Abstract
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The proactive and effective inertization strategies to reduce the risk of heating and fires in longwall goafs are observed. The project has combined extensive field studies, together with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models of goaf gas flow, to develop the optimum proactive inertization strategies. The strategies are highly successful in reducing oxygen ingress into the goaf and the consequent risk of heatings in the longwall panels. It is recommended that the proactive inertization could be introduced particularly in the case of longwall panels extraction in the areas/seams with very high spontaneous combustion potential and extraction in areas with severe geological disturbances. The project involved a combination of field studies and CFD modeling to investigate the effect of various inertization strategies on goaf oxygen ingress patterns.