Detailed modeling of internal structure of coal seams to build operational digital twins of coal fields

The relevance of the study is conditioned by the growing need of the coal mining industry for the accurate and universal methods and tools of modeling to ensure both evaluation of geological reserves and optimization of mining design and planning on the basis of commercial reserves. The established geological (resource) models built classically to comply with the standards of the State Commission on Mineral Reserves (frame modeling using identified quality parameters of coal seams) are unadaptable to real-time solution of operational tasks: these models are static and contain averaged quality indicators (in situ), which leads to generalization of operational characteristics of produced coal, and when the qualities change, the re-modeling takes much time and labor. In this paper, the authors substantiate the expediency of switching to creation of flexible and dynamic operation models based on geological models created in the detailed network modeling of the internal structure of coal seams. The proposed approach is taken as a framework for creating a full-fledged digital twin of a coal deposit, integrated in the system of technological decision-making. The models of coal layers proportionate to the intervals of geological sampling allow prompt assembly of coal seams for different quality requirements, creation of operation models with regard to loss and dilution per extraction unit of coal seams, and modeling of selective extraction with re-calculation of quality factors of produced coal. 

Talanin V. V., Bekher V. G., Dyatlova E. V. Detailed modeling of internal structure of coal seams to build operational digital twins of coal fields. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2026;(10-1):20-31. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236_1493_2026_101_0_20.

V.V. Talanin¹, Cand. Sci. (Eng.), Assistant Professor, e-mail: talanin.vv@misis.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0001-9432-1443,
V.G. Bekher¹, Mining Engineer, e-mail: v.bekher@yandex.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0002-1300-9456,
E.V. Dyatlova¹, Graduate Student, e-mail: lopushnyack.c@yandex.ru, ORCID ID: 0009-0004-6839-0022,
¹ NUST MISIS, 119049, Moscow, Russia.

V.V. Talanin, e-mail: talanin.vv@misis.ru. 

1. Mar'ina A. V., Dolbnya O. V. Investigation of the demand for mining-geological information systems on the Russian labor market. Problems of Development of Hydrocarbon and Ore Deposits. 2023, vol. 2, pp. 169—173. [In Russ].

2. Sapronova N. P., Fedotov G. S., Glatko Ya. S. Features of solving surveying support tasks for mining operations in the Micromine GGIS environment. Mine Surveying Bulletin. 2020, no. 2(135), pp. 31—37. [In Russ].

3. Smirnova A. D., Fedotov G. S., Mikhailova T. V. Geological modeling of the Tutuyasskaya area in Kuzbass in the mining and geological information system Micromine Origin & Beyond. Ugol’. 2024, no. 6(1181), pp. 119—124. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.18796/0041-5790-2024-6-119-124.

4. Manikovskiy P. M., Vasyutich L. A., Sidorova G. P. Methodology for modeling ore deposits in GGIS. Transbaikal state university journal. 2021, no. 27(2), pp. 6—14. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.21209/2227-9245-2021-27-2-6-14.

5. Stadnik D. A., Stadnik N. M., Zhilin A. G., Kozhieva Z. V. Basic methodological principles of automated ore field block caving during design in GGIS. News of the Tula state university. Sciences of Earth. 2021, no. 4, pp. 475—488. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.46689/2218-5194-2021-4-1-475-488.

6. Liu Y., Zhang X., Guo W., Kang L., Gao J., Yu R., Sun Y., Pan M. Research status of and trends in 3D geological property modeling methods: A review. Applied Sciences. 2022, vol. 12, no. 11, article 5648. DOI: 10.3390/app12115648. 

7. Basargin A. A., Pisarev V. S. Features of modeling geological environment objects during development of solid mineral deposits using Micromine GGIS. Interexpo GEO-Siberia. 2021, vol. 1, pp. 100—110. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.33764/2618-981X-2021-1-100-110.

8. Fedotov G. S., Belenko M. V., Derevyankin V. V., Feshchenko V. E. Annual planning of mining operations using Micromine GGIS at the Stoilensky GOK. Gornyi Zhurnal. 2021, no. 6, pp. 20—23. [In Russ].

9. Agafonov I. A., Malofeev D. V. Experience of block model protection for coal deposits in GKZ. Ugol'. 2022, no. 3, pp. 90—94. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.18796/0041-5790-2022-3-90-94.

10. Stadnik D. A., Stadnik N. M., Grigoryan K. L., Kozhiev Z. V. Technological updating of mineral mining projects using computer technologies. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2023, no. 5-1, pp. 170—184. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236_1493_2023_51_0_170.

11. Stadnik D. A., Stadnik N. M. Quality management of mineral resources using digital calendar planning of mining enterprise. Problemy kompleksnoy i ekologicheski bezopasnoy pererabotki prirodnogo i tekhnogennogo mineral'nogo syr'ya (Plaksinskie chteniya — 2021) [Problems of Complex and Environmentally Safe Processing of Natural and Technogenic Mineral Raw Materials (Plaksin Readings — 2021)], Vladikavkaz, 2021, pp. 120—122. [In Russ].

12. Yuan J., Liu G., Chai S. 3D geological fine modeling and dynamic updating method of fault slope in open-pit coal mine. Scientific Reports. 2024, vol. 14, no. 1, article 29906. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-81872-3. 

13. Nastavko E. V., Nastavko A. V., Kaizer F. Yu., Solovitsky A. N. On the digital model of a coal deposit in Kuzbass in Micromine GGIS. International Research Journal. 2023, no. 1(127). [In Russ]. DOI: 10.23670/IRJ.2023.127.23.

14. Raksin A. A. Life of Mine. Advantages over traditional methods of mining operations planning. Gold and Technologies. 2023, no. 3(61), pp. 110—115. [In Russ].

15. Gu Xiaowei, Qing Wang, Xiaochuan Xu, Xiaoqian Ma Phase planning for open pit coal mines through nested pit generation and dynamic programming. Mathematical Problems in Engineering. 2021, vol. 2021, article 8219431. DOI: 10.1155/2021/8219431.

16. Pulungan L., Arbianto V. Coal handling quality from pits to stockpiles to market specifications. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering. 2020, vol. 830, no. 4, article 042039. DOI: 10.1088/1757-899X/830/4/042039.

17. Cui M., Hou E., Lu T., Hou P., Feng D. Study on spatial interpolation methods for high precision 3D geological modeling of coal mining faces. Applied Sciences. 2025, vol. 15, no. 6, article 2959. DOI: 10.3390/app15062959.

18. Faidatulaila R., Marwanza I., Purwiyono T. T. Variography analysis on the assessment of coal deposit quality using the ordinary kriging method. AIP Conference Proceedings. 2023, vol. 2598, article 060002. DOI: 10.1063/5.0126896.

19. Golynets O. S., Medvedevskikh M. Yu., Epshtein S. A., Kochetkova E. M. Standard samples of coal composition and products of its mining and processing. Part 2. Product Quality Control. 2024, no. 1, pp. 45—49. [In Russ].

20. Rozhdestvenskaya I. A., Zavalko N. A., Lukichev K. E., Zubenko A. V., Laffakh A. M. Application of big data technologies to enhance resilience and efficiency of the coal industry under digital transformation of the industry. Ugol'. 2025, no. 1(1189), pp. 82—92. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.18796/0041-5790-2025-1-82-92.