A Risk Assessment of Water Inrush in Deep Mining in Metal Mines Based on the Coupling Methods of the Analytic Hierarchy Process and Entropy Weight Method: A Case Study of the Huize Lead–Zinc Mine in Northeastern Yunnan, China
R.W. Xia, Hongliang Wang, Tao Hu, Shichong Yuan, Baosheng Huang, Jianguo Wang, Zhouhong Ren
Abstract
Deep mining in metal mines faces more and more complex geological conditions, such as “three highs and one disturbance” (high ground stress, high permeability, high temperature, and mining-induced disturbance), which can easily trigger water inrush disasters and seriously affect the safety and efficiency of deep mining. This paper focuses on the deep hydrogeological structural characteristics of the Huize lead–zinc mine. Firstly, two main factors affecting the production safety of the mining area, namely the water source and water channel of the mine, were analyzed. Based on this analysis, nine factors were determined as indicators for the risk assessment of water inrush, including the water head difference, water-bearing capacity, permeability coefficient, aquifer thickness, water pressure, fault type, fault scale, fault water conductivity, and karst zoning characteristics. Then, a water inrush risk assessment model for the deep mine was constructed, and the weights of the individual factors were determined using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and entropy weight method (EWM). Combined with the multi-factor spatial fitting function of the GIS, a zoning map of the risk assessment of water inrush was developed. The results showed that the aquifer groups of the Permian Liangshan Formation and the Carboniferous Maping Formation (P1l + C3m) were relatively safe, whereas the karst fissure aquifer of the Qixia–Maokou Formation (P1q + m) posed a high risk of water inrush, necessitating advanced exploration and water drainage in the area. These findings provide guidance for water control measures in the Huize lead–zinc mine and offer valuable insights into the prediction and prevention of mine water hazards associated with ore body mining in karst aquifers.