As reported by media on August 20th， a research team from Xi’an Research Institute of China Coal Technology and Engineering Group has successfully applied muon imaging technology for the first time internationally， achieving clear internal structural imaging of goaf areas in both underground and open-pit coal mines. This breakthrough provides a novel technical pathway for probing hidden geological hazards and controlling disasters in coal mines.
Muons are one of the 12 fundamental particles that constitute the universe. Dong Shuning， the project leader and a chief scientist at China Coal Technology and Engineering Group， explained， “Utilizing naturally occurring muons in the universe to take ‘CT images’ of coal mine goaf areas is an international first.”
Over nearly two years of research， the team systematically tackled a series of key technical challenges， including the adaptability of muon detection in complex mining environments， data acquisition and processing， imaging algorithm development， and engineering verification. Field trials were successfully conducted in an underground coal mine in northern Shaanxi and an open-pit coal mine in eastern Inner Mongolia， comprehensively validating the technology’s feasibility.
Muon imaging possesses significant advantages such as strong penetration capability， long-range non-contact detection， and high spatial resolution. It can achieve precise imaging by leveraging the differential absorption of muons by various geological strata densities. This makes it particularly suitable for detecting goaf areas and major fault structures， which are areas of density anomaly in the strata overlying coal seams.
This technology is a form of passive detection， meaning it is completely unaffected by electromagnetic interference common in underground mining environments， demonstrating a significant advantage in complex mine settings. Dong Shuning stated， “Muon imaging technology is expected to develop into a new geophysical exploration method， complementing gravity， seismic， electrical， and magnetic methods， thereby opening up new frontiers in mine exploration.”
