, and 7?

Response:The data sources in figure 2, figure 5 and figure 7 have been submitted in the modify description file.

5. Please explain why the width of the three belts on the inlet side is more significant than that on the return side.

Response:When fresh air enters the shaft and roadway from the air inlet side, it will take away the gas in the shaft and roadway and the heat generated by partial oxidation, so that the tropical area on the air inlet side of the goaf has sufficient oxygen supply conditions, while the gas in the air on the return side accumulates, the gas concentration is greater than that on the air inlet side, and the heat accumulation is more, and the risk of spontaneous combustion on the return side increases significantly. Therefore, the gas concentration on the air inlet side of the goaf and the heat storage capacity is smaller than that of the return air side. Therefore, the width of the three spontaneous combustion zones in the goaf on the inlet side is greater than that on the return air side.

6. Whether the advancing speed of the working face has an impact on the three zones and whether the author considers it or not.

Response:Yes, the advancing speed determines the air leakage intensity of the goaf. The greater the air leakage intensity, the greater the risk of spontaneous combustion in the goaf. However, the research content of this paper does not consider the impact of the advancing speed of the working face on the three zones of spontaneous combustion in the goaf. This is the next research work of the paper. In the future, a dynamic numerical model will be established to dynamically simulate the impact of the advancing speed on the three zones of spontaneous combustion.

7. In this paper, the measured temperature of the air inlet is 18.6 ℃. The temperature has a significant influence on the flow process of underground fluid. Is there any influence on the spontaneous combustion of three zones of goaf when the temperature changes in the numerical simulation?

Response:The underground temperature of coal mine changes dynamically with time, but it basically fluctuates up and down at a fixed value. The influence of this fluctuation range on the three zones of spontaneous combustion is basically negligible. Therefore, the influence of temperature change on the three zones of spontaneous combustion in goaf is not considered in this paper, but the temperature will be analyzed as an influencing factor in subsequent research.

8. There is almost no reference to foreign-related literature in the paper. Is there no related research in foreign journals? The authors should add foreign scholars appropriately. It is better to add the relevant research results in recent years.

Response: it has been modified(the replies are highlighted in blue in the paper).

Once again, thank you very much for your constructive comments and suggestions which would help us both in English and in depth to improve the quality of the paper.

Kind regards,

Yun QI

E-mail: qiyun_sx@sxdtdx.edu.cn,

Corresponding author : Yun QI, Wei WANG

E-mail address: qiyun_sx@sxdtdx.edu.cn,wangwei@sxdtdx.edu.cn .

Attachment

Submitted filename: Response to Reviewers.docx

Decision Letter 1

Dragan Pamucar

10 Aug 2021

PONE-D-21-17754R1

Distribution of Spontaneous Combustion three zones and Optimization of Nitrogen Injection Location in the Goaf of a fully Mechanized top Coal Caving Face

PLOS ONE

Dear Dr. qi,

Thank you for submitting your manuscript to PLOS ONE. After careful consideration, we feel that it has merit but does not fully meet PLOS ONE’s publication criteria as it currently stands. Therefore, we invite you to submit a revised version of the manuscript that addresses the points raised during the review process.

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PLOS ONE

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Please review your reference list to ensure that it is complete and correct. If you have cited papers that have been retracted, please include the rationale for doing so in the manuscript text, or remove these references and replace them with relevant current references. Any changes to the reference list should be mentioned in the rebuttal letter that accompanies your revised manuscript. If you need to cite a retracted article, indicate the article’s retracted status in the References list and also include a citation and full reference for the retraction notice.

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Comments to the Author

1. If the authors have adequately addressed your comments raised in a previous round of review and you feel that this manuscript is now acceptable for publication, you may indicate that here to bypass the “Comments to the Author” section, enter your conflict of interest statement in the “Confidential to Editor” section, and submit your "Accept" recommendation.

Reviewer #1: All comments have been addressed

Reviewer #2: (No Response)

**********

2. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions?

The manuscript must describe a technically sound piece of scientific research with data that supports the conclusions. Experiments must have been conducted rigorously, with appropriate controls, replication, and sample sizes. The conclusions must be drawn appropriately based on the data presented.

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: (No Response)

**********

3. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously?

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: (No Response)

**********

4. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available?

The PLOS Data policy requires authors to make all data underlying the findings described in their manuscript fully available without restriction, with rare exception (please refer to the Data Availability Statement in the manuscript PDF file). The data should be provided as part of the manuscript or its supporting information, or deposited to a public repository. For example, in addition to summary statistics, the data points behind means, medians and variance measures should be available. If there are restrictions on publicly sharing data—e.g. participant privacy or use of data from a third party—those must be specified.

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: (No Response)

**********

5. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English?

PLOS ONE does not copyedit accepted manuscripts, so the language in submitted articles must be clear, correct, and unambiguous. Any typographical or grammatical errors should be corrected at revision, so please note any specific errors here.

Reviewer #1: (No Response)

Reviewer #2: (No Response)

**********

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Reviewer #1: The capitalization in the title of the thesis is wrong, it is recommended to make the following changes: Distribution of Three Spontaneous Combustion Zones and Optimization of Nitrogen Injection Sites in the Goaf of a Fully Mechanized Carving Face

Reviewer #2: (No Response)

**********

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If you choose “no”, your identity will remain anonymous but your review may still be made public.

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Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: No

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PLoS One. 2021 Sep 20;16(9):e0256911. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256911.r004

Author response to Decision Letter 1


12 Aug 2021

The original title of the paper was " Distribution of Spontaneous Combustion three zones and Optimization of Nitrogen Injection Location in the Goaf of a fully Mechanized top Coal Caving Face", which has been polished by Letpub mechanism. Therefore, I think the translation of the title of the paper does not need to be modified, but the case format of the title is wrong, which has been modified now

Attachment

Submitted filename: Response to Reviewers.docx

Decision Letter 2

Dragan Pamucar

19 Aug 2021

Distribution of Spontaneous Combustion three zones and Optimization of Nitrogen Injection Location in the Goaf of a fully Mechanized top Coal Caving Face

PONE-D-21-17754R2

Dear Dr. qi,

We’re pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been judged scientifically suitable for publication and will be formally accepted for publication once it meets all outstanding technical requirements.

Within one week, you’ll receive an e-mail detailing the required amendments. When these have been addressed, you’ll receive a formal acceptance letter and your manuscript will be scheduled for publication.

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PLOS ONE

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Acceptance letter

Dragan Pamucar

3 Sep 2021

PONE-D-21-17754R2

Distribution of Spontaneous Combustion Three Zones and Optimization of Nitrogen Injection Location in the Goaf of a Fully Mechanized Top Coal Caving Face

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on behalf of

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Associated Data

    This section collects any data citations, data availability statements, or supplementary materials included in this article.

    Supplementary Materials

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    Submitted filename: Response to Reviewers.docx

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    Submitted filename: Response to Reviewers.docx

    Data Availability Statement

    All relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting information files.


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