Objective Limestone water hazards in coal seam floors represent one of the two primary categories of mine water hazards in China. Limestone aquifers are generally characterized by abundant static water reserves and considerable dynamic water recharge. To reduce economic losses and casualties caused by water inrushes from limestone aquifers, post-disaster emergency rescue through grouting for water plugging is frequently carried out under flowing water.

Methods Based on numerous cases of water inrush control under flowing water in China and the fundamental requirements for control scheme design, this study presents a systematic review of existing technologies for water inrush control under flowing water, along with their advantages and limitations. Furthermore, this study categorizes the conditions for water inrush control under flowing water, summarizes existing control modes, and elucidates the common indicators for evaluating the water plugging performance of various control technologies. Following an analysis of typical cases, this study proposes the common challenges and future development directions for water inrush control under flowing water.

Results and Conclusions The results indicate that technologies for water inrush control under flowing water can be classified into three types: (1) cutting off water in water-flowing roadways by constructing water blocking walls to reduce water filling intensity, (2) cutting off water in water inrush pathways by constructing water-stop plugs to block water filling pathways, and (3) blocking water sources in the aquifers subjected to water inrushes by constructing grouting curtain to block water sources, with the first and second categories can be further divided into three and two types, respectively. Among the three major technology categories, cutting off water in water-flowing roadways exhibits the shortest operation duration. However, this technology fails to eliminate the possibility of water inrush recurrence in the original area suffering from water inrushes. The second type of this technology is only applicable to water plugging in environments with low water inrush pressure, low flow rates, and high mechanical strength of surrounding rocks. Generally, cutting off water in water inrush pathways can deliver the optimal water plugging performance when combining cutting off water in water-flowing roadways. Despite the longest operation duration, blocking water sources in the aquifers subjected to water inrushes exhibits the highest safety factor. This technology typically offers the optimal water plugging performance when combining cutting off water in water inrush pathways. Based on the submergence conditions of the underground drainage pump room following water inrushes, the conditions for water inrush control under flowing water can be classified into two types: unsubmerged mines and incompletely submerged mines, with the latter type commonly observed. Notably, water plugging operations are the most challenging when the submergence water level falls below the elevation of the water inrush point. Based on whether water inrush points and pathways are identified and whether the spatial relationships between mine roadways around water inrush points are determined, water inrush control under flowing water can be classified into three types: direct water plugging, post-detection water inrush control, and detection-control combination with a focus on detection. The modes of water inrush control under flowing water consist of three water plugging modes based on a single technology and two water plugging modes based on the combination of two technologies. For water inrushes occurring during roadway tunnelling, the recommended control modes include the technology of cutting off water in water-flowing roadways, the technology of cutting off water in water inrush pathways, and the combination of both. For water inrushes occurring during coal mining, primary control modes encompass the technology of blocking water sources in the aquifers subjected to water inrushes, the technology of cutting off water in water inrush pathways, and the combination of both. Water inrush control under flowing water represents typical post-disaster grouting engineering characterized by instantaneous grouting responses. The water plugging performance is primarily evaluated based on measured variations in both water inrush volume and the water level of aquifers subjected to water inrushes, supplemented by borehole grouting characterization and geophysical monitoring. Common indicators for various evaluation methods include the mechanical strength and permeability of the final grouted water-blocking bodies. Focusing on the commonly used first and third types of the technology of cutting off water in water-flowing roadways, a fluid-solid coupling mathematical model is established for numerical simulations of water inrush control under flowing water. The simulation results indicate that the skeletons of water blocking walls constructed for the third type exhibit high water resistance and low permeability. A common challenge in water inrush control under flowing water is that the cement grout for grouting struggles to rapidly settle, accumulate, and consolidate within the target area of water plugging. This issue leads to substantial engineering workload and prolonged grouting duration. Future development directions include (1) deepening the theoretical research on grouting under flowing water, establishing engineering disciplines for water inrush control under flowing water, and developing control standards for grouting engineering under flowing water; (2) constructing transparent geological systems for factors controlling water filling in mines; and (3) the research and development (R&D) of grouting materials with controllable diffusion ranges and flow directions, high bond strength, excellent toughness, encouraging impermeability, excellent injectivity, low costs, and wide sources, as well as the R&D of efficient, controllable, and intelligent grouting equipment and processes.