Suspension mechanism and application of sand-suspended slurry for coalmine fire prevention

North and west China has abundant coal resources, however, such resources make these regions prone to serious mine fire disasters. Although the copious sand and fly ash resources found in these areas can be used as fire-fighting materials, conventional grouting is expensive because of water shortage and loess particles. A new compound material (i.e., a sand-suspended colloid), which comprises a mineral inorganic gel and an organic polymer, is developed in the current study to improve the quality of sand injection and reduce water wastage when grouting. The new material can steadily suspend the sand, through the addition of a small amount of colloid yielding steady sand-suspended slurry. The process of producing the slurry is convenient and quick, overcoming the shortage of sand-suspending thickeners which need heat and are difficult to produce. The space work model based on the theory of the double-electric layer is established to study the suspended mechanism of the solid particles in the sand-suspended colloid. The dispersion effect of the sand-suspended colloid is demonstrated by the incorporation of the electrostatic effect by the double-electric layer and the steric hindrance effect on the sand particles, ensuring the stability of the colloid system and the steady suspension of sand particles in the sand-suspended colloid. Mechanical analysis indicates that the sand is suspended steadily under the condition that the rock sand particles stress on the lower part of the fluid is less than the yield stress of the colloid. Finally, the fire-prevention technology of sand suspension was applied and tested in the Daliuta Coal Mine, achieving successful results.