Abstract
Purpose. Analysis of modern trends in the development of technologies for underground mining of thin coal seams in order to identify common features and trends that allow understanding the place of Ukrainian coal enterprises and the world context. Methods. The work uses the method of engineering analysis, synthesis and generalization of information from various literary sources. Findings. More than 70% of Ukrainian coal is located in seams with a thickness of 0.7-1.2 m. Coal mining in such seams is associated with limited working space, which restrains the intensification of coal mining in the traditional way. The gradual reduction of global coal reserves in thick and medium seams leads to a change in the focus of the development of underground coal mining strategies to seams with an average thinkness of 0.8-1.3 m m, which becomes key in the strategic plans for the production of various coal basins. At the same time, the general trend is unmanned mining methods with a focus on unmanned mining. Already traditional small-body equipment for extracting coal with manual control is being replaced by intelligent mining systems. The modern intelligent system of mechanized mining of thin coal seams includes an electro-hydraulic control system of the longwall support, an automatic coal cutting system and a video surveillance system for the shearer and an integrated fluid supply system and a remote centralized control system. The elements of this system are analyzed in detail in the paper. Originality consists in establishing the general trend of the evolution of the technology of underground mining of thin coal seams by fully mechanized face. Practical implication. Research results can be used in the selection and justification of technological schemes of longwal mining, strategic and operational planning of the development of coal enterprises that extract thin coal seams.
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