Finite Element Analysis of Surrounding Rock with a Thermal Insulation Layer in a Deep Mine

As the main heat source, surrounding rock heat dissipation is a very important factor in the prediction of mine climate conditions, especially in deep high-temperature mines. To reveal the heat control mechanism of surrounding rocks due to the thermal insulation of deep roadways, a mathematical model of the surrounding rocks around deep roadways with heat insulation was established with the finite element method, and a corresponding calculation program was developed. A series of results were determined to show how setting an insulation layer could affect the distribution law of the temperature field within and around tunnels. Therefore, rules of the variation in wall temperature and temperature gradient with thermal conductivity coefficients were obtained within and around tunnels. The heat release capacity of the surrounding rocks of the roadways is significantly reduced after introducing a thermal insulation layer into the roadway design under different schemes; these design schemes were determined by further engineering example analysis. It was found that the heat insulation layer design can cool the surrounding rocks of deep mine roadways.