Coal Lectures

Series

Andrew W. Cox
Energy Intelligence & Marketing Research,
192 Sandyford Road,
Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 1RN, United Kingdom.
Tel: 44 (0)191-261 5274
cox.andrew421@googlemail.com
Coal Lectures Series – An Introduction

Since 1995 Energy Intelligence & Marketing Research

[EIMR] has developed a wide range of teaching material on
coal-related topics.
The key themes include: coal formation; coal properties;
coal as a fuel source; coal mining technologies; the markets
for coal; coal-based electricity systems; pollution abatement
technologies; clean coal technologies; coal capture and
storage; coal-to-liquid fuels; the coal/energy sectors of
several countries [including the United Kingdom and China];
plus the international coal trade.

A shortened version of a basic teaching module is enclosed.

In addition to the powerpoint presentations - a wide range of

other supporting material is available - such as technical
notes, case studies + video/movie clips.

Dr Andrew Cox and colleagues from EIMR can provide

personal teaching and lectures to university courses - plus
companies seeking continuing professional development –
both in the UK and in other countries.

Please contact Dr Cox [cox.andrew421@googlemail.com]

for further information.
Introduction to
Coal Mining
 Coal Mining Technologies
Various mining technologies are used throughout
the world's coalfields.
The technology adopted in each mining project
should be the one which will extract the coal at
the lowest overall cost.
Mining commenced several hundred years ago by
exploiting seams that reach the surface (outcrop).
These were accessed by bell-pits or other simple
mining techniques - such as bord and pillar (or
room and pillar) extraction. Some of these
techniques are still used by local non-mechanised
miners in undeveloped coalfield areas throughout
the world.
Extracting deeper coal seams led to the
development of access by shafts and drifts -
allowing large-scale extraction and removal of coal.
Modern Underground methods currently utilise
longwall mining (either advancing or retreating
systems) or continuous mining technologies.
Sometimes other techniques may be used - such as
auger mining.
The development of ventilation technology has
also allowed coal extraction to take place at greater
depths - as well as further from a mine’s main shafts
and drifts.
The development and planning of underground and
surface mines during the last 30 years has
increasingly employed design and modelling
software.
Mining terms

Run of mine (ROM) production. This is the uncleaned

output of a mine. In many mines ROM coal must
undergo some form of washing and preparation to
become the saleable product.
ROM coal from surface mines usually has a lower
level of ash and mineral matter - and so requires less
preparation.

Panel. A block of coal in a seam that is worked by

longwall mining. A typical panel might be 1000-
2000m+ long and up to 300m wide.
The dimensions of the panel are determined by the
geological conditions in the mine – such as strata
stability.

Pillar. A block of coal left behind in a coal seam to aid

support of the overlying strata. Pillars may be needed
to prevent excessive subsidence on the ground
surface or to avoid excessive geological distortions in
the mine workings. For example - a pillar is usually left
between two panels of coal being extracted by
longwall mining.
 Drawing of Bell Pit Mining
Source:
http://www.sunnisidelocalhisto
rysociety.co.uk/

Collapse of early
mine workings

Image of pitfallen
land at Daisy Hill,
County Durham
[mid-1980s]
Longwall Mining

Longwall mining is a form of underground coal mining

where a longwall face of coal is mined in a single slice
(typically >1m thick). The longwall "panel" (the block
of coal that is being mined) is typically 1-2 km long
and 200m-300m wide.

The longwall shearer is a sophisticated machine with

a rotating cutting drum that moves mechanically back-
and-forth across the coal seam in the panel. The
broken, loosened coal is dropped on to a series of
conveyor belts for removal from the working area and
is then transported up to the surface..
Self-advancing, hydraulic face supports temporarily
hold up the roof whilst the coal is extracted. The roof
over the area behind the face, from which the coal has
been removed, is then allowed to collapse.
The supports allow for high levels of production and
safety. Many faces have a high degree of automation
– with sensors monitoring the progress of the face,
plus machine and environmental conditions.
There are two types of longwall face systems –
Advancing and Retreat.
However - longwall mining takes place where
geological conditions are relatively stable and where
there is only a small inclination of the coal seams.
 Headstock of
a deep mine –
access to
mine shaft.

Diagram of Longwall mining operations

Advancing
Longwall Faces

Face
advances
away from roadway

Main Roadways

Two parallel tunnels

are driven away from
the main roadway
and then connected
at the longwall face
to create a panel.
The face works back –
retreats - to the main
roadway.

Retreat
Longwall Faces
Underground mine plan - showing layout of roadways
and longwall panels
Longwall face, Kellingley Colliery, Yorkshire, UK
Source: Coal Authority
 Longwall face, Daw Mill Colliery, West Midlands, UK
Source: Coal Authority

Roof bolting and additional

roof support are used in
most large underground
mines
Examples of Rock Bolts – used to stabilise roofs and
walls of underground mines
 Hydraulic face supports

Self-advancing, hydraulic face supports. They move forward

as the cutting face advances.

Mine Automation
Remote control, automation and monitoring, are widely used
throughout larger coal mines. All information is fed into a
computer network system which can be monitored at the
control room on the surface. In the UK mining engineers call
this the Mine Operating System [MINOS]. These systems,
which improve efficiency and safety, already control
transport systems and monitor temperature, mine gas
concentrations and ventilation underground. Similar
systems are deployed to monitor and control a range of
mining operations at the coalface.
Continuous Miners
Continuous miners were first introduced in the late 1940s
– allowing a significant increase in speed and efficiency of
extracting coal. They now extract the majority of coal from
US underground mines - and are used in mines throughout
the world.
These machines are designed to remove coal from the
seam and to load it into shuttle cars and then conveyor
belts in a continuous process. This allows the coal to be
rapidly removed from the working area and transported to
the surface.
The continuous miner has a large rotating steel drum
equipped with tungsten carbide teeth that cut coal from
the seam.
Standard continuous miners can extract coal at a rate of
several tonnes a minute depending upon the seam
thickness. Newer, more powerful continuous miners are
highly productive and can be remotely controlled - being
designed for a variety of seam and mining conditions.
The standard working layout is a “room and pillar” system
– where the mine is divided into a series of 6-9 metre
“rooms” or work areas which are cut into the coal seam with
pillars of coal left standing to help support the roof.

Rock bolts, typically 1 to 3 metres long steel bolts, are

inserted into holes drilled into the roof at regular intervals to
bind the strata together and ensure support.
Where the geological conditions permit, the pillars are
subsequently extracted [“robbed”] - allowing very high
levels of coal extraction.
Diagram of a mine with longwall and
continuous mining system
Room and Pillar working – utilising continuous
mining systems
The front of the continuous miner [above] – which cuts
coal from the seam . The coal is carried to the back into a
shuttle car [see below] which transfers it to a conveyor
belt.
 Joy continuous miner in one of
Sasol Group’s mines, South Africa
 Auger Mining
This is a method for recovering coal by boring into
a coal seam at the base of strata exposed by
excavation.
It is normally one of the lowest-cost techniques of
mining, it is limited to horizontal or slightly pitched
seams that have been exposed.
Augering is usually associated with surface
mining, recovering coal for a limited depth beyond
the point where stripping become uneconomic
because the seam of coal lies so far beneath the
surface - or under land that can't be strip-
mined/opencasted due to environmental and
planning constraints.
An auger removes coal by drilling or cutting
horizontally into the coal seam. They are usually
either single auger or double auger mining
equipment - which can reach depths of up to 1000
ft from the initial entry point into the seam.

Some auger systems have also been developed

for extracting coal from seams in underground
mines.
 Surface Mining
Surface mining has rapidly developed during the second
half of the 20th Century as larger earthmoving equipment
has evolved.
The new technologies allow large surface mines to produce
millions of tonnes of coal per year.
Extraction depths of surface mining are dependent upon the
overburden ratio (the ratio of overburden moved to the
volume of coal recovered) and the market price obtained for
the coal - which is also dependent on the quality of the final
product.
A wide range of mining equipment is used in surface mining.

Hambach
Mine,
Germany

Large surface mining excavator – used in lignite mining. This

excavator weighs 13,400 tonnes; has a height of 96m and a crew
of 3. It can excavate 240,000 tonnes per day. It takes 2 years to
assemble the excavator on site prior to coal production.
Shotton Opencast Site, Northumberland, UK

Ffos-y-Fran surface mine, South Wales, UK