-->PONE-D-26-28982-->-->Numerical simulation study on pressure response and fluid loss mechanism of coal fracture network under particle temporary plugging-->-->PLOS One

Dear Dr. Chen,

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Academic Editor

PLOS One

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Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

-->Comments to the Author

1. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions?

The manuscript must describe a technically sound piece of scientific research with data that supports the conclusions. Experiments must have been conducted rigorously, with appropriate controls, replication, and sample sizes. The conclusions must be drawn appropriately based on the data presented. -->

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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-->2. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously? -->

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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-->3. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available?

The PLOS Data policy requires authors to make all data underlying the findings described in their manuscript fully available without restriction, with rare exception (please refer to the Data Availability Statement in the manuscript PDF file). The data should be provided as part of the manuscript or its supporting information, or deposited to a public repository. For example, in addition to summary statistics, the data points behind means, medians and variance measures should be available. If there are restrictions on publicly sharing data—e.g. participant privacy or use of data from a third party—those must be specified.-->

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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-->4. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English?

PLOS ONE does not copyedit accepted manuscripts, so the language in submitted articles must be clear, correct, and unambiguous. Any typographical or grammatical errors should be corrected at revision, so please note any specific errors here.-->

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: No

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-->5. Review Comments to the Author

Please use the space provided to explain your answers to the questions above. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. (Please upload your review as an attachment if it exceeds 20,000 characters)-->

Reviewer #1: 1. This manuscript does not mention a sensitivity analysis of the Formula�7� with respect to different input parameters.

2. The conclusion does not fully capture the significance of the model or the experimental findings. Consider revising it to better reflect the novelty and contributions of the work, as well as including key quantitative results.

3. Several similar but inconsistent expressions are used throughout the manuscript, including "temporary plugging ," "temporarily blocking," and "temporary blockage." In some cases, multiple expressions are used interchangeably even within the same context. The authors are advised to standardize the key terminology throughout the paper, especially in the title, abstract, methods, results, figure captions, and conclusions.

4. The English expression and academic writing specifications of the whole text still need to be systematically polished. There are some language and formatting problems in the current manuscript, such as long titles or improper collocations in some sentences. It is recommended that authors polish the title, abstract, introduction, conclusion and diagram description in English during the revision process, and unify the terminology, symbols and expression style.

5. The manuscript does not explain how the segmentation threshold was determined. Since these steps directly affect the realism of the geometric model, the authors should provide a more detailed description of the image-processing workflow.

Reviewer #2: This manuscript investigates temporary plugging fracturing using supercritical CO2 and flexible solidified particles generated by hot alkali water, with the aim of improving coalbed methane recovery and supporting integrated technologies for underground CO2 storage and gas emission control. The study combines CT-based reconstruction, microscopic characterisation of solidified particles, coupled fluid–solid numerical simulation, and laboratory experiments to examine pressure enhancement and fluid loss behaviour after temporary plugging in coal pores and fractures. The topic is important and worthy of investigation, as it addresses a relevant technical challenge in coalbed methane production, CO2 utilisation/storage, and hydraulic control of gas emissions. The manuscript has practical significance and presents useful findings; however, several minor revisions are required to improve clarity, presentation, and readability before publication.

1. The research gap in the abstract is not sufficiently clear and should be further refined. The authors are encouraged to revise the abstract following a more logical structure, including background, research gap, methodology, key results, and significance. In addition, the key findings should be highlighted more clearly and, where possible, supported by quantitative results. The current abstract contains useful information, but it is relatively long and would benefit from a more concise and focused presentation.

2. Some keywords may not be suitable for indexing the paper. For example, “connectivity of pores and fractures” and “temporary plugging with pressure increase” appear more like descriptive phrases than effective keywords. The authors should revise the keywords to better reflect the main topic, methods, materials, and application of the study. Potential keywords may include terms related to temporary plugging fracturing, supercritical CO₂, coalbed methane, fluid loss, pore–fracture structure, and coupled fluid–solid simulation.

3. The significance of the study should be further highlighted at the end of the Introduction. The authors should clearly explain how this work advances the understanding of temporary plugging mechanisms, pressure enhancement, and fluid loss behaviour in coal pores and fractures. The practical relevance to coalbed methane recovery, CO₂ storage, and gas emission control should also be emphasised.

4. The numerical modelling methodology requires further clarification. The authors should clearly state which simulation software was used, how the numerical model was constructed from the CT-based pore–fracture structure, and what assumptions were adopted in the coupled fluid–solid simulation. In addition, the determination of key simulation parameters should be explained in more detail, including their sources, units, and physical meanings.

5. It is suggested that the authors separate the experimental equipment from the experimental procedure to improve the clarity of the methodology section. In particular, the self-developed SC-CO₂–hot alkali injection test system should be introduced in greater detail, including its main components, operating conditions, measurement methods, and how it was used to validate the numerical simulation results.

6. There are some differences between the numerical simulation results and the laboratory experimental results. The authors should provide a clearer explanation and justification for these differences. Possible reasons may include simplifications in the numerical model, uncertainty in pore–fracture reconstruction, differences between idealised simulation conditions and experimental conditions, measurement errors, or limitations in parameter determination.

7. The conclusion should be revised to better highlight the key findings of the study. At present, the main contributions are not sufficiently emphasised. The authors should summarise the major findings regarding plugging location, fracture size, injection pressure, pressure enhancement, and fluid loss rate. The conclusion should also clearly state the scientific and practical implications of the work.

8. The manuscript contains numerous grammatical errors, awkward expressions, and unclear sentences. The authors should carefully revise the entire manuscript to improve readability, clarity, and academic expression. Professional English editing is recommended to ensure that the technical content is communicated accurately and effectively.

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Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: No

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Numerical simulation study on pressure response and fluid loss mechanism of coal fracture network under particle temporary plugging

PONE-D-26-28982R1

Dear Dr. Chen,

We’re pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been judged scientifically suitable for publication and will be formally accepted for publication once it meets all outstanding technical requirements.

Within one week, you’ll receive an e-mail detailing the required amendments. When these have been addressed, you’ll receive a formal acceptance letter and your manuscript will be scheduled for publication.

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Kind regards,

Xinyuan Gao

Academic Editor

PLOS One

Additional Editor Comments (optional):

Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

-->Comments to the Author

1. If the authors have adequately addressed your comments raised in a previous round of review and you feel that this manuscript is now acceptable for publication, you may indicate that here to bypass the “Comments to the Author” section, enter your conflict of interest statement in the “Confidential to Editor” section, and submit your "Accept" recommendation.-->

Reviewer #1: All comments have been addressed

Reviewer #2: All comments have been addressed

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-->2. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions?

The manuscript must describe a technically sound piece of scientific research with data that supports the conclusions. Experiments must have been conducted rigorously, with appropriate controls, replication, and sample sizes. The conclusions must be drawn appropriately based on the data presented. -->

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

**********

-->3. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously? -->

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

**********

-->4. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available?

The PLOS Data policy requires authors to make all data underlying the findings described in their manuscript fully available without restriction, with rare exception (please refer to the Data Availability Statement in the manuscript PDF file). The data should be provided as part of the manuscript or its supporting information, or deposited to a public repository. For example, in addition to summary statistics, the data points behind means, medians and variance measures should be available. If there are restrictions on publicly sharing data—e.g. participant privacy or use of data from a third party—those must be specified.-->

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

**********

-->5. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English?

PLOS ONE does not copyedit accepted manuscripts, so the language in submitted articles must be clear, correct, and unambiguous. Any typographical or grammatical errors should be corrected at revision, so please note any specific errors here.-->

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

**********

-->6. Review Comments to the Author

Please use the space provided to explain your answers to the questions above. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. (Please upload your review as an attachment if it exceeds 20,000 characters)-->

Reviewer #1: The authors have answered my questions well and revisions have been made carefully. This paper can be published as it is.

Reviewer #2: I am satisfied with all revisions made by authors and the paper meets the requirement of the Journal PLOS One.

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-->7. PLOS authors have the option to publish the peer review history of their article (what does this mean?). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files.

If you choose “no”, your identity will remain anonymous but your review may still be made public.

Do you want your identity to be public for this peer review?  For information about this choice, including consent withdrawal, please see our Privacy Policy.-->

Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: No

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