Chapter 4. Case Study of Longwall Mining in Mine No. 95, Consolidation Coal Co.

WARDERA. SHAVER
INTRODUCTION Mine No. 95 of the Consolidation Coal Co., a division of Continental Oil Co., is located in Shinnston, WV. Mine No. 95 was opened in January 1967 and has been operating continuously since that time. The mine has 544 hourly and salaried employees. In 1974 this mine was the largest coal producer in West Virginia. Operations include two longwall sections and eight Marietta Borer continuous miners. Originally there were also two Jeffrey Heliminer continuous miners, but use of these was discontinued in June 1978. Production averages 12 727 t/d (14,000 stpd). Two portals now service the mine with a third portal proposed for 1978. GEOLOGY Mining takes place in the Pittsburgh coal seam which dips 0.04 rad (2% " ) northwest. The working seam is steam coal with an average height of 2.2 m (86 in.). Immediately above the seam, the overburden is composed of 6.1 m (20 ft) of shales followed by 6.1 m (20 ft) of weak sandstone and 51.8 (170 ft) of shaley limestone. The shale weathers when exposed to moisture. Surface water has been a problem due to a fireclay floor which turns to paste when mixed with water. GENERAL DESCRIPTION The present mining plan for Consol's No. 95 mine has a proposed life of 35 to 40 years. One set of main headings has been driven in the north direction and one set in a western direction. These are the areas in which the majority of the virgin coal lies. The panels are driven off of the mains at 2134 to 3048-m (7,000 to 10,000-ft) intervals. The continuous mining sections are set up 133 x 610 m (600 x 2000 ft). Longwall sections are 259 x 1220 m (850 x 7000 f t ) . All of these mining sections are retreating uphill. Development is with continuous miners. A Marietta Borer miner is used for the main development work. These miners cut 4.1 m (13 ft 6 in.) wide and 2.1 m ( 7 ft) high, leaving an arch cut. Along with the arch, a 152.4-mm (6-in.) thick layer of roof coal is left in place to protect the roof from weathering. The combination of the self-supporting arch and the roof coal allows the entries to be driven 30.5 m (100 ft) without bolting. Full bolting, however, is carried outby the last open crosscut. This bolting is done on 1.5 x 1.5-m ( 5 x 5-ft) centers using 1.5-m (5-ft) long roof bolts with tandem anchors and 152.4-mm (6-in.) steel washer plates. When needed, crib blocks with a 50.4-mm (2411.) drill hole are used as supplemental supports. Three-hole steel channel with the ends curved downward to conform to the borer arch may also be used. In the mining sections, a 14 BU loader is used behind the Marietta miner to load two Torkar shuttle cars. These haul to Long-Airdox feeder breakers which load onto a 1.07-m (42-in.) wide conveyor belt. With the exception of the shuttle cars, which use 275-V d-c power, the face equipment operates on 550-V a-c power. The main Dower line is 7200 V ac. The same loading and hauling equipment is used with the Marietta Borer miner for driving both panel and development entries. In the retreat sections, the same equipment with the exception of the miner is utilized. Because of the advantage of a variable cutting hight, Jeffrey Heliminer ripper-type continuous miners were employed in these retreat sections. For longwall mining the first unit uses an Eickoff EDW 300-L double-drum ranging shearer. Drum diameter is 1.69 m (66 in.) with a drum rotation speed of 45 rpm. The drum is equipped with 48 Carmet 34-L-1 bits. The 300-kW (400-hp) motor operates on 1000 V. Tramming of the shearer head is done through a hydraulically driven 26-mm wide chain. Maximum cutting speed is 7.93 m/min (26 fpm), and maximum tram speed is 12.8 m/min (42 fpm) with an average cutting speed of 3.66 m/min (12 fpm). Web cutting depth is 762 mm (30 in.) and the cutting height is 2.1 3 m (7 ft). The conveyor width is 686 mm (27 in.). It uses a single chain, 26 mm thick, with flights on 0.91-m (3-ft) spacing. The face conveyor speed is 64.3 m/min (21 1 fpm) when driven by two 112-kW ( 150-hp) 1000-V Louis Allis motors through torque convertors. The roof support used is Gullick Dobson chocks [6-legged 77.3 t (85 st) per leg, 463.6 t (510 st) total capacity] with double-acting leg jacks. The hydraulic pressure for the legs is 13.8 MPa (2000 psi), and the hydraulic pressure for rams is 6.8 MPa ( 1000 psi). The yield valves are set at 57.8 MPa (8500 psi). Each chock weighs 4.09 t (4.5 st). The stage loader is an Eickoff drive, with a 68-kW (90-hp), GOO-V Reliance motor. A 26-mm thick single strand chain with flights on 0.6-m (2-ft) centers runs at 75.89 m/min (249 fpm). The stage loader is self-advancing and is connected to the belt tail piece with a special fifth wheel attachment so that the stage loader can advance and guide the tail piece. The hydraulic pressure for the roof support is supplied by two 45-kW (60-hp) Reliance motors operating on 699 V, with 1.26 L/s (20 gpm) constant volume Gullick hydraulic pumps. Each pump services alternate chocks, with the two pressure lines connected at the tailgate by 25.4-mm (I-in.) hydraulic hoses, rated at 27.21 MPa (4000 psi). The 6.8 MPa (1000 psi) pressure rams advance is supplied by a 45-kW (60-hp), 600-V Reliance motor and a 1.26-L/s (20-gpm) constant volume Gullick pump. Return lines are 35.5-mm (1.4-in.) diam hydraulic hoses with rated capacity of 27.21 MPa (4000 psi). The fluid used in the hydraulic system consists of 95% water and 5% Hy-chock fire resistant water soluble oil. Water is stored and mixed in a 6096-L (2000-gal) track-mounted tank and goes to a 655-L (180-gal) reservoir at the pump. The belt conveyor structure is 1.07 m (42 in.) wide with 0.47 rad (27") idlers, bottom stands located on 3.05-m (10-ft) centers, top stands on 1.5-m (5-ft) centers, and is supported on a 19-mm (%-in.) diam

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UNDERGROUND MINING METHODS HANDBOOK

Ventilation The mine has four Joy 225-kW (300-hp) turbine fans with variable pitch blades which exhaust 43 453 m3/min (1,531,000 cfm) water gage ranges around 178 mm (5.8 in.) of mercury. There are 35 air splits in the mine. Each return, fresh air escapeway, and belt line is on its own split of air. On continuous miner sections, 566 mVmin (20,000 cfm) is maintained on the working section. On longwalls, 78 m3/min (25,000 cfm) is maintained at the last crosscut before the headgate. Typical ventilation for a section and a longwall is shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Return airways are kept on the outside of the sections. Double returns are used, fishtailing, on normal sections. On panels used for the development of longwalls, only one return is used. Face ventilation utilizes an exhaust system with 406-mm (16-in.) tubes to keep the air within 3.05 m (10 ft) of the working face. A 356-mm (14-in.) sliding telescopic tube is used inside the 406 mm (16 in.) as the inby tube. The Joy 12-kW (15-hp) fans have a 40.5-kg (100-lb) capacity trickle rock duster attached on the exhaust bell. All miners are equipped with diffuser fans. The crosssectional area of the entries and crosscuts in the mine is approximately 30.48 m (100 ft) . Stoppings are constructed of 203 x 203 x 406-mm ( 8 x 8 x 16-in.) solid cement blocks with motored joints. Overcasts are constructed with 102 x 102-mm (4 x 4-in.) I beams on 0.762-m (2%-ft) centers, with galvanized tin in a steel channel frame. Regulators have double 762 x 762-mm (30 x 30-in.) steel sliding in groves. At present, the mine is complying with the 2 mg/m3 dust standard. On the Jeffrey 120 Heliminer sections, dust control was with 30 sprays operating at 2413 kPa (350 psi) and 109 L/min (24 gpm). Air is maintained above 118.9 m3/min (4200 cfrn), with a mean

wire rope. The tiedowns for belt line anchors are on a 152-111 (500-ft) spacing. A Goodyear 440 belt 1.07 m (42 in.) wide, 4-ply is used. The splices are Flexco #440 hinged type. Belt installation is done in 61-m (200-ft) sections. A single motor 94-kW ( 125-hp) Continental drive is used as are Remote Z frames. Belt slack is taken up during retreat with a Long Airdox belt takeup unit. It is capable of storing 82.3 m (270 ft) of belt, using 15-kW (20-hp) Long Airdox hydraulic power pack and with two pistons, 127-mm (5-in.) bore and 2.7 m (9 ft) stroke, connected to a roller carriage by a 15.9-mm (%-in.) cable with a 5 to 1 ratio pulley system. The takeup has six layers of stored belt. The total length of the takeup unit is 27.4 m (90 ft). It is mounted on rubber tires. The normal water pressure in the mine is 2.38 MPa (350 psi). For use on the longwalls, the pressure is boosted to 3.74 MPa (550 psi) through a Rota-Jet. The constant pressure pump supplies 3.8 L/s (60 gprn). Water comes into the section through 101.6-mm (4-in.) aluminum lines with victualic couples. It is distributed to the equipment through 25.4-mm ( I-in.) diam steel braid rubber hoses. On Longwall I1 the shearer, stage loader, and face conveyor are the same as for Longwall I. The roof supports, however, are Klockner Ferromatic, single-acting two-legged shields, with yield pressure set at 5.03 MPa (7400 psi). They weigh 9.54 t (10.5 st) each. Hydraulic pressure for the roof supports is supplied by a Louis Allis pump with a capability of providing 1.26 L/s (20 gpm) at 27.58 MPa (4000 psi). This unit operates both the jacklegs and the rams. The hydraulic fluid used is 98% water and 2% Hy-chock fire resistant oil. The belt line is a Continental structure and drive, similar to that of Longwall I, except that 0.61 rad (35") top belt idlers are used.

Fig. 1. Room-and-pillar mining in mine No. 95

of Consolidation Coal Co. Metric equivalents: R x 0.3048= m; cfm X

0.000 471 947 4

= m8/s.

LONGWALL MINING
Advance

Retreat

Fig. 2. Longwall mining

in mine No. 95 of Consolidation Coal Co. Metric equivalent: ft X 0.3048 = m.

air velocity of 14 m/min (46 fpm). Shuttle car roadways are maintained in a damp condition in addition to being rock dusted. In borer miner sections, dust control is with 22 sprays operating at 2413 kPa (350 psi) and 109 L/min (24 gpm). A minimum of 113 mVmin (4000 cfm) of air is used at the face with a 13.7 m/min (45 fpm) mean air velocity. On the longwall shearer, 54 sprays are operated at 3447 kPa (500 psi) and 218.2 L/min (60 gpm). The mean air velocity is 39.6 m/min (130 fpm).

Development and Production Sequence

The sequence for five-entry development and fourentry longwall developments are shown in Figs. 1 and 2. In the development of five-entry retreat sections, the belt is located in the center entry with the track and escapeways on either side of the belt and the two returns on the outside. Pillars having plan dimensions of 30.5 x 30.5 m (100 x 100 ft) are created to leave as much coal as possible for retreat. A bleeder is left on the side opposite the previous panel. The belt is installed in 61-m (200-ft) long pieces every 30.5 m (100 ft) of advance and kept as close as possible to the face to still have room to allow the two shuttle car roadways. The track is allowed to be 122 to 183 m (400 to 600 ft) from the last open breakthrough. On four-entry systems, the belt is put in the No. 4 entry which will be the headgate entry for the longwall panel. The No. 3 entry is used for track. The No. 2 entry is used as an intake escapeway and No. 1 entry

is the return airway and the future longwall tailgate entry of the next panel. The development geometry is maintained within 457.2 mm (18 in.), using slabbing where necessary. The amount of coal to be left between panels is computed by the formula: amount of coal = height of coal to be mined X the square root of the amount of cover ( c = h X D ) . At this particular mine it comes out at 76.2 m (250 ft) of coal. Pillar widths are 30.5 m (100 ft), 30.5 m (100 ft), and 15.3 m (50 ft), with the small pillar positioned near the previously mined panel to be used as a yield of pillar. This allows the two large 30.5-111 (100-ft) pillars to protect the tailgate from roof pressure and floor heave. The No. 1 entry is driven 30.5 m (100 ft) ahead followed by No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4 entries. Then from No. 4 entry, the crosscuts are driven across to No. 1 again to complete the cycle. Each of the belt lines is designed to have a maximum length of about 460 m (1500 ft). Therefore, depending upon panel length, additional units may be needed [a second belt drive on 853-m (2800-ft) panels and a second and third drive on 1219-m (4000-ft) panels]. The Long Airdox belt takeup unit is also installed in the inby belt line before starting of the longwall panel. All longwall panels are retreated in the eastward direction. The northernmost panel is the first one driven with successive panels driven in sequence to the south.

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UNDERGROUND MINING METHODS HANDBOOK

a T-2 truck with crawler tread similar to a loader. It operates off a 250-V d-c supply and is advanced once a week. The power car, pumps, and rock duster are located in the No. 3 entry. The pumps and rock duster are attached to a self-advancing (hydraulically operated) frame or mule. It is advanced as necessary. All cable and hoses from the track entry to the headgate have been divided into three groups. Each of the three production shifts is responsible for advancing one group of cables and hoses around the intermediate blocks of coal.
Coal Handling In continuous miner sections, coal is mined at a rate of 9.1 t/min (10 st per min) by the miner and dumped on the floor directly behind the miner. A following gathering arm loading machine loads a 5.4-t (6-st) capacity shuttle car at a rate of 10.9 t/min (12 st per rnin). The shuttle car hauls the coal to a feeder breaker at a tram rate of 1.8 to 3.6 t/min (2 to 4 st per min) over a distance of 61 to 183 m (200 to 600 ft). The coal is discharged from the shuttle car in 45 sec. The feeder breaker in turn loads the coal onto the belt in 1.5 min. Discharge rate onto the belt line is 3.6 t/min ( 4 st per min). The section belt line dumps coal onto a main belt which relays the coal to a rail loading point. The coal is dropped from the belt through a flop-gate directional chute into 18.2 t (20 st) Erwin mine cars at a rate of up to 18.2 t/min (20 st per min). Two Stambler hydraulic car spotters advance the empties and loads. Tail tracks have a length equal to one and onehalf times the trip size of 35 cars (with minimum length for both empty and loaded tracks being 50 cars). In the case of longwall panels, the tail tracks are being made 68 and 75 cars long. A team of two Jeffrey or General Electric 45.5-t (50-st) locomotives bring empties in through a track circle and add them to the end of the existing string of empty cars. The locomotives then go back through the empty circle to the side containing the loaded cars, cut 35 cars off of the string, and take them outside. On the longwall panels, coal is cut from the face by the shearer at a rate of 12.7 t/min (14 st per min), scraped onto the face conveyor by the cowls, and transported to the stage loader, at which point it is dumped onto the section belt. Longwall Moves The operation of recovering all equipment and setting it up in a new area usually takes five weeks. On longwall No. 2, with the shield roof support, recovery work begins 11 m (36 ft) inby the last coal to be removed, At that time, a pass is made and screen wire is placed over the shield as they are advanced. Steel wire, 14 mm (%o in.) diam, is spaced every pass from the tailgate to the headgate. On the last pass, the roof support is not advanced. The pan line is disconnected from the roof support and is advanced with hydraulic jacks. Upon completing the last pass, the exposed roof is bolted with resin bolts. The stage loader and headgate drive are removed. The track is advanced to the end of the pan line. The shearer is trammed from the pan line onto a false pan line attached to a lowboy capable of carrying the 25.5-t (28-st) shearer. Groups of three pan sections are loaded onto flat cars with a unitrack or battery-operated scoop vehicle. To accomplish this, the face must be widened suffi-

In longwall No. 1 block sizes were originally designed as 1219 m (4000 ft) long by 137 m (450 ft) wide. Presently panel lengths of 853 m (2800 ft) are being used. Face lengths may vary from 146 to 168 m (480 to 550 ft) due to locations of gas wells. To allow better panel layouts in the future, gas wells are presently being drilled out and plugged. The present longwall No. 1 face width is 133 m (600 ft). Future efforts are being directed toward developing 2 134-m (7000-ft ) panel lengths and possible 244-m (800-ft) face widths. The longer panel lengths will reduce the number of moves, each of which presently takes about five weeks. The wider face widths will increase recovery and reduce necessary development. Presently the mine is getting about 62% recovery on miner sections. Overall recovery on 137-m (450-ft) wide longwall panels 65% and on 183-m (600-ft) wide longwall panels about 70%. The wider faces will require less footage advance, less track, bolt, stoppings, etc., for an equivalent amount of tonnage. When retreating a longwall equipped with Gullick chock supports, the half-face method of cutting is used. The shearer trams light from the headgate two-thirds of the way down toward the tailgate. At that point the chocks have been advanced and the pan is tight against the face. With the tailgate drum positioned to cut the upper two-thirds of the face and the headgate drum cutting the remaining bench of coal, the shearer extends until the drums are cutting the full 762-mm (30-in.) cut. The shearer is translated along the face until the tailgate drum cuts into the tailgate entry, past the clearance line of the pan and chocks. The shearer is then backed up a distance of one and one-half times the length of the shearer. The tailgate drum is then lowered to cut the bench. The shearer again cuts toward the tailgate. The tailgate and headgate drums are then positioned to allow the cowls to roll under the drum. The tailgate drum is lowered to the bottom-cutting position and the headgate drum to the upper-cutting position. As one-third of the face is being cut at the tailgate, the pan line is pushed over, then the chocks from the headgate to the snake are lowered, advanced, and repositioned against the roof. This sequence is done until all chocks and the pan line are advanced to the snake. The shearer then trams toward the snake from the tailgate with the tailgate cowl cleaning up. Upon reaching the snake, the shearer sumps in and cuts the 762-mm (30-in.) deep cut to the headgate. While the shearer is cutting toward the headgate, the chocks and pan line on the tailgate third of the face are advanced to the cutting position. This sequence allows the chock operators to work upwind of the shearer a maximum amount of the time, which helps keep them out of the dust. The cycle on longwall No. 2 is the same as that on longwall No. 1, except that the shield roof support is advanced before the pan line. The longwall is operated 7 hr per shift (exclusive of '/2 -hr mantrip time out and ?h -hr mantrip time in), three shifts a day, five days a week. The crew consists of two shearer operators, three chock operators, one headgate operator, one mechanic, and one foreman. The stage loader is self-advancing and is moved every two to three passes of the shearer. The stage loader also advances the tailpiece. The belt take-up unit absorbs the excessive belt. The section power car is mounted on

LONGWALL MINING
ciently to allow the unitrack to pass between the face and the recovery entries and down the face area. The tailgate drive, chains, etc., are also removed. The two shields on the tailgate are then removed. Cribs serve as roof support with 101.6 x 101.6-mm (4 x 4-in.) I beams spanning the cribs. The third and fourth shields are turned facing the headgate, side by side, and are used as recovery shields for the remaining recovery operations. The fifth shield on the tailgate is then lowered and the recovery shields advanced to support the top. The fifth shield is then pulled forward toward the face, turned 1.57 rad (90") toward the headgate, and loaded onto the unitrack. The unitrack hauls the shield to a track-loading point where it is loaded onto a flat skid and transported to the new longwall face. Each shield in the face is recovered in the same manner. In the face area, the tailgate drive is placed into position and the conveyor chain extended along on the ground. Then pan lines are put on the ground and reconnected. A unitrack equipped with a set of heavy duty forks picks up the shields, carries them down the face, and sets them into place. T o allow passage of the unitrack the face area has been slabbed to a width of 5.5 m (18 ft). After all pans and shields are in place, the shearer is installed on the new face. The headgate drive is installed next, and then the stage loader and tailpiece. The recovery on both longwalls is similar. The tailgate entry is prone to problems during longwall mining, through top breakage and bottom heave. To alleviate this, two rows of supplemental cribs are installed in the tailgate entries. The required entry clearance is determined by identifying the object that will protrude into the entry the furthest. This is usually the end of the face conveyor or the end of the shield. A

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length of 457 mm (18 in.) is then added t o allow for any variation. For our longwall the crib location is just about at entry centerline. Cribs made up using timbers having dimensions of 609 x 152.4 x 152.4 mm (24 x 6 x 6 in.) are installed on 1.5-m (5-ft) centers along the entire length of the tailgate. This base row of cribs will not be removed. A second row of cribs is installed on the solid coal side of this row. Additional cribs or posts are added in the tailgate as needed. The base row of cribs and any support installed on the old panel side of these will not be removed during mining. Roof supports installed on the solid side of the base row of the cribs will be removed immediately before mining the area.
Productivity

The longwall panels are set up to accommodate the longwall, which means that the belt entry is always on one side of the panel thereby hurting haulage, there is only one split of air, and these panels are never retreated. Therefore the miner sections driving longwall development have a low production average, compared to miners on advance or retreat work. Miner units work 8-hr shifts less mantrip time, three shifts a day, five days a week. They produce 227 to 273 t (250 to 300 st) of coal per crew shift. A crew consists of seven men and a foreman. The productivity averages 36.4 t (40 st) per face man. The longwalls average around 1636 t (1800 st) per crew shift. Longwall No. 2 has averaged 2003 t (2204 st) per crew shift for a monthly period or 286 t (315 st) per face man. This same longwall broke the existing world record in January 1976 by producing 4091 t (4500 st) in 8 hr and 11 268 t (12 395 st) in 24 hr. The total productivity including all hourly and salaried men at this mine runs around 18.2 t (20 st) per man.