BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article
Front. Earth Sci.
Sec. Geohazards and Georisks
Study on hydraulic cavitation mechanism and aperture optimization of drilling in high gas coal seam
Provisionally accepted
- 1China University of Mining and Technology Nanhu Campus State Key Laboratory of Coal Resources and Safe Mining, Xuzhou, China
- 2Zuoquan Wulinhou Mining Co. ,Ltd., Shanxi Lu'an Group, Jinzhong, China
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To enhance gas pre-extraction efficiency in low-permeability, high-gas coal seams and eliminate the danger of coal and gas outbursts at Wulihou Coal Mine, this study analyzed the influence of the three stress zones surrounding cavitation holes (employed in alternating cavitation gas extraction technology) on gas extraction, based on the stress distribution characteristics around these holes. Two indices—the pressure relief zone area ratio and the plastic zone area ratio—were proposed to evaluate the pressure relief effect induced by the cavitation process. The effectiveness of cavitation holes for pressure relief and permeability enhancement was investigated using FLAC3D numerical simulation. Results indicate that as the cavitation hole size increases, the area of the associated stress relief zone expands, with its spatial extent best characterized by an exponential function. Similarly, the area of the plastic zone surrounding the cavitation hole also expands and is well-described by a cubic function. Furthermore, both the pressure relief zone area ratio and the plastic zone area ratio exhibit an initial increase followed by a decrease with increasing cavitation hole radius, reaching their peak values within the radius range of [0.4, 0.5] m. Therefore, the optimal radius for cavitation holes is recommended to be within [0.4, 0.5] m. This research provides valuable reference for evaluating the pressure relief and permeability improvement effects, as well as for optimizing the aperture of hydraulic cavitation boreholes in high-gas coal seams.
Keywords: Cavity radius, Gas extraction, Hydraulic cavitation, soft and low permeability coal seam, unloading-induced permeability increase
Received: 27 Oct 2025; Accepted: 08 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Li, Xu, Zhang, Li, Fan and Jin. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jinhai Xu
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