Location

Rolla, Missouri

Session Dates

11 Jun 1999 - 17 Jun 1999

Keywords and Phrases

Coal; Thin-seam; Ventilation; Panel Layout

Abstract

The extraction of coal from thin-seams is an important component of the future of coal mining in the commonwealth of Virginia. For thin-seam mining systems to be successful they must be able to provide production comparable to the current production methods in thicker seams. This necessitates the extensive use of remote mining technology. Regardless of The level of automation of the remote systems, efficient ventilation remains of paramount importance. This paper investigates several thin-seam mine panel schemes and possible variations in the ventilation systems. The primary approach made, however, is one of a pair of parallel panels mined simultaneously. A pair of face belts feed coal onto a common district belt. Ventilation is affected by means of a flow-through system. A cut of air is made to ventilate the mining machine and face. The face air being returned to the exhaust stream from the district. Problems associated with face ventilation in an extended remote cut are addressed and possible solutions presented. At the district level, ventilation considerations are addressed concerning the use of bleeder and bleederless schemes. Some special mention is made related to the potential application of backfilling the thin-seam entries following mining.

Department(s)

Mining Engineering

Meeting Name

8th U.S. Mine Ventilation Symposium

Publisher

University of Missouri--Rolla

Document Version

Final Version

Document Type

Article - Conference proceedings

File Type

text

Language

English

Share

 
COinS
 
Jun 11th, 12:00 AM Jun 17th, 12:00 AM

Ventilation System Design for a Thin-Seam Mining Panel

Rolla, Missouri

The extraction of coal from thin-seams is an important component of the future of coal mining in the commonwealth of Virginia. For thin-seam mining systems to be successful they must be able to provide production comparable to the current production methods in thicker seams. This necessitates the extensive use of remote mining technology. Regardless of The level of automation of the remote systems, efficient ventilation remains of paramount importance. This paper investigates several thin-seam mine panel schemes and possible variations in the ventilation systems. The primary approach made, however, is one of a pair of parallel panels mined simultaneously. A pair of face belts feed coal onto a common district belt. Ventilation is affected by means of a flow-through system. A cut of air is made to ventilate the mining machine and face. The face air being returned to the exhaust stream from the district. Problems associated with face ventilation in an extended remote cut are addressed and possible solutions presented. At the district level, ventilation considerations are addressed concerning the use of bleeder and bleederless schemes. Some special mention is made related to the potential application of backfilling the thin-seam entries following mining.