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Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4124-8814
Date Available
1-1-2027
Year of Publication
2026
Document Type
Doctoral Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
College
Engineering
Department/School/Program
Mining Engineering
Faculty
Zach Agioutantis
Faculty
Steven Schafrik
Abstract
In underground coal mines, water inflow can provide significant operational challenges and safety risks to miners. Full panel excavation mining methods, including longwall mining, create pathways for water to enter the mine. Operators must be able to identify potential former mines that may contain pooled water and assess the hazard to the operation, while regulatory agencies approve the mine operator’s permit to mine under abandoned, flooded mines.
The hydrogeological and geotechnical impacts of longwall excavation have been characterized through a series of conceptual models. These conceptual models are often paired with empirical equations that estimate the impacts of longwall excavation, as well as the heights of the depressurized zone and the fractured and caved zones. Although groundwater inflow cannot be estimated from conceptual models, these models serve as a basis for understanding groundwater and overburden behavior.
The research presented in this dissertation aims to develop a simplified numerical modeling methodology for estimating groundwater inflow into longwall mines. This methodology is applied to longwalls undermining aquifers, abandoned flooded seams, and other sources of groundwater. This methodology was applied to a case study from the literature to validate and calibrate the model. A parametric analysis was performed to assess potential inflow under variations in hydrogeologic and mining parameters, including hydraulic conductivity, porosity, interburden distance, and fractured zone height. In addition, a number of numerical models of multiple-seam mining scenarios were formulated. Results show that the groundwater inflow is primarily impacted by the characteristics of the fractured zone or gob. Thus, groundwater inflow mainly depends on the hydraulic conductivity enhancement, while the height of the fractured zone becomes critical when it intersects a water bearing unit in the overburden.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2026.338
Archival?
Archival
Funding Information
This publication was partially supported by Central Appalachian Educational Research Center through Grant 6T42OH010278. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Recommended Citation
Wedding, Zachary, "The Development of a Simplified Numerical Modeling for Estimating Groundwater Inflow for Longwall Mines Undermining Aquifers, Abandoned Flooded Seams, and Other Sources of Groundwater" (2026). Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering. 99.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/mng_etds/99
