Mining Publication: Effect of a Surface Borehole on Longwall Gob Degasification (Pocahontas No. 3 Coalbed)

The use of a partially slotted 6.5-Inch-inside-diameter vertical pipe to remove methane from a longwall gob area at a depth of 2,260 feet in the Pocahontas No. 3 Coalbed was investigated. The value of gas removed by such a pipe under free-flow conditions was found to equal the cost of the installation in this case. Approximately 25 percent of the available methane passed through the pipe without the use of an exhauster; an additional 10 percent was removed when an exhauster was employed. The diversion of methane through a vertical slotted pipe to the surface permitted the use of increased mining rates and decreased the ventilation air requirements.