Optimizing Long Wall Mining Operation
Added on 2019-11-26
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Long Wall Mining Operation1LONG WALL MINING OPERATION by (Name)The Name of the Class (Course) Professor (Tutor) The Name of the School (University) The City and State where it is located The Date
Long Wall Mining Operation2Panel Width The panel width size determines the positioning of the head and tail entries of the miningoperation. It also determines the amount of coal that can be recovered, the type of equipment tobe used and the amount of time that will be required to properly set up the whole operation (Bise,2013). Thus, it is very integral to know what dimensions will be used as it charts the wayforward during the developmental stages. In addition, consideration should be made to ensurethat the machines can easily maneuver in the spaces left in between the panels for easyworkflow, movement and safety for the workers. In order to arrive at the optimum widthrequired for the panel, there has to be calculations done to ascertain that the chosen width willensure that the mining will be the most efficient and productive. This is putting intoconsideration the alignment of the coal seams and the variable costs of the conveyor belt and theoperational equipment whose costs are dependent on the panel width length. When the panel has fault lines and geotechnical stresses, the recovery rate decreasesconsiderably despite the panel width because there is need for sterilization along the panel widthdirectly proportional to the extent of the risk involved. This type of scenarios negates anybenefits that may have been gained by increasing the panel width. It also has to be put intoconsideration if the capital cost can be met in addition to the operational costs involved (Camp,2014). The panel width cannot be increased if the equipment available is not able to cater for thearising needs and new equipment cannot be acquired, or if when the new equipment is acquired,the revenue achieved is reduced or tends in the negative. Therefore putting into consideration allthese, the panel width that is chosen is the one that yields optimum mining results withoutexerting unnecessary strain on the whole operation economically and also using the equipmentavailable.
Long Wall Mining Operation3Efficient Extraction Of CoalThe retreat and advance longwall methods are used to mine coal efficiently. They areused depending on the equipment available and the method that the mining team sees fit for theoperation. The extraction of the coal starts from the farthest end of the coal seam along the panelwidth and proceeds towards the entry of the mine when using the retreat method unlike theadvance method that has the mining start from the main entrance and progresses towards the endof the mine (Kesler et al, 2015). Conveyors are used when mining to transport the coal that hasbeen mined to the collection points. In the advance system there has to be continuous operations on either side of the entriesin order to ensure that the gob formed when the roofs cave in are removed and the area is stillwork conducive (Bondarenko et al 2014). This is a disadvantage to the method as there is wastedmanpower and resources used to keep the channels open that would have otherwise been used todo more productive mining work. The ventilation systems of the advance method must also be inplace as the dust that accumulates on the equipment causes problems for the workers’ health andthe overall conditions of the equipment. Pillar SizeThe size of the pillar is of paramount importance in the mining process. The pillar holds up the coal seam and ensures that there are fatalities in the mines (Galvin, 2016). It also makes it possible for the workers to be safe and for the equipment to have enough room to maneuver the mining site. The strength and the size of the pillar is influenced by the strength of the coal, the thickness of the seams, the topographical composition of the roof and the floor and the duration
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