Propagation of ground penetrating radar waves in Chinese coals

This paper reports an experimental study on the electrical properties of five coal samples taken from various Chinese coal mines. The dielectric permittivity and specific resistivity of grinded coal samples subjected to electromagnetic (EM) fields in a wide frequency spectrum were determined. Based on the experimental data, a set of approximating equations of the change in electric properties the 100–1000 MHz frequency region was obtained. These equations, along with EM equations for EM speed and attenuation, were used for modeling and studying radar-wave propagation in a coal seam and radar-wave reflection from the body of miners trapped in collapsed tunnels. The modeling concept assumes that a radar transducer with the dominating frequency of 500 MHz is lowered through a vertical or inclined rescue borehole to the depth of the coal seam. It is assumed that only the miner is present in the part of the tunnel that did not collapse. Thus, in the path of the radar wave from the transducer to the human body, only one geological interface reflecting the radar signals is present (coal-air) and one is connected with human body. The human (acting as the reflector) can be located at various distances from the tunnel face; this factor was included in the analyzed geometrical model. Based on the modeling results of different thickness coal seams (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8m), conclude that a radar wave reflected from a human body can be reliably measured, when the distance between the human and the transducer is not exceed 8m.