A coupled DEM and LBM model for simulation of outbursts of coal and gas

Abstract

An outburst of coal and gas is a major hazard in underground coal mining. It is generally accepted that an outburst occurs when certain conditions of stress, coal gassiness and physical–mechanical properties of coal are met. Outbursting is recognized as a two-step process, i.e., initiation and development. In this paper, we present a fully-coupled solid and fluid code to model the entire process of an outburst. The deformation, failure and fracture of solid (coal) are modeled with the discrete element method, and the flow of fluid (gas and water) such as free flow and Darcy flow are modeled with the lattice Boltzmann method. These two methods are coupled in a two-way process, i.e., the solid part provides a moving boundary condition and transfers momentum to the fluid, while the fluid exerts a dragging force upon the solid. Gas desorption from coal occurs at the solid–fluid boundary, and gas diffusion is implemented in the solid code where particles are assumed to be porous. A simple 2D example to simulate the process of an outburst with the model is also presented in this paper to demonstrate the capability of the coupled model