Kristine Georgia Y.

Po Coal Mining
BSEM – V Engr. Nathaniel D. Tiu

ACTIVITY 6
Part A.
1. Define and discuss the “Four Geographic Features” and why do you think that these features affect
the pit planning and design in a Coal Mining and does these features also affect the development
operation in a Coal Mine?
a. Rainfall - Rainfall should be considered when planning and designing a pit as heavy rain has
the ability to clog up access routes, making it difficult to stack and move in muddy
overburden ground. Heavy rainfall can also close the mines and disrupt production. Low
rainfall or drought can also affect a mine because it generates more dust, and can also affect
production if water sources are used up and is not replenished by rain.
b. Temperature – Temperature can be different in different geographical locations and it is
important in pit designing and planning. Extreme temperatures can disrupt the workflow and
production of the mine, for example very cold temperatures can affect the performance of
machines or equipment. Wheel excavators are unable to function on frozen ground. In high
temperatures, a pit plan and design should be made carefully to maintain workable
temperatures especially working with coal seams, because it may result to explosion or fires,
if not take into account.
c. Weather – The weather should be taken into consideration when planning and designing a
pit. Extreme weather conditions can inflict damage and long-term disruptions in the
operations. A mine pit and design should be considering in how to mitigate with the expected
weather conditions in order to avoid economic losses.
d. Altitude – Many mine workers can experience altitude sickness when working in high
altitudes. There is also oxygen decrease when the altitude increases so it should be considered
to protect the mine workers against these hazards. The atmospheric pressure also changes
with the increase in altitude so there should be careful planning and designing of pit especially
with its ventilation that it could supply ample oxygen and fresh air throughout the work site.

2. Enumerate the “Basic Information Required Before Designing Detailed Mining Plan” and discuss
each of this information and why is it important to consider prior to an actual mine plan.
a. Annual tonnage of coal to be shipped – A feasibility study or a detailed mining plan should
contain the expected annual tonnage of coal to be shipped in order to see if such project is
feasible, as mining is generally a business, it determines the return on investment of such
project. It is also the basis for balancing the between the capital and operating costs in order
to avoid losses and expect higher profit. If not feasible due to this factor, then a proposed
mining project might not be pushed through.
 b. Percentage of recovery of coal in the pit – It also determines the profit of the mining company
against its costs. The methods used for the extracting the coal should get high percentage of
recovery of coal that it is not cost-extensive in order to achieve higher return on investment.
If the methods chosen cannot recover a high percentage of recovery of coal, there is a
possibility that it can prevent the mine from gaining profit.
c. Preparation of plant yield if the coal is to be washed – The preparation method should also
be taken into account when designing a detailed mining plan in order to maintain the grade
of coal, therefore, not losing its value. It is the same as of above, it should maintain a grade
using efficient methods.

3. Which type of Strip-mining method do you thing is more economical and has a high recovery? And
explain that method of choice by differentiating it to the other strip-mining method.
Area stripping is the more economical and higher-recovery type of strip-mining method than the
Contour strip mining (well, it still depends on the terrain or the location of the coal or ore). Area
stripping is used when coal is near the surface and the level of the terrain is flat. It needs only few
shovels and related equipment in order to scoop out coal seams from the deposit. It is inexpensive
with high recovery because coal is very accessible. However, on the other hand, contour mining
follows the contour of the terrain and might be very expensive because it uses auger drilling after, to
achieve high recovery, bearing also a little difficulty in extracting the coal, that it has to create terraces.

4. Among the surface mining methods mentioned in the topic, which do you think is the most dangerous
and the most environmentally destructive surface coal mining method? Justify by mentioning
evidences and make sure to site your sources of that evidences.
Open Pit Mining is the most destructive type of surface mining method. It has a high visual impact
because of the pit it has created to extract the coal. It greatly destroys the surface. In order to create
the pit, huge volume of waste rocks is mined that became an environmental problem. The nature of
the pit can be flooded as its shape can be a catch basin for rain. This disturbs the production process.
The rehabilitation for this type of mining might be slow and expensive. The created pit may also
generate rockslides and surface instability. The waste rock being mined out to create a big open pit
may also cause acid-mine drainage as sulfur that may be present in the waste rocks has been unearthed
and mixed with water and air. This has happened in Redding, California that has resulting in
widespread fish kills in neighboring rivers and streams1.

1. Retrieved from: Natural Resources Council of Marine.

(2013). Open‐Pit Mines in Maine: Serious Risks to Our
Environment. NCRM.

1
Natural Resources Council of Marine 2013, Open-Pit Mines in Maine: Serious Risks to Our Environment, NCRM,
accessed 16 March 2021, <https://www.nrcm.org/documents/mining_position_paper_4pg.pdf>.
5. Discuss the “Four Major Drilling Methods” by differentiating the methods from one another and
show actual images of the drilling methods.
a. Down-The-Hole (DTH) - Down-the-hole drilling involves using compressed air to move a
hammer behind the drill bit into a drill pipe. The drill bit is struck directly by the piston, while
the drill bit is driven straight and steady by the hammer external cylinder. This allows for
much deeper percussion drilling so the effect of energy is not lost in joints. Drilling with a
DTH is more precise than drilling with a top hammer. DTH rigs dig straighter holes with less
variation, resulting in more precise blasting and fragmentation. DTH drills have been tested
to depths of more than 20 meters. Furthermore, it makes lesser noise than top hammer drills.

2. Retrieved from: Furukawa Rock Drill Usa, What is DTH Drilling,

accessed 16 March 2021, <https://frdusa.com/what-is-dth-drilling/>.

b. Top hammer (TH) - The top hammer drilling percussive force is provided by the piston of
the hydraulic drilling rig's pump and is transferred to the drill bit through shank adaptor and
drill pipe. It produces faster penetration rates than DTH while still consuming less fuel and
allowing for greater versatility and is suitable for depths of shorter distance.

3. Retrieved from: Robit, Top Hammer Drilling, Robit

Group, accessed 16 March 2021,
<https://www.robitgroup.com/products/top-hammer-
drilling/>
c. A combination of DTH and TH - DTH and TH drilling merge the TH method's speed with
the DTH method's hole straightness. The hammer is mounted on the rig, and the power is
delivered from above. While the drill pipes transmit rotation, impact rods are stacked inside
drill pipes and are only used to relay impact energy and feed force. Operators achieve the
same efficiencies and hole straightness as a DTH drill using this tool, but with considerably
less fuel consumption and a significantly higher penetration rate.

4. Retrieved from: Prime Hitech Engineering Ltd., Portable Tractor Mounted Drill Rig, PHEL, accessed 16 March 2021,
<https://www.primedrillingrigs.com/portable-tractor-mounted-drill-rig-5909311.html>.

d. Rotary - The rig must have sufficient shaft pressure and rotary torque when rotary drilling.
The bit drills and rotates on the rock at the same time, causing the rock to experience both
static and dynamic impact strain. To shatter the rock, the bits spin and grind constantly in the
bottom of the hole.

5. Retrieved from: Rock Technology Sandvik, Rotary Blasthole Drill Rigs, Sandvik AB, accessed 16 March 2021
<https://www.rocktechnology.sandvik/en/products/surface-drill-rigs/rotary-blasthole-drill-rigs/>.
 6. Enumerate and discuss the different parameters in the process of selecting shovels in surface mining
operations.
a. Technical considerations - digging forces, assembly time, weight, mobility and power should
be taken into account in selecting a shovel in order to maximize usage and efficiency.
b. Shovel operation - cab location, ergonomics, and visibility are to be considered in order to
use the shovel without fail and avoid accidents and disruptions with the workflow.
c. Geology and deposit characterization – the bench height, selective mining, drilling and
blasting requirements can dictate the type of shovel to be used as operation can go smoothly
if shovel used suits to the geological aspect of the mine site.
d. Digging and loading – such as cycle time, reach, working dimension, truck loading. The
shovels should be efficient enough to have shorter cycle times and huge capacity in order to
save time.
e. Productivity – such as availability, reliability, capacity of the shovels is important as well to
be productive and avoid lost hours in the work flow.
f. Maintenance - ease of maintenance, fueling and component replacement should be
considered as well in choosing shovels in order to save money. If the equipment is reliable
enough, then lesser costs will be used for maintenance and fuel.
g. Environmental impact - cleanliness, greenhouse gas emission and fluid disposal of the
shovels should be also a factor when deciding. Less environmental impact can help a mining
company stay within the boundary of provisions, rules and regulations, therefore, paying
huge fines or possible closure for impacting environment shouldn’t be an issue.
h. Commercial considerations - and other parameters such as capital cost, operating cost,
machine life, manufacturers, project life, resale value, support infrastructure should also be
considered in order to expect reliability and efficiency of the shovels selected.

Part B.
1. What is the stripping ratio of western coal deposit which lies 100 ft below the surface, the coal seam
is 30 ft thick, and the density of coal is 76 lb/ft3.

Conversion:
Coal Seam Thickness: 30 feet = 360 inches

Solution:
𝐷 𝑋 11.11
𝑆𝑅 =
𝑇

100 𝑋 11.11
𝑆𝑅 =
360
 80 *The formula assumes 80lb/ft3
𝑆𝑅 = 3.02 ( )
76 coal density yet in the given data,
the coal density is 76lb/ft3.

𝑺𝑹 = 𝟑. 𝟐𝟒

2. A small coal mining company has decided to recover some of its strippable reserves. Instead of large
amount of capital into the venture, the decision was made to purchase used equipment. The company
located a secondhand stripping shovel with a 25 cu-yd bucket. With this shovel, the company intends
to strip the overburden from a 4-ft coal seam that outcrops with a 2-ft cover and then extends under a
gentle hillside. The shovel will be scheduled 336 hour per month. Given the following information,
calculate the number of strips pits the company can develop and the strip ratio and monthly
production of coal in the last pit:
Bucket fill factor = 0.85
Cycle time = 50 sec
Monthly Operating Factor = 0.70
Overburden Swell = 0.30
Pit Width = 60 feet
Dumping Radius of Shovel = 100.25 ft
Highwall angle of repose = 74 degrees
Spoil angle of repose = 37 degrees
Width across the shovel’s crawlers = 38.75 ft
Coal weighs 80 lb per cu. Ft.

Solution:
Bank cubic yard per shovel
= 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑏𝑢𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑡 𝑋 𝑏𝑢𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑡 𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟
= 25 𝑋 0.85
= 21.25
Passes per hour
3600 𝑠
= ℎ𝑟
50 𝑠
𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑠

3600 𝑠 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑠
= ∙
ℎ𝑟 50 𝑠

72 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑠
=
ℎ𝑟
Bank cubic yard per hour
= 𝑏𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑐𝑢𝑏𝑖𝑐 𝑦𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑙 𝑋 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑠 𝑝𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟
= 21.25 𝑋 72
= 1530

Bank cubic yard per month (assuming there is 336 operational hours in a month)
= 𝑛𝑜. 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑎 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ 𝑋 𝑏𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑐𝑢𝑏𝑖𝑐 𝑦𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑝𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟
= 336 𝑋 1530
= 514080

Monthly Operating Factor

= 𝑏𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑐𝑢𝑏𝑖𝑐 𝑦𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑠 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ 𝑋 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑙𝑦 𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟
= 514080 𝑋 0.7
= 359856

Max Highwall Height

𝑅𝑠 = 𝑅𝑠𝑑 – (0.5𝐹𝑐)
𝑅𝑠 = 100.25 – 0.5(38.75)
𝑅𝑠 = 81

Finally,
1 𝑆𝑃 𝑊
𝑅𝑠 = {[𝐻 (1 + )] + [( ) tan 𝜃] − 𝑇}
tan 𝜃 100 4

1 50
81 = {[𝐻(1 + 0.3)] + [( ) tan 37°] − 2}
tan 37° 4
81 = 1.33 (1.3𝐻) + [12.5(0.754) − 2]
81 = 1.725 𝐻 + 7.42
73.6 = 1.725 𝐻
𝑯 = 𝟒𝟐. 𝟕 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒕
 3. In level terrain, determine the maximum height of highwall that a dragline can strip without
rehandling, using the following information:

Dumping radius of dragline = 154 ft

Tub Diameter = 36 ft
The dragline is offset = 0.75
The spoil’s angle of repose = 37 degrees
The highwall’s angle of repose = 74 degrees
The pit width = 50 ft
The coal is 4 ft thick
The percent swell = 30

Solution:
𝑅𝑑𝑑 = 𝑅𝑑 + 0.75 (𝐸𝑡)
154 = 𝑅𝑑 + 0.75 (36)
𝑅𝑑 = 127 𝑓𝑡

Dragline Equation:
𝐻 1 𝑆𝑃 𝑊
𝑅𝑑 = + {[𝐻 (1 + )] + [( ) tan 𝜃] − 𝑇}
tan 𝜃 tan 𝜃 100 4
𝐻 1 50
127 = + {[𝐻(1 + 0.3)] + [( ) tan 37°] − 4}
tan 74° tan 37° 4
𝐻 1
127 = + {1.3𝐻 + [12.5 (0.754] − 4}
3.49 0.754
127 = 0.287 𝐻 + 1.327 (1.3𝐻 + 5.42)
127 = 0.287 𝐻 + 1.7251 𝐻 + 7.19
119.81 = 2.0121 𝐻
𝑯 = 𝟓𝟗. 𝟓𝟒 𝒇𝒕

4. If the bench height (BH) is 732 in, subdrilling (SDR) is 152.4 cm, and hole inclination (α) is 12
degrees, what will be the hole depth (HD) and hole length (HL) in feet?
 Conversion:
BH: 732 in = 61 ft
SDR: 152.4 cm = 5 feet

Solution:

Hole Depth:

𝐻𝐷 = 𝐵𝐻 + 𝑆𝐷𝑅
𝐻𝐷 = 61 + 5
𝑯𝑫 = 𝟔𝟔 𝒇𝒕

Hole Length:
𝐵𝐻 + 𝑆𝐷𝑅
𝐻𝐿 =
cos 𝛼

61 + 5
𝐻𝐿 =
cos(12°)

𝑯𝑳 = 𝟔𝟕. 𝟒𝟕 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒕

5. Calculate the total blasting cost per yd3 for the following conditions: burden (B) is 180 in, spacing
(S) is 18 ft, bench height (BH) is 550 cm, number of holes (NH) in one shot is 38, and the total charge
per hole (TCH) is 272 kg of bulk emulsion.

Conversion:
TCH: 272 kg = 599.657 lbs
B: 180 in = 15 ft
BH: 550 cm = 18.0446 ft

Assumed costs and pricing not indicated in the problem yet realistically should be taken account of:
UCE (Unit cost of explosives): P 35/lb
UCD Each detonator costs: P 500 each
UCB Each Booster costs: P 150
W Lead line and tube for 38 holes: P 10000
X Cost of Blaster per hour: P 3600
Y Travel or delivery service: P 14000
Z Shot service: P 20000
 Solution:

Total amount of explosives (TAE)

= 𝑁𝐻 𝑋 𝑇𝐶𝐻
= 38 𝑋 599.657
= 22786.97 𝑙𝑏𝑠
Total cost for explosive (TCE)
= 𝑇𝐴𝐸 𝑋 𝑈𝐶𝐸
= 22786.97 𝑙𝑏𝑠 ( 𝑃 35/𝑙𝑏)
= 𝑃 797543.81

Cost of Detonators, CD (assuming one detonator per hole; NDPH = 1)

= 𝑁𝐻 𝑋 𝑁𝐷𝑃𝐻 𝑋 𝑈𝐶𝐷
= 38 𝑋 1 𝑋 𝑃 500
= 𝑃 19000

Cost of Boosters, CB (assuming one booster per hole; NBPH = 1)

= 𝑁𝐻 𝑋 𝑁𝐵𝑃𝐻 𝑋 𝑈𝐶𝐵
= 38 𝑋 1 𝑋 𝑃 150
= 𝑃 5700

Total Blasting Cost, TBC (Assuming that it needs two hours for a blaster to load 38 holes)
= 𝑇𝐶𝐸 + 𝐶𝐷 + 𝐶𝐵 + 𝑊 + 2𝑋 + 𝑌 + 𝑍
= 797543.81 + 19000 + 5700 + 10000 + 7200 + 14000 + 20000
= 𝑃 873443.81

Volume of blasted material per hole, VO

𝐵 𝑋 𝑆 𝑋 𝐵𝐻
=
27
 15 𝑋 18 𝑋 18.0446
=
27

180.446 𝑦𝑑3
=
ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒

Total volume of rock to be blasted, VOB

= 𝑉𝑂 𝑋 𝑁𝐻
180.446 𝑦𝑑3
= 𝑋 38 ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑠
ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒
= 6856.95 𝑦𝑑3

Total blasting cost per 𝑦𝑑3

𝑇𝐵𝐶
=
𝑉𝑂𝐵

𝑃 873443.81
=
6856.95 𝑦𝑑3

𝑷 𝟏𝟐𝟕. 𝟒
=
𝒚𝒅𝟑

6. Determine the peak particle velocity (PPV) for the following conditions: hole diameter (d) is 0.5 ft.,
hole length (HL) is 396 in, stemming (ST) is 96 in, density of ANFO explosive (de) is 0.88 g/cm3,
and distance to nearest structure (D) is 650 ft.

Conversions:
d: 0.5ft = 6 in
HL: 396 in = 33 feet
ST: 96 in = 8 ft
Solution:

Hole charge concentration (HCC)

= 0.34 𝑋 𝑑 2 𝑋 𝑑𝑒
= 0.34 𝑋 (6)2 𝑋 0.88
𝑙𝑏
= 10.77
𝑓𝑡

Total charge per hole, TCH or maximum height of explosive, WE

𝑇𝐶𝐻 = 𝑊𝐸
𝑇𝐶𝐻 = 𝐻𝐶𝐶 𝑋 𝐻𝐶𝐿
𝑇𝐶𝐻 = 10.77 𝑋 (𝐻𝐿 − 𝑆𝑇)
𝑇𝐶𝐻 = 10.77 (33 − 8)
𝑇𝐶𝐻 = 269.28 𝑙𝑏
Scaled Distance, SD
𝐷
𝑆𝐷 =
𝑊𝐸 0.5
650
𝑆𝐷 =
(269.28)0.5
𝑖𝑛
𝑆𝐷 = 39.61
𝑠
Peak Particle Velocity (PPV)
𝑘
𝑃𝑃𝑉 =
𝑆𝐷1.6
160
𝑃𝑃𝑉 =
(39.61)1.6

𝑷𝑷𝑽 = 𝟎. 𝟒𝟒 𝒊𝒏/𝒔