September tech talk: Study of gas sorption dynamics and coal toughness for outburst management

Join the Illawarra Branch for their September tech talk: Study of gas sorption dynamics and coal toughness for outburst management.

About this event

Coal and gas outbursts present significant hazards in underground coal mining, posing serious risks to both personnel safety and production continuity. This presentation will cover two interlinked research areas that are critical to improving outburst risk management strategies:

Part I - Gas Sorption Dynamics and Microstructure Alteration

This section examines the adsorption-desorption behaviour of methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) in deep buried coal seams, focusing on sorption hysteresis, rapid desorption processes, and the associated release of gas expansion energy. Using laboratory-based isothermal sorption tests, rapid desorption experiments, and advanced computed tomography (CT) imaging, the study reveals how gas sorption dynamics influence multi-scale pore-fracture evolution in the coal matrix. The results provide insights into microstructural deterioration and its role in inducing the macroscopic evolution mechanism of coal and gas outbursts, with implications for improving gas drainage efficiency and refining outburst hazard assessment.

Part II - Coal Toughness

Traditional TLV-based assessments focus on gas content and composition but often overlook coal strength, a key factor in outburst initiation. The coal toughness test offers a practical solution, especially for soft or highly fractured seams where intact cores are difficult to obtain. We have introduced an ergonomically improved toughness rig and refined test protocol, enabling consistent, repeatable, and cost-effective coal strength measurements to complement gas-based risk assessments.

Together, the findings offer a comprehensive framework for linking gas-coal interaction mechanisms with mechanical failure characteristics, supporting improved hazard mapping, and the safe extraction of coal in high-risk seams.  

Join us to find out more!

Speaker/s

Dr Zhongbei Li

Postdoctoral Associate Research Fellow, University of Wollongong

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Dr Zhongbei Li is a Postdoctoral Associate Research Fellow at the University of Wollongong, Australia, working under the supervision of Prof. Ting Ren. He specializes in the study of coal and gas outburst and CO2 storage in abandoned coal mines. He holds a PhD in Mining Engineering from the School of Civil, Mining, Environmental and Architectural Engineering (CMEA), awarded with the Examiners’ Commendation for Outstanding Thesis. He has published in leading international journals, with two papers recognised as ESI Highly Cited Papers, and has received multiple Best Paper Awards at international conferences.

Itmam Abedin

PhD Student, University of Wollongong

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Itmam Abedin is currently pursuing his PhD at the University of Wollongong with a research focus on coal burst and outburst phenomena. He previously completed a Master’s in Mining Engineering at the same university and gained practical experience as a vacation student at Whitehaven Coal’s Narrabri underground operations.