Project 2.5.4 - Low Seam Mining - Phase 1 · The major OEM equipment suppliers of low seam mining equipment were contacted (JOY, CAT, Eickhoff, Sandvik and Famur) and their products

COALTECH RESEARCH ASSOCIATION NPC

Project 2.5.4 (Phase 1)

Desktop study on low seam (1.8m to 1.5m) and ultra-low seam (1.5m to 1.0m) coal mining practices in South Africa and

internationally.

by

Freddie Hunter

January 2015

© Copyright COALTECH

This document is for the use of COALTECH only, and may not be transmitted to any other party, in whole or in part, in any form without the written permission of COALTECH.

January 2015 Desk top study for low seam and ultra‐low seam Freddie Hunter – Freelance researcher

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COALTECH RESEARCH ASSOCIATION

Executive summary

The major OEM equipment suppliers of low seam mining equipment were contacted (JOY, CAT, Eickhoff, Sandvik and Famur) and their products are discussed for inclusion in the report.

Locally contractor miners are the major role players in low seam mining:

1. STA Mining at Kangra West Colliery, two low seam continuous miner sections operating with scoops / and / or shuttle cars in a coal seam of 1.8m to 1.6m. The production target per shift is 45m. (800 tonne / shift / section)

2. Khethekile mining operating two conventional drill and blast sections at Uitkomst Colliery in a coal seam height 1.5m to 1.3m. A JOY coal cutter, hand held coal drills, battery scoops and a low seam KBC roof bolter and Jack hammers are the production equipment. Roof brushing is done in the travelling / belt road. An average of twenty faces per shift per section are blasted. ( 625 tone / section / shift)

3. Mgesi mining in Vryheid operating one scraper section with three double drum winches in a coal seam height of 0.75m. An average of 5 000 tonne per month is produced with 200 employees.

Two owner operators doing low seam mining were visited:

1. Continental Coal at Penumbra Colliery operating three sections, two continuous miner sections with shuttle cars and one conventional drill and blast section using a mechanical loader, a coal cutter, hand held coal drills and shuttle cars, operating in a seam height of 1.8m to 2.1m. The production target per shift for conventional mining is 12 faces (519 tonne), the production target per shift per continuous miner is 30m (598 tonne)

2. Zululand Anthracite Colliery (ZAC) operating one conventional drill and blast section using hand drills and battery scoops. The mining height is 1.34m to 1.15m. Blasting is done out of the solid. Floor brushing is done in the tractor road. The production target per shift is 10 faces (256 tonne)

Low seam mining operators, and JOY and CAT equipment suppliers were contacted in the United States of America with the referral of mining consultant Chuck Marcroft of PMR mining consultants. The feedback obtained from the USA is as follows:

1. Chris Hopple – General Manager Gibson County North and South (Alliance Mining). Four to five super sections operating in 1.5m mining height produce 1 million short ton or 910 000 metric tonne per annum per section.

2. Billy Kirkpatrick – JOYGLOBAL district manager Midwest. In a mining height of 1.8m super continuous miner section with battery haulers advance 121m per shift. (Two CM’s in the section, one CM operates at a time.) A super continuous miner section with split ventilation will advance between 150m to 180m per shift. (Two CM’s operate simultaneously in one section. A long wall operating in a mining height of 1.9m averages 22 000 to 33 000 short tons or 19 800 to 29 700 metric tonnes per day.

3. Terry Hudson – Assistant Chief of Maintenance at Sunrise Coal. A single continuous miner section with coal haulers or shuttle cars, averages 1 200 short ton or 1 080 metric tonne per shift in a mining height of 1.5m to 1.8m.


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4. Jack Nolen – Account Manager CAT Western Region. Production from a continuous miner section in 1.5m mining height ranges from 1 500 to 3 000 short ton or 1 350 to 2 700 metric tonne per shift. River View Coal mining at 1.5m to 1.8m mining height operate nine split air super sections (Two CM’s operate simultaneously per section) and produce 62 000 to 65 000 short tons or 55 800 to 58 500 metric tonnes per day. Cliff Resources operate a coal plow and produce 2.5 million to 2.8 million short tons or 2.25 million to 2.52 million metric tonnes per year.

5. An interview with Tom McClain from Liberty Mining Consultants reported that 900 000 metric tonnes produced from a single continuous miner section mining bord and pillar in thirteen months at a mining height of 1.5m is benchmark.

Feedback from Tim Hobson – Aquila Project Director Angloamerican Australia. The mining height at Aquila was 1.65m to 2.2m and the average tonne per shift achieved from a single continuous miner section was 786 tonne per shift. The mine is presently on care and maintenance and future plans are to convert the mine to a long wall mine.

This report is Phase one for low and ultra-low seam coal mining, and it covers in-section equipment and mining.

Phase two of the low seam and ultra-low seam coal mining practice will cover the out-bye logistics that are employed to enable the mines to achieve and sustain the high production rates locally and internationally.

A two week visit is planned to the United States of America to investigate bench mark operations at two or three operations to observe and understand the logistics and out-bye practice for low seam and ultra-low seam coal seam mining.


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INDEX Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 8

1 Joyglobal .......................................................................................................................................... 9

1.1 Low seam long wall system...................................................................................................... 9

1.2 JOY low seam continuous miners .................................................................................... 13

1.3 JOY low seam shuttle cars .................................................................................................. 14

1.4 Fletcher low seam roof bolter ............................................................................................ 15

1.5 JOY coal haulers ................................................................................................................... 16

1.6 JOY chain haulage ................................................................................................................ 17

1.7 JOY flexible conveyor train ................................................................................................ 18

2 Caterpillar ....................................................................................................................................... 19

2.1 Caterpillar plow ...................................................................................................................... 19

2.2 Feedback from Caterpillar on low seam coal mining below 1.5m: .......................... 23

2.3 Caterpillar low seam continuous miners ........................................................................ 29

2.4 Caterpillar scoops ................................................................................................................. 30

2.5 Caterpillar haulers ................................................................................................................. 33

2.6 Caterpillar low seam roof bolters ...................................................................................... 35

2.7 Caterpillar continuous haulage ......................................................................................... 36

3 Eickhoff continuous miners ....................................................................................................... 38

3.1 Eickhoff low seam continuous miners ............................................................................ 39

4 Sandvik low seam continuous miner ...................................................................................... 40

5 Famur ultra-low seam long wall ................................................................................................ 41

6 Local mining contractors who specialise in low seam mining ........................................ 44

7 Mines visited .................................................................................................................................. 45

7.1 Kangra West Shaft ................................................................................................................ 45

7.2 Penumbra Colliery (Continental Coal) ............................................................................. 46

7.3 Uitkomst Colliery ................................................................................................................... 51

7.4 Zululand Anthracite Colliery ............................................................................................... 53

7.5 Johann van der Colff – Mgesi Mining .............................................................................. 55

8 International low seam and ultra-low seam practice ........................................................... 57


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8.1 Feedback from Chris Hopple – General Manager Gibson County North and South (Alliance Mining) .............................................................................................................. 57

8.2 Feedback from Billy Kirkpatrick –JOYGLOGAL district manager Midwest ........... 58

8.3 Feedback from Terry Hudson - Assistant chief of maintenance Sunrise Coal ..... 58

8.4 Feedback from Jack Nolen – Account Manager Western Region ............................ 58

8.5 Feedback from Liberty Mining Consultants – Tom McClain President – Avery Bailey and George Lambert (Project Managers) .................................................................. 59

8.6 Feedback from Tim Hobson (Aquila Project Director-AngloAmerican Australia) 59

9 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 60

Table 1: JOY low seam shuttle car options .................................................................................... 14 Table 2: JOY low seam hauler options ........................................................................................... 16 Table 3: Caterpillar plow types ......................................................................................................... 21 Table 4: Low seam bord and pillar productivity comparison ....................................................... 61 Table 5: Low seam long wall plow productivity comparison ........................................................ 61 Table 6: Low seam continuous haulage productivity comparison .............................................. 61 Table 7: Analysis of local and international practice to determine production gap for low and ultra-low seams ................................................................................................................................... 62

Figure 1: Virtual view of JOY pantechnicon in main gate .............................................................. 9 Figure 2: Virtual view of JOY long wall infrastructure at main gate intersection and shield support ................................................................................................................................................... 9 Figure 3: Virtual view of JOY ROC position relative to AFC and Shield support. .................... 10 Figure 4: Virtual view indicating facilities available in ROC ......................................................... 10

Figure 5: Virtual view of JOY AFC ................................................................................................... 11

Figure 6: Virtual view of the low seam JOY shearer ..................................................................... 11 Figure 7: Comparison of energy consumption between shearer and plow long wall systems .............................................................................................................................................................. 12

Figure 8: Virtual image of a long wall plow ..................................................................................... 12

Figure 9: JOY 14CM series .............................................................................................................. 13 Figure 10: JOY 14CM operating height specifications ................................................................. 14 Figure 11: Low seam JOY shuttle car ............................................................................................. 14 Figure 12: Fletcher Roof Ranger 11 ................................................................................................ 15 Figure 13: Fletcher RR-11 operating in low seam workings ........................................................ 15 Figure 14: JOY coal hauler ............................................................................................................... 16 Figure 15: JOY chain haulage .......................................................................................................... 17 Figure 16: JOY flexible conveyor train ............................................................................................ 18 Figure 17: Caterpillar Long wall coal plow ...................................................................................... 19

Figure 18: View along Caterpillar long wall coal plow face .......................................................... 20 Figure 19: Caterpillar ultra-low seam shields, afc, and plow layout in workshop and virtual display .................................................................................................................................................. 20


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Figure 20: Plan view of Caterpillar long wall face indicating support shield layout for incremental plow method .................................................................................................................. 21 Figure 21: Virtual view of Caterpillar long wall plow indicating shield base positions during incremental plowing ........................................................................................................................... 22 Figure 22: Virtual view of Caterpillar long wall plow face indicating stage loader transfer station relative to shield support ...................................................................................................... 22 Figure 23: Virtual view of Caterpillar long wall main gate AFC main gate drive section ......... 23 Figure 24: Front face view of Caterpillar coal plow indicating plow design and plow pick layout .................................................................................................................................................... 24 Figure 25: Caterpillar high wall miner launch station .................................................................... 25 Figure 26: Virtual view of Caterpillar high wall miner and mobile launch station ..................... 26 Figure 27: Front view of Caterpillar high wall miner and push beams that enter the underground workings ....................................................................................................................... 26 Figure 28: Close up view of Caterpillar high wall mobile launch station indicating the position of the high wall miner where the mining cycle is initiated ............................................................ 27 Figure 29: Caterpillar high wall miner mobile launch station in position relative to the high wall ........................................................................................................................................................ 27 Figure 30: Caterpillar high wall miner mobile launch station operating within a box cut ......... 29 Figure 31: Caterpillar low seam continuous miners indicating the operating height specifications .... 29

Figure 32: Detail of major components and technical features available for new Caterpillar continuous miners .............................................................................................................................. 30 Figure 33: Front LHS and RHS view 0f the CAT SU488 L scoop .............................................. 30 Figure 34: CAT Scoop in low seam underground workings ........................................................ 31 Figure 35: Plan view and side view of scoop for clarification of general data and dimensions of CAT SU488 L scoop ...................................................................................................................... 31 Figure 36: Rear RHS side view of Caterpillar coal hauler ........................................................... 33 Figure 37: Plan view and side view of hauler for clarification of general data and dimensions of CAT FH 110 hauler ........................................................................................................................ 34 Figure 38: Caterpillar RB120 low seam roof bolter ....................................................................... 35 Figure 39: Front view of CAT RB120 .............................................................................................. 35 Figure 40: Caterpillar RB220 roof bolter ......................................................................................... 35 Figure 41: 3D plan view of panel layout indicating continuous miner and chain haulage relative to section conveyor belt ....................................................................................................... 36 Figure 42: Caterpillar mobile bridge carrier .................................................................................... 37 Figure 43: Caterpillar chain haulage operating height specifications ......................................... 37 Figure 44: Eickhoff low seam continuous miners indicating operating height specifications . 39 Figure 45: Sandvik MC350 low seam continuous miner .............................................................. 40 Figure 46: Famur ultra-low seam long wall system ...................................................................... 41

Figure 47: Virtual view of Famur ultra-low seam long wall system indicating minimum operating parameters ......................................................................................................................... 41 Figure 48: Action view of the Famur ultra-low seam long wall system ...................................... 42

Figure 49: Operational conditions in the Famur ultra-low seam long wall face ........................ 42 Figure 50: Virtual view of the Famur ultra-low seam equipment layout ..................................... 43 Figure 51: Locality plan indicating Kangra Main shaft and West shaft ...................................... 45 Figure 52: Regional plan indicating Penumbra Colliery position ................................................ 46 Figure 53: Locality plan indicating access road and box cut access into Penumbra Colliery 47


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Figure 54: Hand held auger drill (“Shinain”) currently used in the low seam drill and blast coal mining operations ............................................................................................................................... 48 Figure 55: Coal drill bits and double scroll auger used with hand held coal drill ...................... 48 Figure 56: JOY 14BU 10 loader used in the drill and blast section at Penumbra Colliery ...... 49 Figure 57: JOY 10RU coal cutter in use at Penumbra Colliery and at Uitkomst Colliery ........ 50 Figure 58: Regional plan indicating Uitkomst Colliery .................................................................. 51 Figure 59: High wall view of Uitkomst Colliery box cut mine entry ............................................. 52 Figure 60: Regional plan indicating the position of ZAC .............................................................. 53

Figure 61: Ejector trailer .................................................................................................................... 54 Figure 62: Battery scoop ................................................................................................................... 54 Figure 63: Panel layout for a scraper section ................................................................................ 55 Figure 64: Scraper design ................................................................................................................. 56 Figure 65: Round the corner pulley ................................................................................................. 56


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Introduction Coaltech was requested by the industry to conduct a desktop study on low seam (1.8m to 1.5m) and ultra-low seam (1.5m to 1.0m) current coal mining practice in South Africa and internationally.

The study consists of two phases:

Phase one is to establish current mining methods and equipment

Phase two is to describe the logistics required for low seam and ultra-low seam coal mining

This report is for phase one of the low seam and ultra-low seam desktop study. The methodology followed to compile this report was to contact all the local major Continuous Miner OEM’s and to establish from them what the current equipment deployment is within South Africa. Some of our major roof support consumable supplier representatives were contacted to indicate where local low seam and ultra-low seam coal mining operations are being practiced.

In order to establish the status of low seam and ultra-low seam coal mining in the international arena, two American mining consulting companies were approached to supply OEM representatives and mine operators who have first-hand experience of low seam operations. Some expatriate geotechnical engineers working in Australia were contacted to supply contact persons for Australian information of low seam and ultra-low seam for inclusion in the research study.


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1 Joyglobal

1.1 Low seam long wall system The low seam long wall system with a remote operating centre is a state of art development to enable high production, high productivity in a seam height of 1.3m

Figure 1: Virtual view of JOY pantechnicon in main gate

Figure 2: Virtual view of JOY long wall infrastructure at main gate intersection and shield support


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Figure 3: Virtual view of JOY ROC position relative to AFC and Shield support.

Figure 4: Virtual view indicating facilities available in ROC


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Figure 5: Virtual view of JOY AFC

Figure 6: Virtual view of the low seam JOY shearer


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Figure 7: Comparison of energy consumption between shearer and plow long wall systems

Figure 8: Virtual image of a long wall plow


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1.2 JOY low seam continuous miners

Figure 9: JOY 14CM series

General data and dimensions of the JOY 14CM27 Continuous Miner

Total weight 67.3 tonne

Machine height 1.12m

Ground clearance 200mm to 300mm

Total installed power@1 000v, 60Hz 620kW to 695kW

Cutting width 3.5m

Drum diameter 1.0m to 1.12m

Minimum cutting height 1.12m

Maximum cutting height 3.4m

Cutter motor installed power 2 × 185kW to 200kW

Loading device Spinners

Loading capacity 17 – 36tpm

Conveyor width 965mm

Tram speed low / intermediate / high 4.6 / 13.7 / 19.8 m/min

Max tram speed 26m/min

Ground pressure 20.7N/cm2


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Figure 10: JOY 14CM operating height specifications

1.3 JOY low seam shuttle cars

Figure 11: Low seam JOY shuttle car

Table 1: JOY low seam shuttle car options

Model Minimum seam height Rated load capacity

21SC04 1.2m 8 tonne

10SC32AA 1.3m 11 tonne

10SC32A 1.5m 11 tonne

10SC32AB 1.6m 14 tonne

10SC32B 1.9m 14 tonne


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1.4 Fletcher low seam roof bolter

Figure 12: Fletcher Roof Ranger 11

The operating height of the Fletcher RR-11 is 25in (635mm) to 45in (1 143mm)

Figure 13: Fletcher RR-11 operating in low seam workings


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1.5 JOY coal haulers

Figure 14: JOY coal hauler

Table 2: JOY low seam hauler options

Model Minimum seam height Rated load capacity

BH‐10 1.0m to 1.5m 11.4 tonne

BH‐18 1.37m to 1.98m 16.4 tonne


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1.6 JOY chain haulage

Figure 15: JOY chain haulage


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1.7 JOY flexible conveyor train

Figure 16: JOY flexible conveyor train


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2 Caterpillar

2.1 Caterpillar plow

Figure 17: Caterpillar Long wall coal plow


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Figure 18: View along Caterpillar long wall coal plow face

Figure 19: Caterpillar ultra-low seam shields, afc, and plow layout in workshop and virtual display


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Table 3: Caterpillar plow types

Plow systems Base‐plate plow RHH800

Gliding plow GH800

Gliding plow GH1600

Plow body height 0.6m to 1.6m 0.9m to 2.0m 1.0m to 2.3m

Typical cutting height 0.8m to 1.6m 1.0m to 2.0m 1.1m to 2.3m

Coal hardness Soft to hard coal Soft to hard coal Medium to extremely hard coal

Max. seam inclination Up to 60° Up to 60° Up to 60°

Max. installed power 2 × 400KW 2 × 400KW 2 × 800KW

Max. plow speed 2.5m/s 3.0m/s 3.6m/s

Max. cutting depth 150mm 180mm 250mm

Figure 20: Plan view of Caterpillar long wall face indicating support shield layout for incremental plow method


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Figure 21: Virtual view of Caterpillar long wall plow indicating shield base positions during incremental plowing

Figure 22: Virtual view of Caterpillar long wall plow face indicating stage loader transfer station relative to shield support


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Figure 23: Virtual view of Caterpillar long wall main gate AFC main gate drive section

2.2 Feedback from Caterpillar on low seam coal mining below 1.5m:

1. What technology & equipment is available to mine u/g coal lower than 1.5m (<1.5m)? Regarding plow technology CAT hast two gliding plow systems for heights below 1.5 m i.e.: GH800 and GH1600

2. Production is a function of mining height, however: What production rates is typically achieved per mining method vs height? High performance long walls like Bogdanka and Pinnacle reach some 10,000 t/d run-of-mine from 1.35 to 1.6 m faces. The peak performance: Bogdanka

3. What is minimum mineable height equipment can achieve?

The lowest working height for GH800 is 0.85 m and for GH1600 ca. 1.0 m.

4. What automated technology is available to assist with low-seam mining?

The contemporary high tech plow systems can operate in fully automated mode. It means the running sequence of the plow/AFC operation as well as movement of


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shield support can be programmed from a control room located either underground or on the surface and thereafter run automatically.

5. What technology (automation and equipment) is in development to assist with low-seam mining?

An automatic recognition of the boundary layer between the floor and coal seam is currently a subject to research work.

6. Please provide a list of mines (mine names, contact, etc.) which can be approached for future visits.

A. Lubelski Wegiel “Bogdanka” S.A. – 21-013 Puchaczow, Poland, Mine Director Slawomir Karlikowski, Phone +48 81 4625 510 email: [email protected]

B. Cliffs Natural Resources, Pinnacle Mine, Pineville WV 24874, USA, Long wall Superintendent Curt Taylor Phone +1 304 732 53 30, email: [email protected]

C. RAG Anthrazit Ibbenbüren GmbH, 49477 Ibbenbüren, Germany, Mine Director Heinz-Werner Voss, Phone +49 5451 512 200, email: [email protected]

Figure 24: Front face view of Caterpillar coal plow indicating plow design and plow pick layout


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2.2 Caterpillar high wall mining system

Figure 25: Caterpillar high wall miner launch station


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Figure 26: Virtual view of Caterpillar high wall miner and mobile launch station

Figure 27: Front view of Caterpillar high wall miner and push beams that enter the underground workings


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Figure 28: Close up view of Caterpillar high wall mobile launch station indicating the position of the high wall miner where the mining cycle is initiated

Figure 29: Caterpillar high wall miner mobile launch station in position relative to the high wall


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Figure 30: Caterpillar high wall miner mobile launch station operating within a box cut

2.3 Caterpillar low seam continuous miners

Figure 31: Caterpillar low seam continuous miners indicating the operating height specifications


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Figure 32: Detail of major components and technical features available for new Caterpillar continuous miners

2.4 Caterpillar scoops

Figure 33: Front LHS and RHS view 0f the CAT SU488 L scoop


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Figure 34: CAT Scoop in low seam underground workings

Figure 35: Plan view and side view of scoop for clarification of general data and dimensions of CAT SU488 L scoop


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General data and dimensions for CAT SU488L Scoop

Metric Imperial

1 Overall length with bucket 8 760mm 28ft 9in

2 Overall width

At bucket 2 920mm 9ft 7in

At 533mm (21in) extended deck 3 175mm 10ft 5in

3 Wheel base 3 710mm 12ft 2in

4 Battery height from ground with 64‐SS55‐21 battery

28×15‐15 tyres 710mm 2ft 4in

32×15‐15 tyres 760mm 2ft 6in

4 Battery height from ground with 64‐SS85‐21 battery

32×15‐15 tyres 860mm 2ft 10in

35×15‐15 tyres 910mm 3ft 0in

5 Ground clearance (no axle spacers)

28×15‐15 tyres 200mm 8in

32×15‐15 tyres 240mm 9.5in

35×15‐15 tyres 280mm 11in

6 Minimum canopy height

28×15‐15 tyres 1 120mm 44in

32×15‐15 tyres 1 155mm 45.5in

35×15‐15 tyres 1 190mm 47in

7 Main frame height

28×15‐15 tyres 710mm 28in

32×15‐15 tyres 760mm 30in

35×15‐15 tyres 800mm 31.5in

8 Overall width of headlight covers 2 743mm 9ft

9 Overall width of battery 2 438mm 8ft

10 Clearance of headlight cover to outside of operator cab

391mm 15in

11 Clearance of bucket to outside of operator cab

254mm 10in

12 Bottom of frame to top of frame 508mm 1ft 8in

13 Bottom of frame to top of bucket 533mm 1ft 9in

Inside turn radius 3 660mm 12ft 0in

Outside turn radius 7 315mm 24ft 0in

Steering articulation ‐ total 80° 80°


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2.5 Caterpillar haulers

Figure 36: Rear RHS side view of Caterpillar coal hauler


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Figure 37: Plan view and side view of hauler for clarification of general data and dimensions of CAT FH 110 hauler

General data and dimensions for the CAT FH 110 Hauler (all dimensions approximate)

Metric value Imperial value

Payload capacity 9 tonne 10 ton

1 Operating height 1 066mm to 1 524mm 42in to 60in

2 Frame height 914mm to 990mm 36in to 39in

3 Overall length 11 850mm 38ft 11in

4 Width – extended deck 3395mm 11ft 2in

5 Trailer 3302mm 10ft 8in

6 Ground clearance – with 35” tyres 194mm 8in

7 Minimum canopy height ‐ with 35” tyres 1092mm 43in

8 Trailer height ‐ with 35” tyres at top of false bottom 954mm 38in

9 Trailer frame height ‐ with 35” tyres 914mm 36in

10 Inside turning radius 3.60m 11ft 10in

11 Outside turning radius 7.51m 24ft 8in

12 Minimum entry width 4.62m 15ft 2in


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2.6 Caterpillar low seam roof bolters

Figure 38: Caterpillar RB120 low seam roof bolter

Figure 39: Front view of CAT RB120

The operating height for the Caterpillar RB120 is 800mm

Figure 40: Caterpillar RB220 roof bolter

The operating height for the Caterpillar RB220 is 813mm


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2.7 Caterpillar continuous haulage

Figure 41: 3D plan view of panel layout indicating continuous miner and chain haulage relative to section conveyor belt


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Figure 42: Caterpillar mobile bridge carrier

Figure 43: Caterpillar chain haulage operating height specifications


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3 Eickhoff continuous miners


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3.1 Eickhoff low seam continuous miners

Figure 44: Eickhoff low seam continuous miners indicating operating height specifications


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4 Sandvik low seam continuous miner

Figure 45: Sandvik MC350 low seam continuous miner

General data and dimensions of the Sandvik MC350 Continuous Miner

Total length 10.88m

Total weight 60 tonne

Machine height 1.03m

Width across chassis 3.24m

Ground clearance 220mm

Total installed power@1 000v, 60Hz 648kW

Cutting width 3.5m

Drum diameter 1.01

Minimum cutting height 1.168m

Maximum cutting height 3.1m

Cuttable UCS Up to 40Mpa

Cutter motor installed power 2 × 175kW

Loading device Spinners

Loading capacity 10 – 30tpm

Loading width 3.3m

Conveyor width 960mm

Tram speed low / intermediate / high 4.6 / 12 / 20 m/min

Max tram speed 25m/min

Ground pressure 26N/cm2


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5 Famur ultra-low seam long wall

Figure 46: Famur ultra-low seam long wall system

Figure 47: Virtual view of Famur ultra-low seam long wall system indicating minimum operating parameters


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Figure 48: Action view of the Famur ultra-low seam long wall system

Figure 49: Operational conditions in the Famur ultra-low seam long wall face


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Figure 50: Virtual view of the Famur ultra-low seam equipment layout


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6 Local mining contractors who specialise in low seam mining Schalk van Zyl of STA Mining does low seam coal contract mining for Kangra and Buffalo Mining. Bord and pillar mining is done with continuous miners and shuttle cars or battery scoops. Joy shuttle cars are employed in mining heights greater than 1.75m, and battery scoops are used to convey the coal in mining heights less than 1.75m. The Sandvik MC 350 and the Eickhoff CM2H-30 continuous miners are utilised by STA Mining. The in-section equipment is: battery scoops or shuttle cars, the CM and low profile Rham roof bolters. The coal is tipped directly onto a low profile conveyor belt tail end.

Chris Le Roux of Khethekile Mining does low seam coal contract mining for Panafrica. Bord and pillar mining methods are done, utilising conventional drill and blast. The mining height achieved on the day of the visit was 1.34m. The in-section equipment is: hand held electric coal auger drills (“Shinian drills”), JOY10RU coal cutter, three S&S battery scoops, one low profile Rham single boom roof bolter, and an Africa Wide feeder breaker.

Johann van der Colff of Asambeni Mining does low seam coal contract mining for Keaton Coal. The mining method is bord and pillar, utilising scrapers and winches in a 0.7m mining height. The in-section equipment is “Shinain coal drills”, a belly crawl coal cutter, a Fairchild 0.6m high roof bolter, three double drum winches with scrapers, and two chinamin boxes.


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7 Mines visited

7.1 Kangra West Shaft

Figure 51: Locality plan indicating Kangra Main shaft and West shaft

Kangra mine is situated ± 55km from Piet Retief. The access road is along the road leading toward the Heyshope Dam.

A site visit to section 6 was arranged by Sandvik. STA Mining is the mining contractor for Kangra Coal in the low seam area. Bord and pillar mining is done with a Sandvik MC350 continuous miner and JOY shuttle cars and Phillips battery scoops. The section was in the transition process of changing over from shuttle cars to battery scoops. The mining height at the continuous miner was 1.64m and the floor in the splits was inclined at ± 3°, and the shuttle car that attempted to tram from the split and turn into the road where the CM was mining got its canopy stuck against the roof of the excavation. This was the practical situation that explained why STA mining utilises shuttle cars in mining heights greater than 1.75m and with battery scoops in areas less than 1.75m.

The section has a low profile conveyor tail end and the scoops and shuttle cars tip directly onto the section conveyor belt. A snub pulley is incorporated in the tail end to allow the low profile. No feeder breaker is used as the CM drum diameter is 1.01m and the mining height is 1.6m to 1.75m and no big coal lumps arise during the mining process.

The standard roof support utilised in the section is: 3 × 0.9m M16 roof bolts per row. The rows of bolts are 1.5m apart.

The section production call is 45m per shift.

The tonnage call is 1.75m (high) × 6.5m (wide) × 1.55 (specific gravity) × 45m (required advance / shift) = 793 tonne / shift


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= 31 720 tonne / month (20 days @ 2 shifts)

7.2 Penumbra Colliery (Continental Coal)

Figure 52: Regional plan indicating Penumbra Colliery position

Penumbra Colliery is situated directly next to Ermelo on the Amersfoort road N11 the first turn off to the left hand side after crossing the railway bridge.


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Figure 53: Locality plan indicating access road and box cut access into Penumbra Colliery

Visited Penumbra Colliery and was afforded the opportunity to observe all three of the operating sections. The mine has three sections utilising the bord and pillar mining method in a seam height of 1.8m to 2.1m. Two sections are equipped with 1 × JOY 14CM15 continuous miner, 3 × JOY 10 SC 32 AB shuttle cars, 1 × Rham roof bolter, 1 × Buffalo feeder breaker. The third section was equipped with conventional drill and blast equipment. 1 × JOY 10 RU coal cutter, 1 × JOY 14 BU loader, 3 × JOY 10 SC 32 AB shuttle cars, and 2 × hand held coal auger drills (“Shinain”)

The production target per CM section is: 30m advance × 6.5m wide × 1.95m high × 1.55 specific gravity = 589 tonne / shift

Tonne / month: 589 tonne × 2 shifts / day × 20 days = 23 560 tonne

Production target for the drill and blast section is: 12 faces per shift × 2.2m advance × 6.5m wide × 1.95m high × 1.55 specific gravity = 519 tonne / shift



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Figure 54: Hand held auger drill (“Shinain”) currently used in the low seam drill and blast coal mining operations

Figure 55: Coal drill bits and double scroll auger used with hand held coal drill


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Figure 56: JOY 14BU 10 loader used in the drill and blast section at Penumbra Colliery


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Figure 57: JOY 10RU coal cutter in use at Penumbra Colliery and at Uitkomst Colliery


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7.3 Uitkomst Colliery

Figure 58: Regional plan indicating Uitkomst Colliery

Uitkomst Colliery is situated between New Castle and Utrecht. Travel on the N11 between Newcastle and Volksrust and take the turn off to Utrecht (route R34). Uitkomst Colliery has a signboard ± 19 km from the junction of N11 and R34.

The mine is operated by Chris Le Roux the director of Khethekile Mining (contractor miner) for Shanduka Coal who are changing ownership to Panafrica mining. The mine comprises two conventional drill and blast sections mining bord and pillar development at a mining height of 1.5m to 1.3m. On the day I visited the section a mining height of 1.34m was observed. The 7m wide conveyor belt road and the travelling road are the same road in the centre of all the development panels and the mining height of 1.8m is established by brushing the roof concurrent to the initial mining of the coal in that roadway. The conveyor is constructed on the right hand side of the roadway in the direction of advance. Change out cubbies are provided along the travelling route at regular intervals to enable the change out between traffic in and out of the mine.

The in-section equipment consists of 1 × JOY 10 RU coal cutter, 3 × S&S battery scoops (refurbished by Africa Wide), 2 × hand held coal auger drills (Shinain coal drills), 1 × Jack


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Hammer drill, 1 × air compressor, and 1 × Africa Wide feeder breaker, and 1 × KBC roof bolter.



Figure 59: High wall view of Uitkomst Colliery box cut mine entry


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7.4 Zululand Anthracite Colliery

Figure 60: Regional plan indicating the position of ZAC

The mine is situated ± 45km north-east of Ulundi. The section visited was operating at a mining height of 1.34m. The mining height varied between 1.34m to 1.15m. A series of stone rolls were observed that crossed the section at an interval of ± 30m with a direction semi-parallel to the direction of the splits. The mining height in the general mining area was 1.34m and at the stone roll mining heights of 1.2m and 1.15m were observed.

The roof support installed is: 3 × 0.9m M16 forged head bolts (stud bolts) @ 1.5m intervals between rows.

Bord and pillar mining is the method utilised. The travelling road is floor brushed to create a travelling way 1.8m high. The floor brushing lags behind the section and is done by a construction team. The belt road is in the centre of the panel and is constructed in the practical seam height achieved.

The in-section equipment consists of 3 × battery scoops, 2 × hand held coal auger drills (Shinain coal drills), 1 × Jack Hammer drill, 1 × air compressor, and 1 × Africa Wide feeder breaker, and 1 × Rham roof bolter. Blasting is done out of the solid.




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In the past mining at 1.0m mining height was done with a continuous miner and tractor trailer haulers (TT haulers). The TT haulers are battery scoops that are fitted with an ejector trailer (the vehicle has two pivot points). To achieve this ultra-low profile the standard wheels are replaced with double wheels with a reduced diameter.

Figure 61: Ejector trailer

Figure 62: Battery scoop


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7.5 Johann van der Colff – Mgesi Mining An interview was held with Johann van der Colff (Director of Mgesi Mining) in Vryheid. Johann has been mining ultra-low seam scraper mining for the past 15 years. Mgesi Mining does contractor mining for Keaton Mining.

The scraper mining is done at a mining height of 0.75m, and bord and pillar mining method is employed. The in-section equipment used is 3 × double drum winches, 3 × scrapers, 1 × belly crawl coal cutter, 2 × Shinain coal drills, and 1 × Fairchild roof bolter (0.6m high). The mine operates a 900 mm conveyor belt.

The production:

1 500 tonne to 1 700 tonne per month / winch

The norm is 5 000 tonne per month for the three winches (± 125 tonne per shift)

200 employees are required to achieve the above production

Figure 63: Panel layout for a scraper section


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Figure 64: Scraper design

Figure 65: Round the corner pulley


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8 International low seam and ultra-low seam practice Chuck Marcroft the vice president of PMR engineering and mining services was contacted to forward contact persons in the United States of America with expertise that could be contacted for the desk top study of the low seam and ultra-low seam coal mining.

The following persons were referred by Chuck:

Keith Alley – CAT Room and pillar all mining heights Jack Nolen – CAT Sales representative in Mid-West serving several mines with low

seam conditions Billy Kirkpatrick – JOY Global Midwest district manager Chris Hopple – General Manager of Gibson County North and South mines –

Alliance Mining Terry Hudson – Assistant Maintenance Chief – Sunrise Coal

An interview was held with Tom McClain – President of Liberty Mining Consultants of Kentucky United States of America and two of his project managers:

Avery Bailey – Project Manager Liberty Mining Consultants George Lambert - Project Manager Liberty Mining Consultants

Dr Ismet Canbulat (Principal Geotechnical Engineer AngloAmerican Australia) was contacted to request Australian information regarding low seam and ultra-low seam practice. He referred me to Tim Hobson (Aquila Project Director-AngloAmerican Australia)

8.1 Feedback from Chris Hopple – General Manager Gibson County North and South (Alliance Mining) The room and pillar mining is the method used to produce coal in a seam height of 1.5m and 150mm floor and roof is mined. 65% product yield is achieved in this scenario. In 1.8m mining height a product yield of 70% to 75% is achieved when no roof and floor cutting is done. The in-section equipment used is: 2 × JOY 14CM15 continuous miners, 4 × shuttle cars, 2 × Twin boom Fletcher roof bolters, 2 × battery scoops, and 1 × Feeder breaker.

In a mining height of 1.5m four to five super sections are used to produce 1 million tonne per annum per section.


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8.2 Feedback from Billy Kirkpatrick –JOYGLOGAL district manager Midwest In a mining height of 1.8m operating in a super section utilising battery haulers the average advance per shift is 121m.

The shift systems used are:

2 × 9.5hr shifts / day with a 4hr maintenance window (preferred shift system) 3 × 8hr shifts / day with a maintenance shift per week

Production output in low seam long wall mining in a mining height of 1.9m is 22 000 tonne to 33 000 tonne per day. The width of the long wall is 420m. The length of the long wall panel will vary between 4 200m to 6 000m.

Super sections having 10 to 14 roads have split air ventilation systems. Two power centres are available in the section. 2 × CM’s, 6 × battery haulers, 1 × battery transporter, 2 × battery scoops, 2 to 3 roof bolters depending on the roof support requirements. Advance per shift is 150m to 180m. Personnel requirement for one section is 18 to 21.

Flexible trail conveyor is operated in a 1.7m mining height and a record advance of 317m per shift was achieved. Personnel requirement per section is 9.

8.3 Feedback from Terry Hudson - Assistant chief of maintenance Sunrise Coal A single miner section operating on a single split of air can be expected to produce approximately 1200 tons per shift in a seam height between 1.5m to 1.8m. This is with the crew doing a hot seat change out at the working section, the workers would normally work approximately 9hrs per day. Normally the mine would work 2 production shifts per day 5 days a week. The 3rd shift (night) would be a maintenance shift and support work, such as rock dusting, belt moves, power moves and any other work that would interfere with production. Annual production could be expected to be approximately 600 000 tonnes to 750 000 tonnes depending on number of days worked. Many mines in the states work every other Saturday and there are usually 7 or more holidays per year. The equipment normally used would be a JOY continuous miner, 4 Battery operated coal haulers, or three to four shuttle cars, a double boom roof bolter, a battery powered scoop, a feeder, power centre and water pump. This is the basic room and pillar mining method.

Production can be increased by adding another miner, more haulage equipment, another roof bolter and another scoop. This arrangement is referred to as a single split of air walk thru super section.

Production can be increased again by splitting the air to the section to where both mining machines can be cutting coal at the same time.

8.4 Feedback from Jack Nolen – Account Manager Western Region Production at 1.5m and less ranges from 1 500 tons to 3 000 tons per unit shift depending on conditions and several other factors.

They typically run 2 shifts per day and have one maintenance shift per day. Most operations “hot seat” at the face whereas the production crew will continue to run coal until the next shift arrives to relieve them, so basically the machines run pretty much non-stop for


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16-18 hours per day. Nearly everybody right now is running coal 5 days per week and will typically run coal 20 to 22 days per month.

Production in some of our local operations in the Illinois basin average about 3 500 tons to 4 000 tons per unit shift using standard haulage vehicles (shuttle cars & battery haulers). The largest producing room and pillar mine (River View Coal) in the US is in the Illinois basin and they currently operate 9 split air super sections utilizing shuttle cars and battery haulage. Their seam height will run between 1.5m to 1.8m and they will run somewhere between 62 000 tons to 65 000 tons per day. Their total tonnage for 2013 topped 14 million and they will be close to about 14.5 million tons for 2014.

To my knowledge, Cliffs Resources currently has the only plow system operating in the US at their Pinnacle mine in West Virginia. The mine also operates a couple of continuous miners to make panels for the plow system and they total tonnage for a year the Pinnacle mine will range from 2.5 million to 2.8 million tons per year.

8.5 Feedback from Liberty Mining Consultants – Tom McClain President – Avery Bailey and George Lambert (Project Managers) In mining heights less than 36in (900mm) chain haulage is the method to convey the coal away from the continuous miner. When mining conditions have undulating and incompetent floor conditions a flexible conveyor train is not advisable. Shuttle cars below 1.0m mining height is impractical.

In 1.5m mining height a benchmark production target for bord and pillar development is 1 million short tons or 900 000 metric tonnes produced in 13 months. 69 231t/month, 1 731t/shift. The shift system utilized was a two production shifts per day with a preparation shift × 5 days per week.

The in-section equipment used to produce the benchmark tonnage was:

1 × Continuous Miner 1 × Twin boom roof bolter 3 × Shuttle Cars 2 × battery scoops – sweeping and transporting supplies

The labour compliment utilised to achieve the benchmark production was 40 persons.

8.6 Feedback from Tim Hobson (Aquila Project Director-AngloAmerican Australia) Aquila Mine is based on a seam height ranging between 1.65m to 2.2m. The workings are relatively shallow: 50m > 110m. The mine started operations in 2005, and in July 2013 the operation was placed under Care & Maintenance. All workings are over (long wall) subsided ground – the depth of inter-burden is 110m. To date, subsidence has not had a detrimental effect on productivity. The first panel was aimed at better understanding the mining environment and therefore the extraction method was limited to first workings, nine-heading bord and pillar. Based on the geotechnical success of the first panel a more ‘aggressive’ design was adopted, still based on multi-heading bord and pillar, but with limited partial extraction based


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on punching remnant pillars on the retreat. The above design was enhanced over successive panels. The ultimate design was based on a more aggressive partial extraction design based around 12m unsupported cut-outs. Although this had its moments of success it was not consistent. (Over-mining the subsided ground had a negative effect on the stress distribution that ultimately limited depth of cut to an unprofitable, typical maximum of 6.0m). Consequently it was decided to focus on primary development only in preparation for future potential long wall extraction. Cut & Flit was the selected mining method: generally nine-headings, 6.5m wide with roadways on 18m centres. The number of headings was limited by the length of the shuttle car cable which was limited by the size of the cable realer that was restricted by the mining height. Panel equipment consisted of a modified low seam place-change continuous miner, two shuttle cars and a mobile Fletcher outboard bolter. Shift system adopted: 2 x 10 hour shifts per day; 6 days per week; 7 day, 4 panel roster. Labour compliment: Supervisor, Miner Driver, Cable-handler, Mobile-bolter x 2, shuttle cars x 2, Roustabout (General worker) x 1, Fitter x 1, Electrician x 1. Production achieved with bord and pillar mining: 2012 developed 19 219m and produced 368 877 tonnes – 30 740t/month – 786t/shift 2013 developed 11 930m in six months and produced 233 693 tonnes –

38 949t/month – 811t/shift Best 6-month rolling average 2 358m / calendar month producing monthly average

42 107 ROM tonnes Best month was 3 136 m producing 58 416 ROM tonnes Best week was 709m – 59m/shift = 1 099t/shift Best shift was 110m = 2 049t/shift

9 Conclusion There is no new revolutionary low seam and ultra-low seam mining practices that are used to mine these reserves. The difference in productivity between South Africa and internationally is the fact that low seam mining locally has been neglected in the past and internationally this mining has been developed and refined continuously.

Low seam and ultra-low seam practice is done in South Africa predominantly by mining contractors for large mining companies, and this is achieved by using new and old mining equipment. Local production rates are low when comparing them with the international production rates of low seam mining sections. Internationally low seam and ultra-low mining is conducted by the mining companies and they implement the latest technology. Production rates are world class and are bench mark for best practice.


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Table 4: Low seam bord and pillar productivity comparison

Low seam bord and pillar production

comparison

Country Mine Name Mining height Tonne/shift Shifts/week Tonne/month Type of section

Australia Aquila 1.65m to 2.2m 877 2 × 10hr × 6 42107 Single CM

USA

Illinois Basin 1.5m to 1.8m 1 350 to 2 700 2 × 8 ‐ 9hr × 5 54 000 to 108 000 Single CM

River View Coal

1.5m to 1.8m 3 150 to 3 600 2 × 8 ‐ 9hr × 5 126 000 to 144 000 Double CM (Super Section)

Sunrise Coal 1.5m to 1.8m 1 080 to 1 407 2 × 8 ‐ 9hr × 5 43 200 to 56 280 Single CM

Gibson County 1.75m to 1.8m 1912 2 × 9.5hr × 5 76 480 Double CM (Super Section)

RSA

Kangra West 1.6m to 1.8m 800 2 × 9.5hr × 5 32 000 Single CM

Penumbra Colliery

1.8m to 2.1m 589 2 × 9.5hr × 5 23 560 Single CM

1.8m to 2.1m 519 2 × 9.5hr × 5 20 750 Conventional D & B

Uitkomst Colliery

1.3m to 1.5m 625 2 × 9.5hr × 5 25 000 Conventional D & B

(1.34m)

ZAC 1.3m to 1.5m 250 2 × 9.5hr × 5 10 000 Conventional D&B (1.1 ‐

1.34m)

Vryheid 0.7m 125 2 × 9.5hr × 5 5 000 Scraper mining

Table 5: Low seam long wall plow productivity comparison

Low seam long wall production comparison

Country Mine Name Mining height Tonne/day Shifts/week Tonne/month Type of section

Poland Bogdanka 1.35m to 1.6m 10 000 3 × 8hr × 6 240 000 Long wall plow

USA Pinnacle 1.35m to 1.6m 7 353 to 8 235 3 × 8hr × 6 188 136 Long wall plow

Table 6: Low seam continuous haulage productivity comparison

Low seam continuous haulage production comparison

Country Mine Name Mining height Metre/shift Cut out distance Tonne/shift Haulage type

USA Highland 1.7m 185m to 230m 12m 2 925 to 3636 FCT

Highland 1.7m 317m (record) 12m 5429 FCT


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Table 7: Analysis of local and international practice to determine production gap for low and ultra-low seams

Similarities Differences

Bord and pillar mining methods Battery scoops are utility equipment in all sections internationally. Locally battery scoops are utilised as primary production equipment for hauling coal

Two production shifts per day is the preferred system. The third shift is a preparation shift to maintain and advance services

Battery haulers are common prime production equipment and battery transporters are used to replace batteries to minimise replacement time

Shuttle cars are prime production equipment Super sections are normal practice – Super section single split of air (1 CM operational at a time) / Split air (2 CM’s operate simultaneously)

Single CM sections to produce production coal Two to three roof bolters per CM is a normal practice depending on roof support requirement

Internationally conventional drill and blast is not practiced for coal production

Limited long wall plow systems practiced

Chain haulage and FCT haulage is common practice

Documents

Project 2.5.4 - Low Seam Mining - Phase 1 · The major OEM equipment suppliers of low seam mining equipment were contacted (JOY, CAT, Eickhoff, Sandvik and Famur) and their products