Coal mining methods

(石炭採掘法
石炭採掘法))

- Green Coal Technology (GCT) -

Safety first!

Kikuo MATSUI, Dr. Eng., Professor

Department of Earth Resources and Mining Engineering
Engineering,
Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University
Fukuoka 819-
819-0395, Japan
e-mail:
il matsui@mine.kyushu-
matsui@mine.kyushu
t i@ i k h -u.ac.jp
j
Development
p p
process of a
new mine
 Geological survey
 Exploration
 Mine development
 Mining
 Rehabilitation: acid mine drainage,
drainage
selective mining, waste rock dumping
site,
it cover system,
t erosion
i control,
t l
revegetation etc.
 Environmental monitoring 2
Mining methods
 Surface/open cut mines:
 Strip
p mining;
g; dragline
g
 open pit mining; truck & shovel,
BWE etc
etc.
 Underground mines: manual, semi-
semi-
mechanized,
h i d fully-
fully
f ll -mechanized
h i d
 Bord/Room
Bord/Room--and-
and-pillar mining
 Longwall/
Longwall/shortwall
shortwall mining
 Other methods depending on seam
conditions 3
Open cut/surface mining: 40% of total produced coal (WCI）
(WCI）
 （For example, 80%: Australia,67%: USA）
USA）
•Strip mining: horizontal～
horizontal～gentle dip seams (side
(side--casting
casting, in-
in-pit disposal)
•Open pit: Steep dip and multi-
multi-seams (dump site, out
out--of-
of-pit disposal)
•Mountain top removal mining (Appalachian coal field,
field USA)

Stripping Ratio = Volume of Material (bcm )/ Extraction of Coal (ROM

(bcm)/ (ROM--ton
ton*))
4
Strip Mining

5
Open
p pit
p mining g (shovel
( &
truck): flexible

6
Seismic survey and
exploration drilling

7
Topsoil stripping by bulldozer
or scraper

8
Overburden drilling for blast
holes and blasting

9
Blasting pattern (example)

10
Powder
P d Factor(火薬原単位
Factor(
F t (火薬原単位
(火薬原単位))

 Dragline: 0.2-
0.2-0.3 kg/m3
 Shovel & trucks: 0.3-
0.3-0.5 kg/m3
 Backhoe & trucks: 00.4
0.4-
4-0
4-0.6
6 kg/m3
 Dozer pushing: 0.3-
0.3-0.5 kg/m3

11
E l i
Explosives (爆薬)
爆薬)
 ANFO (Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil
Explosive)
 Slurry, Watergel
Watergel,, Emulsion Explosives
 High Density ANFO (emulsion blends or
heavy ANFO)
 Velocity of detonation:
ANFO 2,200-4,000 m/s
2,200-
Watergels 3 3,500
3,500-
500-55,000
000 m/s
12
Emulsions 4,500-
4,500-6,100 m/s
Dragline (50 million US$)

13
14
Bucket Wheel Excavator
(over 1 billion US$)

15
Truck and shovel

16
Super dump truck-
truck-Komatsu 960E
(P l d 327t) 5 million
(Payload:327t) illi US$

17
Coal extraction (truck, dozer &
shovel)

18
The major equipment for the
mine producing 7 Mt/yr
 6 x electric rotary drills (250 mm dia.) for overburden
 12 x electric shovels with 17 m3 buckets for
overburden
 4 x hydraulic shovels with 11 m3 buckets for coal
 6 x rubber tired front end loaders with 9.6 m3 buckets
 50 x 154 t 900 kW rear dump trucks for waste haulage
 14 x 109 t 900 kW rear dump trucks for coal haulage
 19 x 300 kW track
track--mounted bulldozers
 3 x 224 kW wheeled
h l d bulldozers
b lld
 Other vehicles (Pick-
(Pick-up cars, Site-
Site-mixing truck,
Graders Water spray trucks etc
Graders, etc.))
19
P f
Performance off equipment
i t

 Availability = Operated hours/Scheduled

h
hours x 100 (%)
 Efficiencyy = Operated
p hours/Available
hours x 100 (%)
 Utilization = Real work hours/Operated
hours x 100 (%)

 The bigger
bigger, the better!
20
Typical underground mining systems

21
Room (Bord)
(Bord)--and
and--pillar
(Continuous miner and shuttle car)

22
Wongawilli method and break line
supportt (BLS)

23
Longwall
Long all mining
Shield Supports
Shearing Machine

Stageloader & Armored Face Conveyor

Belt Tailpiece
p

Drive Unit For

Armored Face Conveyor
24
 Longwall face with shearer and
shield supports
 Seam thickness: 1.5
1 5-
5-7
7.0m
0m
 High performance

25
Plow mining
for thin
seams:

Seam thickness:
0.6--2.3 m
0.6

F ll automation
Full t ti

26
Shortwall Mining
g

27
 Prop and cap mining system

物理探査の概要

28
“Kakkuchi
Kakkuchi” ” (Cut & fill) mining
for steep coal seam

29
Longwall
g top
p coal cavingg ((LTCC))
method for extra-
extra-thick seam

30
Multi-slicing method for thick
Multi-
seam

31
Blasting
gallery
(BG)
method
for thick
seams
using
long
blasting
holes
32
Ring
blasting
pattern
Longwall
Long all Panel Design

 Geological conditions: faults, coal seam

 Panel
P l size:
i
Panel width; 50-
50-250 m,
Panel length; 300
300--1000m, ave
ave.. 450m
 Super panel in the USA
Panel length; over 3000m
T
Twenty-
Twenty
t -mile
il mine:
i Panel
P l length;
l th about
b t
6000m
34
Vertical stress distribution
around a longwall panel

35
Interpanel--pillar system
Interpanel

36
Stability of
the longwall
face using
shield
hi ld
supports

37
38
39
Rapid
p roadwayy drivage
g with
S-100 Roadheader

40
Material transport

41
Rockbolts

42
Roadway y drivage
g with
bolter miner

43
Dual support system with
steel supports and bolts
Roof
R f b bolt
lt
(2.4m)

Rib bolt(1.5m)

W-strap with steel mesh

Steel pipe

Fiber mesh

Standing steel support

44
Stress
conditions
in UK and
Japan coal
mines

45
Strata Behavior Monitoring
g
System

(a) Monitoring System (b) Tell

Tell--tale System
46
Accidents in underground
g
coal mines
1) Roof and rib falls
2) O
Outbursts
tb rsts of coal
coal, rock and gas
3) Spontaneous combustion
4) Coal dust explosion: frictional sparks
from machine cutting
5) Gas explosion: frictional sparks from
machine cutting
6) Mine fire
7) Water inrush and flooding 47
48
Causes
Ca ses of roof fall
 Geological conditions: weak strata,
deterioration due to water (humidity)
(humidity),
wet/dry cycle of ventilated air
 Stress conditions: magnitude and
direction,, heading
g faces,, intersections,,
mining activities
 Support systems: bolting
bolting, standing
supports (steel arches, three-
three-piece sets,
articulated supports, yielding supports, 49
etc.)
Highwall
High all mining s
systems
stems
 Transit
a s miningg sys
systems
e s from
o susurface
ace to
o
underground
 Safest underground
ndergro nd mining ssystem
stem
because of none working in underground
 Mining systems
1) Auger mining
2) Metec Miner System
3) Continuous Highwall Mining (CHM)
System: Add car system
system, Archveyor
system 50
Auger
A ger mining

51
Metec miner system
s stem

52
Add car system (CHM)

53
Archveyor
A h system
t (CHM)

54
Longwall punch mining

55
Room/Bord-and-
Room/Bord-and-pillar punch
mining

56
Environmental problems:
Acid mine drainage (AMD)
Acid drainage is low pH
water with dissolved metals
and sulphate that drains from
pyrite-rich rocks that have
been exposed to oxidation.

F S2 + O2 + H2O･･････
FeS O
Fe(OH)3 + H2SO4

57
Methane gas
emission/diffusion at ponds

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 Rehabilitation

Sedimentation pond

Recovery of a disturbed land into a stable, safe and forming a sustainable

forest ecosystem 59
60
Safet first!
Safety

Thank you
for your kind
attention!

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