The study examines the application of dry gas injection technology (cycling process) in different depletion stages (25%, 50%, 75%, 100% of the initial reservoir pressure, and the dew point pressure) at a gas condensate field. The injection took place with varying numbers of injection wells relative to production wells (4:1, 3:1, 2:1, 1:1, and 1:2). The study assessed the impact of dry gas injection periods, ranging from 1 to 3 years, on increasing the condensate recovery factor in a real gas condensate reservoir named X. A hydrodynamic model was used and calibrated with historical data, resulting in a comprehensive approach. Compared to the traditional depletion development method, this approach led to a significant 9% rise in the condensate recovery factor. The results indicate that injection has a positive effect on enhancing the recovery factor of condensate and gas when compared to primary development methods based on depletion. As a result, these findings facilitate a rapid evaluation of the possibility of introducing similar measures in gas-condensate reservoirs in the future for reservoir systems that have a low and moderate potential for liquid hydrocarbons C5+. The optimised multidimensional hydrodynamic calculations, utilising geological and technological models, are crucial in determining the parameters for the technological production and injection wells.

The paper presents research on the influence of grain size of selected coals and their structural parameters on the diffusion coefficient and methane sorption isotherms. Two coals from Polish hard coal mines, differing in the coal rank, were tested. Sorption isotherms for methane were determined. An unconventional sequence of pressures 0→0.1→0→0.5→0→1.5 MPa was employed to assess the speed of achieving sorption equilibrium at different pressures. The studies of CH4 accumulation kinetics were performed on various grain classes of the tested coals. Both the sorption capacity of coal and the diffusion coefficient proved to be highly sensitive to the experimental methodology. Critical measurement parameters in terms of determining the diffusion coefficient concerning the assumptions of the Crank model were indicated. The influence of the equivalent radius of coal grain on the process kinetics was demonstrated. The stepwise pressure increase factor was examined in the context of minimising the impact of sorption isotherm non-linearity on the results. The importance of the width of the grain class of coals was determined to reduce their maceral inhomogeneities. These factors are the most common reason that makes it difficult to quantitatively compare diffusion coefficient values.

The destruction of rock under the condition of a close submerged jet has become a hot topic of scientific research and engineering application in the past decade. With the unremitting efforts of a large number of experts and scholars around the world, gratifying progress has been made in the research of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) on the internal and external flow fields of the jet nozzle, the theoretical derivation of rock mechanics on the fracture initiation and propagation criteria of hydraulic fracturing, and the numerical simulation of jet erosion mechanism under the coupling of fluid and solid fields, however, for the rock mechanics hydraulic fracturing cutting engineering scale of non-oil drilling fracturing technology, the research on the fluid-solid coupling boundary conditions of fracturing fluid and hard dense rock under the flow state conditions of the submerged field inside and outside the borehole is not sufficient. In the calculation of the fluid-solid coupling boundary flow field under the non-submerged jet state, the control equation with Reynolds number between 2300-4000 shall be selected, while it belongs to the laminar flow state in the stage of hole sealing and pressurised fracturing. Therefore, Von-Mises equivalent plastic stress is selected in the mechanical model to calibrate the failure state of the rock-solid boundary, and the control equations of laminar flow and turbulent flow are selected to calibrate the fluid boundary. The mechanism of different stages of rock breaking by hydraulic fracturing jet can be further analysed in detail, and Comsol 6.0 multi-physical field simulation software is selected for verification. The research results will help deepen the understanding of rock breaking mechanism by jet and optimise the selection of parameters for field construction.

The article shows the results of research on methane concentration changes along mine galleries. The experiment was conducted in a longwall area mined using a U-type system, and the results were obtained in situ. The main goal was to measure methane concentration by function of gallery length and dividing segments of methane data into segments, which ultimately enabled separate analysis of these methane data. The analysis led to the diagnosis of methane hazard through the detection of exceedance of the assumed tolerance area.

The roadway surrounding rock is often subjected to severe damage under dynamic loading at greater mining depths. To study the dynamic response of prestressed anchors, the damage characteristics of anchor solids with different prestresses and number of impacts under dynamic and static loads were investigated by improving the Hopkinson bar equipment. The effect of prestress on stress wave transmission was obtained, and the laws and reasons for axial force loss under static and dynamic loads were analyzed. The damage characteristics of anchor solids were determined experimentally. The results show that with an increase in prestress from 15 to 30 MPa, the peak value of the stress wave gradually increases and the decay rate gradually decreases. Shear damage occurred at the impact end of the specimen, combined tension and shear damage occurred at the free end, and fracture occurred in the middle. With an increase in the number of impacts, the damage to the anchor solid specimens gradually increased, and the prestressing force gradually decreased. After impact, the axial force of the various prestressed anchor solid specimens gradually increased; however, the anchor bar with a 17 MPa prestressing force had the slowest rate of axial force loss during impact, withstanding a greater number of impacts. In on-site applications, after three explosions, the displacement on both sides of the tunnel supported by 17 MPa prestressed anchor rods could be controlled within 0.3 m, with an average displacement of 206, 240, and 283 mm, respectively, increasing by 16.5% and 17.9%. This study, based on theoretical analysis and laboratory research combined with field application provides guidance for the anchor support of a dynamic loading tunnel.

The paper discusses a variety of serious challenges facing the Polish energy sector until 2040. These challenging tasks largely result from intensive works in the European Union on the finalisation of measures implementing a zero-carbon economy, as well as social (Covid-19), political and military events, both global and regional (war in Ukraine). After analysing the present condition of the energy sector, the authors proposed a modification of Poland’s energy policy, pointing out that the transformation of the national electricity system towards zero-carbon energy requires, on the one hand, speeding up investments in renewable sources, but on the other hand, insuring this process by own controllable generation sources. The paper also defines the conditions that should be met to achieve the highest possible share of non-carbon energy in the national energy mix by 2040.

The geopolitical situation in Europe has changed dramatically due to the war waged by the Russian Federation in Ukraine. This makes it necessary to become independent from supplies of mineral resources, especially energy from Russia. According to the authors, ensuring Poland’s energy security will require a longer use of coal as the primary energy resource than initially expected. The expected increase in energy demand may cause a negative energy balance in the country. Renewable energy sources dependent on weather conditions cannot with certainty ensure energy security. On the other hand, nuclear requires large financial outlays and a longer time for reactors’ construction. In addition, it has other disadvantages (the problem of waste, environmental impact in the event of a malfunction and the need to import uranium). In these circumstances, coal may be a raw material that meets the economic needs and ensures the energy security of the country.

The roof-caving step scale goaf behind the working face is sensitive to the region’s spontaneous combustion and gas concentration distribution, including many rock block cracks and holes. A severe deviation from the dynamics of fluids in porous media by representative element volume (REV), leading to the results of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation, has a significant error. A heterogeneous two-dimensional pore network model was established to simulate the goaf flow accurately. The network was first created using the simple cubic lattice in the OpenPNM package, and the spatial distribution of the “O-ring” bulking factor was mapped to the network. The bulking factor and Weibull distribution were combined to produce the size distribution of the pore and throat in the network. The constructed pore network model was performed with single-phase flow simulations. The study determined the pore structure parameters of the pore network through the goaf’s risked falling characteristics and described the flow field’s distribution characteristics in the goaf. The permeability coefficient increases as pore diameter, throat diameter, pore volume and throat volume increase and increases as throat length decreases. The correlation between throat volume and permeability coefficient is the highest, which indicates that the whole throat is the main control factor governing the air transport capacity in the goaf. These results may provide some guidelines for controlling thermodynamic disasters in the goaf.

Methane explosions are one of the greatest hazards in the coal mining industry and have caused many accidents. On 27 July 2016 at approximately 11:01 a.m., an explosion of methane occurred at the bottom of Zygmunt return shaft at the depth of 411 metres. The explosion resulted in one casualty.
The article presents the results of, and the conclusions from, an in-depth analysis of the changes in the parameters of mine air, especially methane concentration, air flow and the operation of mine fans, recorded by sensors installed in the workings and in Zygmunt ventilation shaft around the time of the accident. The analysis was based on signals recorded by the monitoring system, related to the evolution of methane and fire hazards prior to and after the accident occurred. An attempt was made to identify the cause and the circumstances of the methane explosion at the bottom of the return shaft.

The present research aims to address the drinking water crisis in the Mahan River catchment area resulting from the disruption of groundwater availability due to extensive coal mining. The study uses GIS-based Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) to map the groundwater potential of the area by analysing several factors that affect groundwater availability, including rainfall, water depth, geomorphology, geology, soil, land-cover/land-use, and topographic characteristics derived from DEM. The groundwater potential map created using the MCDA technique classified the area into low, moderate, and high groundwater potential zones. The map was validated and verified using water table depth and electrical conductivity values available in the region, indicating that it can be used to identify groundwater recharging sites. The study’s results show that about 30% of the area has high groundwater potential, and more than 45% of the area has moderate groundwater potential. The information derived from the study can be used for sustainable management and proper planning of groundwater resources in the Mahan River catchment area. Overall, the study presents a useful approach to address the groundwater depletion problem resulting from coal mining activities in the Mahan River catchment area.

A Cu-1Cr-0.1Zr alloy has been subjected to ECAP processing via route Bc and aging at 250-800°C. Electron BackScatter diffraction (EBSD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and X-Ray Diffraction Line Profile Analysis (XRDLPA) techniques have been used to unveil some peculiarities of the grain and subgrain structure with a special emphasis on the comparison of the grain size estimated by the three techniques. For the alloy ECAP processed and aged up to 16 passes, the grain size (from EBSD, 0.2 < d < 5 μm), subgrain size (from TEM, d ~ 0.75 μm) and “apparent” average crystallite size (from XRDLPA, d < 0.25 μm) are manifestly different. The results were compared to the published data and analyzed based on the fundamental aspects of these techniques.

Flexible and rigid road pavement deteriorates over time and needs high-performance patching repair materials. Cold mix asphalt patching is an easy and inexpensive repair material to repair potholes and other damaged roads. However, the repaired road pavement fails because it doesn’t have adequate compressive and bonding strength to the substrate. Thus, this research uses high-performance geopolymer repair materials to patch against road pavement potholes substrate. Geopolymer repair materials could improve the bonding strength, making them suitable for road repair purposes. For making geopolymer repair materials, the main materials used were high calcium aluminosilicate source materials such as fly ash, sodium hydroxide, sodium silicate, and water. This study tested the compressive and bonding strength of geopolymer repair materials after 1, 7, 14, and 28 days. This study found that the compressive strength of 90 g of alkali activator was the highest, at 37.0 MPa. The bonding strength improved gradually from day 1 to day 14, and then considerably on day 28. The compressive strength and bonding strength both increase in direct proportion to the amount of alkali activator present. Alkali activator is optimal at 90 grams for compressive strength and bonding strength of geopolymer repair materials.