Hydraulic flushing technology and its practice in outburst coal seam with high gas and low permeability

Hydraulic flushing technology can rapidly and effectively eliminate coal and gas outbursts and improve the permeability of a coal seam. Its effect mainly depends on the technical parameters of hydraulic flushing. To solve the problems on technical parameters that exist in the application of hydraulic flushing technology, the outburst elimination mechanism of hydraulic flushing technology was expatiated, the hydraulic flushing process was introduced, and a field test was performed on the B1 coal seam in Yi'an Coal Mine by using the pressure drop method. Moreover, the effective influence radius of hydraulic flushing measure was determined, and the technical parameters were analyzed. Finally, a series of relationships was obtained, including the relationships between hydraulic pressure and coal output, critical breaking coal pressure and firmness coefficient, flushing time and coal output, drilling hole angle and coal output, and coal output and effective influence radius. Results showed that the effective influence radius of hydraulic flushing in B1 coal seam was 9 m, and the outburst risk of the coal within the influence region was eliminated. In addition, the time of outburst elimination was shortened and the production rate was improved. The research results could provide technical support for the optimization of the technical parameters and the test scheme of hydraulic flushing measures.