Microseismic monitoring and its precursory parameter of hard roof collapse in longwall faces: A case study

In underground retreating longwall coal mining, hard roof collapse is one of the most challenging safety problems for mined-out areas. Identifying precursors for hard roof collapse is of great importance for the development of warning systems related to collapse geohazards and ground control. In this case study, the Xinhe mine was chosen because it is a standard mine and the minable coal seam usually lies beneath hard strata. Real-time monitoring of hard roof collapse was performed in longwall face 5301 of the Xinhe mine using support resistance and microseismic (MS) monitoring; five hard roof collapse cases were identified. To reveal the characteristics of MS activity during hard roof collapse development and to identify its precursors, the change in MS parameters, such as MS event rate, energy release, bursting strain energy, b value and the relationships with hard roof collapse, were studied. This research indicates that some MS parameters showed irregularity before hard roof collapse. For the Xinhe coalmine, a substantial decrease in b value and a rapid increase in MS event rate were reliable hard roof collapse precursors. It is suggested that the b value has the highest predictive sensitivity, and the MS event rate has the second highest.