Technology of searches of industrial accumulations of coal methane and creation of mine fields 3D models by different-level data

Project author: National Mining University, Department of Geoinformation Systems, Dnepropetrovsk (Ukraine)

Project objective: identification of industrial accumulations of coal methane within mine fields of Donetsk basin using latest geoinformation technologies of the integrated analysis of space, geological and geophysical data

Project background. Methane production from layers of coal fields is a promising way of receiving valuable energy resources and increasing of mines safety. Annually from a subsoil of Donetsk basin about 4 billion cubic meters of methane are evolved, but production doesn't exceed 8% of this quantity. Growth of production is restrained by the fact that existing methods of methane accumulations searching are based on direct studying of substance and properties of rocks that demands of considerable expenses of time and facilities.

At National Mining University the specialized geoinformation systems RAPID GIS and CONTOUR GIS are developed. They provide increase of methane accumulations searching efficiency due to inexpensive space data using and mine fields 3D computer modelling.

The RAPID GIS tools provide composition of prognosis maps of methane accumulations distribution. Their combination with three-dimensional models of the mine fields constructed in the environment of CONTOUR GIS allows to increase the results reliability significantly.

Implementation of the project will allow to reduce the searching cost and to increase volumes of production of environmentally friendly, effective energy resources.