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Most of the published research on goaf-hole failures are performed using 2D numerical analyses. However, 2D analyses of the goaf-hole failure mechanism, which is truly a 3D problem, often do not provide a full picture of strata movement and stress change effect. In particular such 2D models completely fail to capture the longitudinal deformation and associated shear component yielding a false sense of goaf-hole stability. This paper uses advanced 3D numerical modelling to understand the fundamentals of goaf-hole shear failure mechanism and conceptualize the transverse, longitudinal and total shears developments during longwall extraction. A mine specific geotechnical model has been developed to compare the conceptualized goaf-hole failure mechanism with the simplified representative model. The effect of geo-mechanical properties and panel widths on shear development has also been investigated. The analysis is based on a case study; however, it is expected that the results presented in this paper will be applicable to other mines with similar geological environment or will at least highlight the need for a 3D modelling to capture the true three-dimensional strata deformation behaviour and goaf-hole shearing mechanism enabling safe and stable vertical drainage hole design. In the modelled scenario, the shear increased as the face advanced, and large shears would be experienced behind 50–100 m of the face. The longitudinal shear was dominant towards the centre of the panel and the transverse shear was dominant towards the panel edges. The layered seam appeared to generate lesser shear compared to the solid seam; this could be attributed to the dissipation of shear in the layer strata of the material.

During underground longwall coal extraction, overburden strata deformation may result in vertical goaf drainage holes, which are drilled in advance of mining for tail gate gas management, to fail. The performance of these vertical goaf drainage holes is controlled by mine design parameters and local geomechanical properties. This paper investigates the use of advanced 3D finite element modelling and 2D discrete element modelling simulation techniques to understand the fundamentals of vertical goaf drainage hole failure mechanism due to strata shear at a currently operating gassy Australian mine site. Finite element modelling is used to investigate the location of high shear in the overburden strata at the vertical goaf gas drainage hole region during longwall mining and the discrete element modelling is used to examine connectivity from the goaf region to the goaf-gas drainage system.

Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) uses excess thermal energy to heat water which is stored in an aquifer until it is needed, at which time the hot water is recovered and the heat used for some purpose e.g. electricity generation. The recovery efficiency (i.e. the ratio of heat energy recovered to heat energy injected, R ) is one of the most important factors dictating the viability of ATES systems. The variation of R with various aquifer properties and operating parameters is explored for high temperature (HT) ATES systems with injection temperatures ≥ 90 ∘ C , extending the results of previous studies to higher temperatures and a broader range of aquifer properties and operating conditions. R values are calculated using numerical models of a single-well ATES system, which is validated by comparison with previous field and modelling studies. The results show that HT-ATES may be viable with injection temperatures as high as 300 ∘ C , depending on the aquifer properties and operating parameters. Daily cycles are very efficient over a broad range of conditions, whereas the efficiency of annual cycles is much more variable. The most important parameters governing R are aquifer thickness, injection temperature, horizontal and vertical permeability, and dispersion length. The R values are used to derive an improved version of the Rayleigh number relationship proposed by Schout et al. (2014), extending the applicability of this relationship to daily cycles and improving its accuracy for annual cycles. An alternative method for estimating R using a convolutional neural network is proposed. The calculated R values may be considered best-case because aspects such as background groundwater flow and geochemical effects are ignored. Practical factors such as energy supply/demand requirements, reservoir and above-ground engineering, financial or regulatory aspects, and public acceptance are not considered. Nevertheless, the results of this study can be used for rapid screening of large areas for potential HT-ATES sites, defining requirements for potential sites, and estimating R values for specific sites, before performing detailed feasibility studies.

Synthetic rock mass modelling is based on estimating the mass scale properties of rock directly from properties of the intact material and observed jointing geometry and strength. This technique explicitly represents characteristics of the rock mass that are implicit in the widely applied, empirical Hoek–Brown strength criterion. We demonstrate here that the two approaches converge in mass strength and the strength envelope when the necessary conditions for the empirical method are satisfied. However, the synthetic rock mass approach is advantageous whenever the necessary conditions of the empirical method are not satisfied. As an example, we use the synthetic rock mass method to describe an anisotropic strength envelope for a rock mass with four independent joint sets, where the orientation-specific strength has a significant impact on rock mass stability. In addition we show that rock mass strength is controlled strongly by joint persistence and the resultant connectivity of discontinuities, and only weakly by joint density and intensity.

The Liu-Elsworth (1997) formalism that predicts permeability in deformed fractured rock has been highly useful and successful in numerous engineering situations involving mining, coal-bed methane and shale gas extraction. The formalism assumes the rock's fractures are aligned with three orthogonal axes and that the rock is subjected to strains along these three directions only. Here we relax these assumptions: our proposed formula yields the permeability tensor for an anisotropic arbitrarily-fractured rock subjected to arbitrary deformations. Unlike the original Liu-Elsworth approach, our formula may therefore be used confidently in situations involving any stress and strain states, including those that are non-diagonal, and with rocks with any distribution of fracture orientations , including those that are non-orthogonal. This is advantageous in numerical simulation and in mining situations that frequently involve such situations. Our formula adds no discernible computational load to numerical simulations. Our proposal agrees with lab and in-situ direct and indirect tests of permeability.