ABSTRACT
High gas emissions, explosion potential and spontaneous combustion in goafs are key safety issues in underground coal mining. Apart from the serious safety implications, they can cause substantial delays or sometimes even shutdowns leading to loss of production. The location of the explosive gas mixture zones or the critical air velocity zones and the development of heatings in a goaf depend on gas flow dynamics, which in turn depends on a number of geological and operational parameters. A fundamental understanding of the airflow patterns and distribution of gases in the goaf is necessary to develop and optimise strategies for gas control and the prevention and control of spontaneous combustion and explosions.
