Research and Application of “Concentric Ring” Reinforcement and Sealing Technology for Gas Drainage Boreholes in Soft-Coal Seams

[Image: see text] The problems of lack of stability and difficult sealing of gas drainage boreholes in soft-coal seams directly affect the efficient extraction of gas in these soft-coal seams. After the holes are drilled, the collapsed holes lead to the failure to seal in time, which brings hidden dangers to mine production and causes time and economic waste. In this paper, the viscoelastic mechanics model is used to solve the force of the coal body in the fractured area of the orifice, combined with the theory of the external conditions affecting the collapse of the orifice of the soft-coal seam. The reason for the easy collapse of the borehole of the soft-coal seam is studied, and a reasonable solution is proposed. “Concentric ring” reinforced sealing technology, elaborated from the physical model, technical principles, and processes, was finally carried out in an on-site application test at the N2106 working face of a mining area in Shanxi. The results show that the fracture zone of the soft-coal seam easily enters a stage of rapid deformation under the effect of time. Its strong adsorption behavior, easy expansion, and other characteristics, combined with the violent disturbance of the drill pipe when the drilling is offset, eventually cause the hole to retreat, making it easy to deform and collapse afterward. The test boreholes reinforced and sealed with “concentric rings” have no problem of collapsed holes after retreating. The gas concentration remained above 30% in the first 30 days. The maximum gas purity of the borehole on the 30th day of extraction flow rate reached 0.053 m(3)/min. It is found that the sealing effect of the “concentric ring” reinforced seal drilling technology is better than that of the traditional sealing technology.