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Simulation of geothermal evolution of an opencast coal mine during the excavation-backfilling process in permafrost region

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Abstract

The excavation and backfilling of opencast coal mines in permafrost regions inevitably changes the geothermal state and degenerates surrounding permafrost, causing severe engineering and environmental problems—thaw slumping, ground fissures, vegetation degradation and desertification. Therefore, it is desirable to investigate the thermal regime evolution within the mining area during the whole excavation–backfilling process to evaluate permafrost degradation and related negative effects. Numerical simulations were performed for different mean annual ground temperature (MAGT) and backfill temperature conditions. Measured ground temperatures confirmed the reliability of the numerical model and simulation parameters. During excavation, 4.0–5.0 m thick permafrost beneath mine pit base or slopes becomes an active layer. Deepening of the mine pit continually reduces the thickness of the underlying permafrost, or might pierce it if the MAGT is high. An abrupt change in temperature initially forms in the transitional segment between backfill and natural ground following backfilling, which may postpone the warming of cold backfill or the cooling of warm backfill. Backfill temperature and MAGT are both key factors in controlling frozen ground recovery in the mine pit. A lower backfill temperature is more favorable than a lower MAGT in refreezing the soil in the pit. Higher thermal conductivity induces faster refreezing than that caused by lower thermal conductivity. The cold season is recommended to backfill the mine pit for faster recovery of the frozen ground by lowering the backfill temperature. This study provides a theoretical reference for green coal mining and rapid environmental recovery in permafrost regions.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank editors and reviewers for their valuable comments to improve this manuscript.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41971085).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Civil Engineering/Institute of Cold Regions Science and Engineering, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China

    Suiqiao Yang & Hu Zhang

  2. State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China

    Hu Zhang

Authors
  1. Suiqiao Yang
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  2. Hu Zhang
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Data collection, results analysis and the first draft of the manuscript were performed by SY. The numerical calculations were performed by HZ. All authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Hu Zhang.

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Yang, S., Zhang, H. Simulation of geothermal evolution of an opencast coal mine during the excavation-backfilling process in permafrost region. Environ Earth Sci 81, 252 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-022-10366-0

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