Coaltech Research Association

Can old bord-and-pillar workings be mapped from surface?

M van Schoor

Desktop review updating two earlier assessments, weighing borehole scanning, robots and unmanned aerial platforms as routes to locating old workings ahead of opencast drilling and blasting.

What this report found

No surface geophysical method can map individual bords and pillars at the depths typical of the Witbank coalfield, a limit the review attributed to physics rather than to technology, since the targets are small relative to their depth and conductive layers often lie above the seam. Borehole laser scanning remains the workable option, with sonar suited to flooded workings.

R1500,00

Description

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Can old bord-and-pillar workings be mapped from surface?

M van Schoor

2016

Desktop review updating two earlier assessments, weighing borehole scanning, robots and unmanned aerial platforms as routes to locating old workings ahead of opencast drilling and blasting.

What this report foundNo surface geophysical method can map individual bords and pillars at the depths typical of the Witbank coalfield, a limit the review attributed to physics...

R1500,00

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Mapping of Old Bords and Pillars Revisited

2019

Desktop review of recent unmanned aerial and underwater vehicle systems and how they compare with borehole scanning, for engineers assessing the stability of old underground workings.

What this report foundMapping abandoned, inaccessible bord and pillar workings comes down to two options: borehole deployed laser or sonar scanning, or sensors carried in by...

R1500,00

R1500,00

What this report found

Mapping abandoned, inaccessible bord and pillar workings comes down to two options: borehole deployed laser or sonar scanning, or sensors carried in by unmanned vehicles. Drone mounted laser scanning for air filled voids and sonar carried by small submersibles for flooded workings were judged the most promising, but intrinsic safety, deployment and the risk of losing equipment still favour borehole methods for occasional use.

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