Research on Hotspots and Evolutionary Trends in Coal Mine Gas Prevention

Mine gas accidents have received widespread attention at home and abroad, because mine gas accidents often cause casualties and property losses once they occur. This study was conducted in order to have a more comprehensive understanding of the research status of and research hotspots in coal mine gas management at home and abroad, and to provide references for relevant researchers’ studies and literature searches. Using the Web of Science (WOS) core database as the data source, this paper analyzed the data from the period of 2000–2023 under the headings of “gas governance”, “Gas Control Technology”, “Pre-mining gas methods in coal mines”, “Methods of Gas Mining in Coal Mines”, “Post-mining gas”, and “Post-mining gas methods in coal mines”. “Methods in Coal Mines”, “Methods of Gas Mining in Coal Mines”, and “Post-mining Gas Methods in Coal Mines” were searched, and the CiteSpace tool was utilized to provide a multi-dimensional visual presentation of the literature, including authors, the number of journals issued, countries of issue, keywords, etc., in order to explore the research hotspots in this field. The analysis results show the following: the development process in the field of gas prevention and control is mainly divided into the three stages of initial exploration, steady development, and explosive surge; China, Australia, and the United States are the top three countries in terms of the number of articles published, and they have a greater influence in the field, but there is a closer connection between the regions in Europe; a certain group size has been formed by the researchers and research institutes in this field, the China University of Mining and Technology is more active in this field, ranking as the first in terms of the number of articles issued, and it has a cooperative relationship with many universities; Kai Wang and Enyuan Wang are the core authors in this field, while C. Ozgen Karacan also has a large body of research in the field, and his research results are widely recognized; the main journals issued in this field are Fuel and Energy Policy, while other journals have been frequently cited, and these journals have an important role in the field. In these journals, “Coal mine methane: A review of capture and utilization practices with benefits to mining safety and to greenhouse gas reduction” is one of the most important articles in the field. Thin coal seams, coal mining workings, and coal and gas protrusion are current research hotspots.