DEVELOPMENT METHOD FOR THICK STEEP COAL SEAMS LIABLE TO SPONTANEOUS IGNITION Russian patent published in 2006 - IPC E21C41/18 

FIELD: mining, particularly underground mining.

SUBSTANCE: method involves dividing formation into mining layers by drilling venting and intake entries in upper and lower layer borders correspondingly; dividing the layers into sublayers by forming sublayer cross-entries and sublayer drifts; preparing upper sublayer for excavation by drilling filling drift along upper border of above sublayer at seam roof (hanging seam wall) and by drilling sublayer drift along lower border at lying seam wall; excavating coal from lower sublayer up to filling drift; forming lower sublayer roof surface at an angle exceeding natural filling material slope angle β to horizon plane, wherein the filling material is gob; filling the full excavated space in lower sublayer, wherein the gob for excavated space filling is supplied via filling drift; cutting layer in descending order beginning from upper sublayer; excavating inclined seam without coal pillars leaving between the layers.

EFFECT: increased fullness and quality of excavated space filling during pillar forming between layers, reduced coal losses and fire hazard due to prevention of fire penetration from previously excavated layers.

2 dwg