Title: Sonar mapping of abandoned water-logged underground coal mine and backfilling operation using underwater camera

Authors: Samir Kumar Pal; Anup Kumar Tripathi; Susmita Panda; Sathish Kumar Palaniappan

Addresses: Department of Mining Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal – 721302, India ' Department of Mining Engineering, National Institute of Technology Surathkal, Karnataka – 575025, India ' Department of Mining Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal – 721302, India ' Department of Mining Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal – 721302, India

Abstract: The paper describes mine mapping and backfilling work carried out during field experimentations on simple hydraulic gravity blind backfilling method for the stabilisation of ground above old abandoned waterlogged underground coal mine of Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL), India. The section of the abandoned mine to be backfilled was explored using the underwater remote operated vehicle (ROV) camera before actual backfilling work. The use of sonar imaging facility of the ROV camera for mapping of the underground waterlogged area to be backfilled is described. The plotting of gradual progress of sand bed as the filling progressed in different stages through different boreholes as monitored from surrounding camera boreholes is also described.

Keywords: bord and pillar mining; surface subsidence; coal pillar deterioration; hydraulic gravity blind backfilling; movable backfilling laboratory; computerised data acquisition; underwater camera; sonar imaging; filled area monitoring; mine mapping.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMME.2021.119205

International Journal of Mining and Mineral Engineering, 2021 Vol.12 No.3, pp.181 - 194

Accepted: 03 Jun 2021
Published online: 29 Nov 2021 *

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