Fluid flow modeling to determine water balance in catchments during coal mine closure

To assess the water balance components of abandoning coal mines, a regional flow model was created. The outer boundary of the model is the combined catchment area of all mine fields. The adequacy of the model was proven by solving inverse geofiltration problems, and a satisfactory agreement between the natural and model balance components and the position of groundwater levels was obtained. When reproducing the current situation, depression cone around each of the mines are clearly visible on the model, and a regional depression cone is also formed. In the first model layer, the aquifer is preserved, which corresponds to real-life conditions: in the valleys of rivers and ravines, springs continue to discharge. Non-stationary solutions were implemented using the forecast model, the purpose of which was to study and analyze flooding processes and their consequences. The shutdown of all drainage systems, the filling of mine workings and aquifers, and the restoration of groundwater levels were simulated. After the mine drainage is turned off, the depression funnel begins to fill, and discharge into the rivers is restored. Restoration of levels within mine fields occurs within 2–4 years. Complete filling of the regional depression cone ends in 5–7 years. In low-lying areas, flooding of residential and industrial buildings is predicted.

Rybnikov P. A., Rybnikova L. S. Fluid flow modeling to determine water balance in catchments during coal mine closure. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2025;(1-1):193-207. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236_1493_2025_11_0_193.

The research was carried out State Assignment No. 075-00412-22 PR of the Institute of Mining, Ural Branch Russian Academy of Sciences. Topic 2 (2022–2024) «Development of geoinformation technologies for assessing the protection of mining areas and forecasting the development of negative processes in subsoil use» (FUWE-2022-0002) No. 1021062010532-7-1.5.1.

P.A. Rybnikov, Cand. Sci. (Geol. Mineral.), Assistant Professor, Ural State Mining University, 620144, Ekaterinburg, Russia, e-mail: ribnikoff@yandex.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0002-7829-5035,
L.S. Rybnikova, Dr. Sci. (Geol. Mineral.), Chief Researcher, Institute of Mining, Ural branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 620075, Ekaterinburg, Russia, e-mail: luserib@mail.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0002-4221-7879.

L.S. Rybnikova, e-mail: luserib@mail.ru.

1. Kornilkov S. V., Antoninova N. Iu., Panzhin A. A., Shubina L. A., Isakov S. V. Specifying the approaches to geoinformation monitoring to assess the development dynamics of mining enterprises as natural-technological systems. Minerals and Mining Engineering. 2020, no. 8, pp. 41—51. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.21440/0536-1028-2020-8-41-51.

2. Rybnikova L. S., Rybnikov P. A., Smirnov A. Y. Formation of hydrogeological conditions of the Сhelyabinsk coal basin at the post-operational stage. Geoekologiya. Inzhenernaya geologiya, gidrogeologiya, geokriologiya. 2023, no. 2, pp. 3—18. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.31857/S0869780923020078.

3. Sokolov I. V., Kornilkov S. V., Panzhin A. A. Geoinformation technologies to support mining processes. Russian Mining Industry Journal. 2023, no. S5, pp. 41—46. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.30686/16099192-2023-5S-41-46.

4. Khokhryakov A. V., Studenok G. A., Frolov S. G. An integrated approach to solving mining and environmental problems based on the analysis of internal and external factors and risk assessment. News of the Ural State Mining University. 2023, no. 1(69), pp. 114—121. [In Russ].

5. Yakovlev V. L. On the methodology of complex development of reserves of deposits of solid minerals for the development of a strategy for the development of the mineral resource base of Russia. Minerals and Mining Engineering. 2020, no. 7, pp. 5—20. [In Russ].

6. Rybnikova L. S., Rybnikov P. A., Smirnov A. Y. Post-mining of Chelyabinsk coal basin (Russia): The effects of mine flooding. Mine Water and the Environment. 2023, vol. 42, pp. 472—488.DOI: 10.1007/s10230-023-00947-1.

7. Gavrishin A. I. Pollution of mine and ground water in Shakhtinsky district of Eastern Donbass.

Gornyi Zhurnal. 2021, no. 8, pp. 80—83. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.17580/gzh.2021.08.15.

8. Semyachkov A. I., Pochechun V. A., Semyachkov K. A. Hydrogeoecological conditions of technogenic groundwater in waste disposal facilities. Journal of Mining Institute. 2023, vol. 260, pp. 168—179. [In Russ].

9. Tarasenko I. A. Geokhimicheskie osobennosti sostava i zakonomernosti formirovaniya podzemnykh vod v prirodno-tekhnogennykh gidrogeologicheskikh strukturakh rayonov likvidirovannykh ugol'nykh shakht [Geochemical features of the composition and patterns of formation of groundwater in natural-technogenic hydrogeological structures of areas of liquidated coal mines], Moscow, Izd-vo GEOS, 2018, 247 p.

10. Chernikova S. A. Geodinamicheskoe obosnovanie monitoringa protsessa zatopleniya ugol'nykh shakht Donbassa (na primere Stakhanovsko–Bryankovskogo regiona) [Geodynamic justification for monitoring the process of flooding of Donbass coal mines (On the example of the Stakhanov-Bryankovsky region)], Candidate’s thesis, Perm, 2004, 21 p.

11. Sokolov I. V., Kornilkov S. V., Panzhin A. A. Geoinformation technologies for supporting mining production processes. Russian Mining Industry Journal. 2023, no. S5, pp. 41—46. [In Russ].

12. Mokhov A. V. Hydraulic aspects of the hydrosphere regime in the fields of coal mines (on the example of Eastern Donbass). Geology and geophysics of Russian South. 2023, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 191—199. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.46698/VNC.2023.93.35.015.

13. Rybnikova L. S., Rybnikov P. A. Hydrodynamic model of flooding of mines of the folded mountain Urals. Sergeevskie chteniya. Geoekologicheskaya bezopasnost' razrabotki mestorozhdeniy poleznykh iskopaemykh. Materialy godichnoy sessii Nauchnogo soveta RAN po problemam geoekologii, inzhenernoy geologii i gidrogeologii v ramkakh Goda ekologii v Rossii [Sergeevsky readings. Geoecological safety of mineral deposit development. Materials of the annual session of the Scientific Council of the Russian Academy of Sciences on problems of geoecology, engineering geology and hydrogeology within the framework of the Year of Ecology in Russia], Moscow, Izd-vo RUDN, 2017, pp. 416—421. [In Russ].

14. Anderson M. P., Woessner W. W., Hunt R. J. Applied groundwater modeling simulation of flow and advective transport. Academic Press, 2nd edition, 2015, 564 p.

15. Chiang W. H., Kinzelbach W. 3D-Groundwater modeling with PMWIN, 1st edition. SpringerVerlag Berlin Heidelberg New York, 2001, 346 р.

16. Gosudarstvenniy vodniy kadastr. Mnogoletnie dannye o rezhime i resursakh poverkhnostnykh vod sushi. T. 2: Ukrainskaya SSR, vyp. 3. Basseyny Severskogo Dontsa, rek Kryma i Priazov'ya [The State water cadastre. Long-term data on the regime and resources of land surface waters, vol. 2. Ukrainian SSR, iss. 3. Basins of the Seversky Donets, rivers of the Crimea and the Azov Sea], Leningrad, Gidrometeoizdat, 1985, 361 p.

17. Gosudarstvenniy vodniy kadastr. Mnogoletnie dannye o rezhime i resursakh poverkhnostnykh vod sushi. T. 1: RSFSR, vyp. 3. Basseyn Dona [The State water cadastre. Long-term data on the regime and resources of land surface waters. Vol. 1. RSFSR. Iss. 3. Don Basin], Leningrad, Gidrometeoizdat, 1986, 559 p. [In Russ].

18. Resursy poverkhnostnykh vod SSSR. Osnovnye gidrologicheskie kharakteristiki (za 1971— 1975 gg. i ves' period nablyudeniy). T. 6: Ukraina i Moldaviya, vyp. 3. Basseyn r. Severskogo Dontsa i rek Priazov'ya [Surface water resources of the USSR. The main hydrological characteristics (for 1971— 1975 and the entire period of observations), vol. 6. Ukraine and Moldova, iss. 3. The basin of the Seversky Donets river and the rivers of the Azov region], Leningrad, Gidrometeoizdat, 1980, 204 p. [In Russ].

19. Popov V. S., Solyakov I. P., Shchegolev D. I. Gidrogeologiya SSSR. T. 6: Donbass [Hydrogeology of the USSR, vol. 6. Donbass], Moscow, Nedra, 1971, 480 p. [In Russ].

20. Gidrogeologicheskaya karta SSSR, masshtab 1:200 000, seriya Donbasskaya M-37-XXXIII [Hydrogeological map of the USSR, scale 1:200 000 series Donbass M-37-XXXIII], 1975. [In Russ].