Abstract:

As China’s foundational energy source, coal has long played an irreplaceable role in safeguarding national energy security and supporting social stability. Given China’s complex coal‑seam geological conditions, the continuous expansion of mining depth and scale has raised new requirements for the safety monitoring of deep‑mining geological hazards, including roof collapse, water inrush, and rock burst. This study first elaborates on the strengths and limitations of major research methods currently adopted in the field of coal‑mine safety monitoring. Subsequently, it presents a comparative analysis of the principles  and performance characteristics of mainstream Distributed Fiber Optic Sensing (DFOS) technologies. On this basis, the workflow for DFOS‑enabled coal‑mine safety monitoring is outlined, with emphasis on two critical links: sensing cable (sensor) selection and monitoring system workflows. The study further illustrates the practical performances of DFOS technology across five typical application scenarios: mining‑induced overburden deformation monitoring, shaft deformation monitoring, coal‑mine temperature and fire hazard monitoring, goaf‑stratum deformation monitoring, and coal‑mine microseismic monitoring. Finally, an integrated “Sensing-Transmission-Computation-Control” technical system is proposed based on DFOS technology. This system is systematically analyzed from four dimensions: multi‑source sensing, reliable transmission, efficient computation, and risk control. Guided by this framework, a field application was implemented in the grouting curtain project at the Zhuxianzhuang Coal Mine. The results varify the feasibility and accuracy of this integrated system for the real-time monitoring, early warning, and risk control of curtain stability under complex geological conditions. This work offers a replicable technical reference for guaranteeing full‑lifecycle safety within China’s coal‑mining sector.

Key words: integrated “Sensing-Transmission-Computation-Control”, coal-mine safety monitoring, distributed fiber optic
sensing, spatio-temporal continuous information perception, intelligent monitoring and early warning