Abstract
SYNOPSIS Ore deposits are becoming more complex to mine as a result of the exhaustion of surface and other easily mined deposits. There is also increasing socio-political pressure to design more environmentally sound, sustainable, and safe mining practices. Wang and Ma designed a mining method for coal, similar to a modified drift and fill using a continuous miner to take sequential cuts (rooms) that are subsequently backfilled. The authors have modified the concept to make it more autonomous, safer, and less costly using highwall coal mining techniques, modified and adapted for underground applications. The method is more flexible than longwall mining and the percentage extraction would seem to be in the same range. In addition because of the backfilling, surface subsidence would not be a major issue and could be more effectively managed. Keywords: highwall mining, underground coal mining, backfilling, backfill face stability, continuous miner, safety.
Highlights
Longwall mining is currently the safest and most effective method for soft rock deposits, especially coal
Conventional longwall mining below sensitive infrastructure such as water, rail, major roads, and highrise buildings has been restricted in the past, but advances in effective backfill techniques, mainly solid backfill mining (Zhang, Miao, and Guo, 2009; Zhang, Zhou, and Huang, 2012) have resolved the subsidence issue
The maximum production rate was 260 t/h, and the highest monthly production was over 62 000 t, running 32 shifts of 10 hours each (Smith, 2020). These results clearly show the potential of the highwall mining equipment with the screw auger Addcars
Summary
Longwall mining is currently the safest and most effective method for soft rock deposits, especially coal. There is a considerable knowledge base from conventional surface highwall operations and some of the calibrated modelling for deeper underground conditions (Ma et al, 2019; Yu, Ma, and Zhang, 2020) The potential for such systems has already been established in trials of the continuous extraction continuous backfill method (CECB) developed by Ma and co-workers (Ma et al, 2019; Yu, Ma, and Zhang, 2020). The SHURM method is based on conventional highwall mining It is modified for underground use, preferably with backfill (to maximize extraction and eliminate surface problems). Compared to longwall mining (without backfilling) ➤ Selective areas can be left unmined; because of adverse geology, poor coal quality, water, or local instability’ for example ➤ Surface subsidence and groundwater interruption are greatly reduced (or eliminated) if backfill is used ➤ Less capital-intensive ➤ The same or slightly higher percentage extraction ➤ Safer, as no labour is required on the producing face.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Journal of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
