Kray Luxbacher

Department Head of Mining and Geological Engineering
Gregory H. and Lisa S. Boyce Leadership Chair of Mining and Geological Engineering
Professor of Mining and Geological Engineering
Member of the Graduate Faculty

Degrees

  • PhD Mining Engineering
    • Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States
    • Time-lapse Passive Seismic Velocity Tomography of Longwall Coal Mines: A Comparison of Methods 
  • Graduate Certificate Engineering Education
    • Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States
  • MS Mining Engineering
    • Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States
    • Four-Dimensional Passive Velocity Tomography of a Longwall Panel 
  • BS Mining Engineering
    • Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States

Courses

Intro Engr Design

ENGR 102B (Fall 2023)

Intro to Mining Engineering

MNE 205 (Fall 2024)
MNE 205 (Fall 2023)

Underground Mine Safety

MNE 297A (Fall 2023)

Techn Trnds Min Res Engr

MNE 396A (Fall 2024)
MNE 396A (Fall 2023)

Independent Study

MNE 399 (Summer I 2024)
MNE 399 (Summer I 2023)
MNE 699 (Spring 2024)

Health+Safety in Mining

MNE 426 (Fall 2024)

Elements of Solution Mining

MNE 450 (Spring 2024)
MNE 550 (Spring 2024)

Hydrometallurgy

MNE 465 (Fall 2024)
MNE 565 (Fall 2024)

Internship

MNE 493 (Summer I 2024)
MNE 493 (Spring 2024)
MNE 593 (Summer I 2023)

Senior Capstone

MNE 498 (Fall 2024)
MNE 498 (Spring 2024)
MNE 498 (Fall 2023)

Honors Thesis

MNE 498H (Fall 2024)
MNE 498H (Spring 2024)
MNE 498H (Fall 2023)

Health+Safety In Mining

MNE 526 (Fall 2024)

Graduate Seminar

MNE 696A (Fall 2023)

Thesis

MNE 910 (Spring 2024)
MNE 910 (Fall 2023)

Licensure & Certification

  • Professional Engineer, Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (2008)

Selected Publications

Chapters

  • Stinnette, J. D., & Luxbacher, K. (2021). An innovative methodology for the assessment and maintenance of e-learning courses using the Community of Inquiry model. In Mine Ventilation(pp 379--385). CRC Press.

Journals/Publications

  • Baris, K., Keles, C., Ripepi, N., Luxbacher, K., Karmis, M., & Gurpinar, S. (2022). MODELING OF CBM RECOVERY IN THE AMASRA COALFIELD, TURKEY.
  • Barros-Daza, M. J., Luxbacher, K. D., Lattimer, B. Y., & Hodges, J. L. (2022). Fire Size and Response Time Predictions in Underground Coal Mines Using Neural Networks. Mining, Metallurgy \& Exploration, 39(3), 1087--1098.
  • Barros-Daza, M. J., Luxbacher, K. D., Lattimer, B. Y., & Hodges, J. L. (2022). Mine conveyor belt fire classification. Journal of fire sciences, 40(1), 44--69.
  • Barros-Daza, M. J., Luxbacher, K. D., Lattimer, B. Y., & Hodges, J. L. (2022). Real time mine fire classification to support firefighter decision making. Fire Technology, 58(3), 1545--1578.
  • Diaz, J., Agioutantis, Z., Hristopulos, D. T., Schafrik, S., & Luxbacher, K. (2022). Time series modeling of methane gas in underground mines. Mining, Metallurgy \& Exploration, 1--22.
  • Fahrman, B., Westman, E., Karfakis, M., & Luxbacher, K. (2022). Optimization of Geophone Array for Monitoring Geologic Carbon Sequestration Using Double-Difference Tomography.
  • Luxbacher, K., & Stinnette, J. D. (2021). An innovative methodology for the assessment and maintenance of e-learning courses using the Community of Inquiry model.
  • Haghighat, A., & Luxbacher, K. (2019). Determination of critical parameters in the analysis of road tunnel fires. International Journal of Mining Science and Technology, 29(2), 187--198.
  • Hodges, J. L., Lattimer, B. Y., & Luxbacher, K. D. (2019). Compartment fire predictions using transpose convolutional neural networks. Fire Safety Journal, 108, 102854.
  • Luxbacher, K. (2019). Metal Mining Automation and Advanced Technologies Workgroup.
  • Haghighat, A., & Luxbacher, K. (2018). Tenability analysis for improvement of firefighters’ performance in a methane fire event at a coal mine working face. Journal of Fire Sciences, 36(3), 256--274.
  • Haghighat, A., Luxbacher, K., & Lattimer, B. Y. (2018). Development of a methodology for interface boundary selection in the multiscale road tunnel fire simulations. Fire technology, 54(4), 1029--1066.
  • Watkins, E., Luxbacher, K., & Jong, E. (2018). Development, testing and proposed application of multiple passive source tracers for underground mine ventilation systems.. Mining Engineering, 70(2).
  • Louk, K., Ripepi, N., Luxbacher, K., Gilliland, E., Tang, X. u., Keles, C., Schlosser, C., Diminick, E. d., Keim, S., Amante, J., & others, . (2017). Monitoring CO2 storage and enhanced gas recovery in unconventional shale reservoirs: Results from the Morgan County, Tennessee injection test. Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering, 45, 11--25.
  • Tang, X. u., Ripepi, N., Luxbacher, K., & Pitcher, E. (2017). Adsorption models for methane in shales: Review, comparison, and application. Energy & Fuels, 31(10), 10787--10801.

Proceedings Publications

  • Lattimer, A. M., Lattimer, B. Y., Gugercin, S., Borggaard, J. T., & Luxbacher, K. D. (2016). High Fidelity Reduced Order Models for Wildland Fires. In Proceedings for the 5th International Fire Behavior and Fuels Conference, Portland, OR, USA.
  • Lattimer, A., Borggaard, J., Gugercin, S., Luxbacher, K., & Lattimer, B. (2016). Computationally efficient wildland fire spread models. In Proceedings of the 14th international fire science \& engineering conference.
  • Jong, E., Sarver, E. A., Schafrik, S. J., Luxbacher, K. D., & others, . (2015). Proceedings of the 15th North American Mine Ventilation Symposium. In North American Mine Ventilation Symposium.
  • Restrepo, J., Luxbacher, K., Ripepi, N., Schafrik, S., Kirsch, P., Shi, M., Mitra, R., & Hebblewhite, B. (2015). Barriers and incentives: the application of comprehensive risk management in the US underground coal mining industry. In Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration Annual Meeting, Society for Mining, Metallurgy \& Exploration, Englewood.
  • Griffin, K. R., Luxbacher, K. D., Schafrik, S. J., & Karmis, M. E. (2012). Comprehensive ventilation simulation of atmospheric monitoring sensors in underground coal mines. In Proc. 14th US/North American Mine Ventilation Symposium.
  • Jong, E., Underwood, S., Xu, G., Luxbacher, K., & McNair, H. (2012). A technique for creating perfluorocarbon tracer (PFT) calibration curves for tracer gas studies. In 14th US/North American Mine Ventilation Symposium.
  • Westman, E. C., Luxbacher, K. D., Schafrik, S. J., Swanson, P. I., & Zhang, H. (2012). Time-lapse passive seismic velocity tomography of longwall coal mines: a comparison of methods. In 46th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium.
  • Xu, G., Jong, E., Luxbacher, K., & Ragab, S. (2012). Computational fluid dynamics study of tracer gas dispersion in a mine after different ventilation damage scenarios. In 2012 SME Annual Meeting and Exhibit 2012, SME 2012, Meeting Preprints.
  • Griffin, K. R., Jong, E. C., Luxbacher, K. D., & Westman, E. C. (2011). A review of atmospheric monitoring systems in underground coal mines: implications for explosion prevention. In SME Annual Meeting.
  • Schafrik, S. J., Luxbacher, M. K., & Karmis, M. (2011). Wireless mesh communication systems optimization in underground coal. In 2011 SME Annual Meeting, SME Preprint.
  • Xu, G., Bowling, J., Luxbacher, K., & Ragab, S. (2011). Computational fluid dynamics simulations and experimental validation of tracer gas distribution in an experimental underground mine. In SME Annual Meeting and Exhibit and CMA 113th National Western Mining Conference 2011.
  • Luxbacher, K. D., Erdogan, S. S., & others, . (2009). Modeling Methane Emissions and Ventilation Needs by Examination of Mining Induced Permeability Changes and Related Damage to Ventilation Controls. In 43rd US Rock Mechanics Symposium \& 4th US-Canada Rock Mechanics Symposium.
  • Westman, E. C., Luxbacher, K. D., & Swanson, P. L. (2008). Local earthquake tomography for imaging mining-induced changes within the overburden above a longwall mine. In The 42nd US Rock Mechanics Symposium (USRMS).
  • Westman, E., & Luxbacher, K. (2008). Seismic tomography, an ideal but immature tool for coal bump prediction. In Proceedings of the 27th International Conference on Ground Control in Mining.

Others

  • Luxbacher, K. D. (2008). Time-lapse passive seismic velocity tomography of longwall coal mines: a comparison of methods.
  • Luxbacher, K. D. (2005). Four-Dimensional Passive Velocity Tomography of a Longwall Panel.