Deployment of Continuous Miner in Under Ground Coal Mine – A Case Study of Sarpi Mine.

The continuous miner technology (CMT) is being adopted extensively in underground coal mines of India as Mass Production Technology (MPT). This technology potentially eliminates the two-unit operating, namely the drilling and blasting. This elimination helps for better strata control and avoids the drillers working in unsafe conditions, maybe under the loose coal roof. This CMT improves the quality of the coal extracted and increases the output per man shift (OMS) by reducing the deployment of face crew. It also reduces the accident as it is operated by remote and workforce exposure to faces is limited. The method also helps for better roof and side control, thus preventing side and roof fall danger. With the changing time now, continuous miners of different heights are available, which helps for optimum use of technology to mine out varying insitu height of coal seam. This paper discusses the performance of the CMT in the Sarpi mine and compares the technology available globally.

Analysis of the Results from In Situ Testing of a Sensor In-Stalled on a Powered Roof Support, Developed by KOMAG, Measuring the Tip to Face Distance

Mining in underground plants is associated with high risk. Improving work safety and increasing the productivity of longwall systems in the mining industry is a problem considering many criteria. Safety aspects concern both the crew and the machinery. The KOMAG Institute of Mining Technology designed and manufactured a geometry monitoring system based on inclinometers that meet the requirements of the ATEX directive. Monitoring of the roof support geometry is used for the prevention of loss of roof stability: roof fall or/and cave-in. The system was tested on a real object in real conditions.

Stress Distribution Around Mechanized Longwall Face at Deep Mining in Quang Ninh Underground Coal Mine

Quang Ninh underground coal mines are currently in the phase of finishing up the mineralreserves located near the surface. Also, in this phase, a number of coal mines have opened and preparednew mine sites for the extraction of the reserves at greater depth. Several mines have mined at -350 mdepth and are driving opening excavations at -500 m depth below sea level. The mining at greater depthfaces many difficulties, such as a significant increase in support and excavation pressures. The longwallface pressure is mostly manifested in great magnitude that causes support overloaded and jumped andface spall/roof fall. This paper, based on the geological condition of the Seam 11 Ha Lam coal mine,uses the numerical program UDEC for studying the impact of mining depth on stress distribution aroundthe longwall face. The results show that the deeper the mining is, the greater the plastic deformationzone is. The peak front abutment stress moves closer to the coal wall, mainly concentrating on theimmediate roof and top coal. The top coal is greatly broken, and its bearing capacity is decreased. Somesolutions to the stability of roof strata are proposed, and a proper working resistance of support isdetermined. Additionally, the paper suggests that the starting depth for deep mining in Quang Ninhunderground coal mines should be -350 m below sea level.

Surrounding Rock Control Technology When the Longwall Face Crosses Abandoned Roadways: A Case Study

When a working face is crossing the abandoned roadways, problems such as roof subsidence, rock fracture, and instability will occur, resulting in widespread roof fall and rib spalling, which seriously affect safe and efficient mining on the working face. In this paper, the no. 23 coal pillar working face of Juji coal mine is taken as the engineering background, a mechanical model of crossing the abandoned roadways is constructed aimed at the problem of the working face crossing the abandoned roadway group, the collapse of the abandoned roadway roof is analyzed, a scheme of crossing the abandoned roadways is designed, and the development law of the stress and plastic zone after the reinforcement scheme is stimulated and analyzed. The results show that when the working face advances to the abandoned roadway, key block B crosses the abandoned roadway and the solid coal to form a “cross-roadway long key block.” It is calculated that the minimum support resistance required for the abandoned roadway is 6700 kN. Based on the results of numerical comparison, it is concluded that filling wood pile when the working face passes through the roof abandoned roadway and adding anchor cables for reinforcement support when the working face crosses the coal seam abandoned roadway effectively reduce the stress concentration of surrounding rocks, decrease the development of the plastic zone, and achieve safe and efficient mining when the working face crosses the abandoned roadways.

Surrounding Rock Stresses on a Working Face-End Roof under Mining Influence

The evolution process of the surrounding rock failure mechanism is studied because of spalling and roof fall accidents at the top corner of longwall top coal caving faces affected by mining and the difficulty of moving the advanced end support. Methods are proposed to improve the stability of surrounding rocks at the top corner of the end including cutting at the top corner of the end, reinforcing the anchor cable, changing the stress distribution of surrounding rocks at the top corner of the end, and transferring the stress concentration area of surrounding rocks to the deeper rock. Field observations of the surrounding rocks at the top corner of the 15107 fully mechanized caving face show that the stress value of the surrounding rocks at the corner between the roof of the return airway and the coal wall of the working face is 28.9 MPa when the surrounding rocks are in a stable state without mining. The stress value of surrounding rocks at the top corner of the end is 32.3 MPa when it is affected by mining, which results in spalling and roof fall. The surrounding rocks are in a stable state when the maximum stress of the surrounding rocks at the top corner of the reinforced anchor cable’s back-end is 26.1 MPa. The results show that cutting of the surrounding rocks at the top corner of the end and the reinforcement of the anchor cable can avoid the spalling and roof fall when the top corner of the end is affected by mining and can ensure that the end support advances and working face moves forward.

Study on the Stability Principle of Mechanical Structure of Roadway with Composite Roof

With the typical composite roof roadway and roof fall accidents in the Guizhou Province of China as the research background, the expression of damage parameters of composite roof was deduced according to Weibull statistical distribution, generalized Hooke’s law and Mises yield criterion, and the influence of shape and scale parameters of Weibull on damage characteristic was discussed. Based on the infinite slab theory, the expressions of deflection and layer separation of each layer of the composite roof were obtained, the critical load expression of each delamination was determined, and the influence of roadway width, overlying strata load, elastic modulus, shape parameters and scale parameters on the stability of composite roof was explored. The research shows that the bolt support can effectively reduce the layer separation between the composite roofs and enhance the stability of the composite roof. On this basis, it is proposed that for the surrounding rock control problem of roadways with composite roof, the active support technology with bolts as the core should be adopted.

Analysis on Influence Factors of Roadway Instability in High-Stress, Steeply Inclined Extra-Thick Coal Seam

In order to solve the problem of roadway support safety in coal mining under high stress conditions and to improve safe and efficient production in coal mines, the control countermeasures of the surrounding rock stability and the optimization scheme of support are put forward and the model and numerical simulation of roadway bolt support system are established. Based on bolt support theory and instability mechanism of the coal rock dynamic system, this paper puts forward the evaluation of support effect and the optimization parameters of bolt support, and the scheme of mine pressure monitoring and the corresponding support optimization system are established. The roof fall accident and the bolt and cable of support have been broken in the Wudong coal mine, the phenomenon of bolt pulling out in the roadway. The causes of roof fall are analyzed and the solutions are put forth, judging the influence of different factors on roadway support. In view of the roof fall accident in the North Lane of the east wing of the +575 level 43 #coal seam in the north mining area of the Wudong coal mine, the cause analysis and support suggestions are made. And, according to the performance of the bolting material and anchoring agent, the laboratory theoretical research was carried out. Through the experiment, it is concluded that the FRP bolt with a diameter not less than 27 mm is the first choice for the side support of the working face in the mining roadway, then ribbed steel bolt with a diameter not less than 20 mm for the nonworking face, and the length of the anchor rod not less than the range of the loose circle. Therefore, full-length anchoring should be carried out in roadway support, the anchorage length of the anchor cable should be increased, and the integrity of the roof should be improved, so as to reduce the amount of roadway roof separation and improve the support effect.

Progressive Damage Process and Failure Characteristics of Coal under Uniaxial Compression with Different Loading Rates

To study the effect of loading rate on the progressive damage and failure characteristics of coal, an ultrasonic detector and a camera were used to measure the P-wave velocity and record the failure process of cuboid coal samples in uniaxial compression tests with five loading rates. The mechanical properties, damage process, and failure characteristics of the samples were analysed, and the mechanism of the advancing velocity of the working face in coal failure was discussed. The results show that, as the loading rate increases, the peak strength of the sample generally shows an increasing trend, but the elastic modulus changes irregularly. The sample is more prone to local failure before the peak strength. An increase in the loading rate rapidly promotes damage in the sample and accelerates the transition from internal damage to macroscopic failure, with no obvious effect on the ratio of damage threshold to corresponding peak strength. At low loading rates, the samples mainly experienced static failure; the failure form was spalling, and the failure range was wide. At high loading rates, the samples were prone to dynamic failure in the local area, manifested as the ejection of slabs and debris. A greater loading rate produced smaller and thinner slabs and a greater ejection velocity. Properly increasing the advancing velocity of the working face is conducive to reducing spalling to prevent large-area roof fall, but it may increase the possibility of coal burst in local areas. The results of this study provide a reference for roof control and coal burst disaster prevention on the working face in deep coal mining.

Analysis and Monitoring Technology of Upper Seam Mining in Multiunderlayer Goaf

Based on the background of close coal seam mining in the Qianjiaying coal mine, Tangshan, China, the feasibility of the upper seam mining in complex underlaying goaf is analysed using the roof caving analysis and numerical method. The deformation of the mining seam and roadways is monitored and analysed by field measurement and 3D laser scanning. The deformation characteristics of #5 seam after mining 1378P, 2071P, 2072P, and 2091P working panels with a depth of 39–54 m below the #5 seam are analysed using roof caving analysis and numerical method. Results show that the maximum deformation of #5 seam in the superimposed area of the lower goafs reaches 2.5 m and the maximum deformation in the single coal goaf is 1.5 m. The maximum seam inclination is 1.9°. The subsidence of the floor of 1359P roadways is obtained by field measurement, and the result is consistent with numerical calculation. ZEB-HORIZON 3D laser scanner was used to measure and model the roadway deformation. Based on the analysis of multiple scanning data, the deformation of the 1359P roadways was obtained. Results show that the deformation of the surrounding rock of the roadway is not great, the maximum displacement of the roof fall is 30 mm, and the maximum rib convergence is 25 mm. It can be concluded that the #5 seam can be recovered in this complex underlying lower seams’ mining condition.