The Impacts of Groundwater Level on Coordinated Mining of Uranium and Coal and Its Avoidance Scheme
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Overview of the Study Area
2.1. Spatial Relationship Between Uranium and Coal Resources
2.2. Hydrogeological Conditions
3. Constraints on Coordinated Mining of Uranium and Coal
4. A Scheme for Coordinated Mining of Uranium and Coal
4.1. Avoidance Principles
4.1.1. Spatial Avoidance
4.1.2. Temporal Avoidance
4.2. Construction of a Groundwater Numerical Model
4.2.1. Boundary Conditions
4.2.2. Gridding
4.2.3. Identification and Verification
4.3. Simulation and Prediction of the Avoidance Scheme for Coordinated Mining of Uranium and Coal
4.3.1. Determination of the Time Sequence for Coal Mining
- (1)
- Avoidance orientation
- (2)
- Prediction under varying avoidance distances
4.3.2. Determination of the Time Sequence for Uranium Mining
5. Conclusions and Suggestions
5.1. Conclusions
- (1)
- Dewatering during coal mining, which will decrease the groundwater level in the uranium mining area, was proven to be the dominant constraint on the coordinated mining of uranium and coal in the Tarangaole mining area.
- (2)
- Based on the avoidance principles for the coordinated mining of uranium and coal, it was determined that advancing the mining face of the Tarangaole coal mine from north to south under an avoidance distance of at least 7 km and an avoidance orientation of northwest minimizes impacts on the groundwater environment of the Nalinggou uranium deposit.
- (3)
- Given the time and degree of the impacts of the avoidance scheme of the Tarangaole coal mine, the mining scheme of the Nalinggou uranium deposit subjected to the minimum impacts of coal mining involves first exploiting the ore bodies in the northwestern boundary and advancing mining from the northwest to southeast.
5.2. Suggestions
- (1)
- The map showing the time when the first batch of uranium ore bodies will begin to be influenced by coal mining could provide guidance for planning a reasonable mining time for various uranium ore blocks in the Nalinggou uranium deposit. All uranium ore bodies should be mined before being influenced by coal mining. If this is not possible, it is necessary to determine the avoidance time for coal mining according to the years required to mine these uranium ore bodies.
- (2)
- Considering the overlapping and coexisting uranium and coal resources in the Tarangaole mining area, this study proposes an avoidance scheme for coordinated mining of uranium and coal based on temporal and spatial aspects. Specifically, by staggering the locations and time sequences for uranium and coal mining, this scheme reduces the mutual impacts of uranium and coal mining to acceptable levels.
- (3)
- This article provides technical support for the coordinated exploitation of uranium and coal resources in the Talangaole mining area in the northern Ordos Basin. This is a special case due to the equal importance of uranium coal resources, the positional relationship between upper uranium and lower coal layers, and special hydrogeological conditions. For the coordinated development of multiple resources, it is necessary to formulate a scientific and reasonable coordinated mining plan by comprehensively considering various factors, such as the superposition relationship, reserves, and mining technology of mineral resources.
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Li, M.; Liu, X.; Cao, F.; Su, X.; Ge, J.; An, Y.; Huo, J.; Ren, Y. The Impacts of Groundwater Level on Coordinated Mining of Uranium and Coal and Its Avoidance Scheme. Processes 2025, 13, 3930. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13123930
Li M, Liu X, Cao F, Su X, Ge J, An Y, Huo J, Ren Y. The Impacts of Groundwater Level on Coordinated Mining of Uranium and Coal and Its Avoidance Scheme. Processes. 2025; 13(12):3930. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13123930
Chicago/Turabian StyleLi, Mengjiao, Xiaochao Liu, Fengbo Cao, Xuebin Su, Jialiang Ge, Yifu An, Jiandang Huo, and Yu Ren. 2025. "The Impacts of Groundwater Level on Coordinated Mining of Uranium and Coal and Its Avoidance Scheme" Processes 13, no. 12: 3930. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13123930
APA StyleLi, M., Liu, X., Cao, F., Su, X., Ge, J., An, Y., Huo, J., & Ren, Y. (2025). The Impacts of Groundwater Level on Coordinated Mining of Uranium and Coal and Its Avoidance Scheme. Processes, 13(12), 3930. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13123930
