Kuzbass Mines Research Articles

The association between plasma ceramides and the main cardiovascular risk factors in coal mining industry workers

Aim: To assess the relationship between serum ceramides and the main cardiovascular (CVD) risk factors in coal mining industry workers. Material and methods: The single-center study included 209 Kuzbass mining industry workers aged 39.0 (34.0; 45.0) years. The median length of service in underground mining was 14.0 (10.0; 16.0) years. The traditional cardiovascular risk factors were evaluated and the ceramide content Cer (d18:1) with a fatty acid residue with a different length of the hydrocarbon chain was analyzed. Results: The results revealed high rates of smoking (73.2 %), arterial hypertension (AH) (63.3 %), alcohol consumption (54.1 %), dyslipidemia (64.6 %) and obesity (24.9 %) in coal industry workers. Hypercholesterolemia (60.3 %) and elevated levels of lowdensity lipoproteins (LDL-С) (34.5 %) were the most common variant of dyslipidemia. Moreover, we detected low levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDL-С) (23.9 %) and hypertriglyceridemia (23 %) in coal industry workers with the same frequency. Respondents over 40 years of age showed worse clinical profile compared to younger participants due to a higher number of cases with hypertension, higher systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure, plasma cholesterol (TC). In addition, older respondents presented with hyperglycemia 2 times more often and with hypercholesterolemia 1.4 times more often compared to younger respondents. Taking into account the age of participants, comparative analysis of ceramides did not reveal any statistically significant differences. The length of service in the industry was characterized by a higher age of the respondents, a higher frequency of hypertension, as well as higher values of DBP and concentration of TC. There were no differences in the frequency of dyslipidemia and its variants. The content of Cer (d18:1/21:0) increased with length of service, and the content of Cer(d18:1/24:0) had an inverse relationship and decreased with increasing length of service in underground mining. Thus, the levels of Cer(d18:1/12:0) and Cer(d18:1/22:0) were associated with a high risk of obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, hypercholesterolemia, low HDL, high LDL, and hypertriglyceridemia. The maximum number of ceramides studied was associated with the risk of developing high LDL levels. Conclusions. Findings showed high frequency of traditional CVD risk factors such as AH, smoking, alcohol consumption, dyslipidemia and obesity in coal industry workers. The concentration of the studied ceramides did not depend on the age of workers. Longer length of service in the coal industry was associated with an increase in plasma concentrations of ceramides such as Cer(d18:1/14:0), Cer(d18:1/18:0), Cer(d18:1/20:0), Cer d18:1/21:0, and a decrease in Cer(d18:1/24:0). Cer (d18:1/24:0) was not associated with any of the parameters characterizing lipid metabolism disorders. Cer(d18:1/12:0) and Cer(d18:1/22:0) levels were associated with a high risk of obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, hypercholesterolemia, low HDL-С, high LDL-С and hypertriglyceridemia.

On the reclamation of land disturbed by mining in Kuzbass using applied geophysical technologies

The experience in reclamation of disturbed lands in Kuzbass is summarized. The demand for studying the spatial distribution of soil composition and water content in soil at the technical stage of land reclamation is shown. Currently, there is a need to develop new methods for the reclamation of disturbed lands, aimed at ensuring further development of depleted areas. The goal of research is to develop a method for reclamation of lands disturbed by mining operations in Kuzbass, based on the use of applied geophysical technologies by the example of the Taldinsky coal mine. The proposed method is based on the zoning of the mined-out area proceeding from the results of applied shallow geophysical survey on the state of soils and their water content, which provides a new level of information interaction between the technical and biological stages of reclamation. The practical use of this method is to expand the possibilities of reclamation of disturbed lands for the development of rational environmental management.

Обоснование параметров поэтапного анкерного крепления для повышения скорости проходки выемочных выработок на угольных шахтах

Introduction. This article substantiates the prospect of introducing the staged bolting support for roadways in Russian mines in order to increase the rate of preparatory operations. Purpose. Justification of a staged bolting support scheme in order to accelerate roadway development to insure timely preparation of new long wall panels. Methods. The development of a staged roadway support method for mining gently inclined flat-lying coal seams is presented. In the initial phase of bolting support, the reduced number of bolts are installed, which are necessary to support the roadway during its construction. In the subsequent stage, with a certain delay from the face of the roadway, but prior to the initiation of long wall advancement, the full complement of bolts is installed to ensure the stability of the roadway throughout its operational lifespan. Results of numerical studies. Numerical studies allowed to estimate the distribution of stresses in the plane of the formation and the zone of limit state formed in the ribs of the roadway, both at the first stage of support, outside the long wall affected zone, and after the end of the second stage in the long wall affected zone. Based on the results of these studies, the necessity of ribs support of the roadway at the first stage of support are shown. Results of industrial research. A comparative analysis of the work cycle employed at one of the Kuzbass mines with the work cycle utilizing staged bolting support demonstrates that the rate of roadway development can be accelerated by up to 25 % in comparison with the conventional support scheme. Discussion. 1. The proposed staged bolting support scheme is recommended for the development of gently inclined flat-lying coal seams, as it will facilitate intensive underground coal mining. 2. The finite element method can be employed to successfully estimate the limit state zones forming and developing in the ribs of a roadway at different stages of its lifespan. 3. A comparative analysis of work cycles applied at one of the Kuzbass mines and the proposed patented staged support scheme revealed that the implementation of staged bolting support can potentially enhance the rate of roadway development by 25 %. Conclusion. 1. The article outlines the importance of timely preparation of long wall panels in leading coal-mining countries and presents a rationale for the introduction of staged bolting support of roadways at coal mines in Russia. 2. The method of staged roadway support, as developed and described in the article, represents a promising approach for the preparation of long wall panels in the conditions typical of Kuzbass mines. 3. In order to provide further details on the parameters of staged bolting support a physical simulation of the roadway stability be conducted.

Оценка трещиноватости отрабатываемого горного массива на основе аэрофотосъемки и методов машинного зрения

The task to assess rock mass jointing are currently usually solved in manual mode, which requires high qualification of the specialists and considerable time expenditures. Automation of such tasks is important in terms of reducing the time of image processing and obtaining additional information on the geomechanical state of the rock mass. The article discusses the possibilities of using computer vision and artificial intelligence technologies to assess jointing of the rock mass. For this purpose, aerial photography data obtained using unmanned aerial vehicles are used. The images are processed with the software developed by the authors, which performs tracing of the joints based on a neural network of a dedicated architecture. The results of processing aerial photography data are presented using the cases of coal strip mines in Kuzbass and open-pit mines of the Kola Peninsula. The use of neural network in processing of the aerial survey data of the rock masses has shown the promising potential of the method. After processing the data of tracing the jointing fields, it becomes possible to monitor the behavior of the rock mass by using the visualization tools for additional fields of characteristics, which allow to assess the nature of changes occurring under anthropogenic loads. The developed algorithms make it possible to significantly accelerate the processes of aerial survey data processing to assess the structural disturbance of the rock mass.

Оценка и мониторинг способа оперативного многоступенчатого разупрочнения труднообрушаемой кровли методом направленного гидроразрыва

This Based on assessing the current state of rock pressure manifestation in the mining face and development workings, a technique was proposed for multi-stage control of poorly caving roof using directional hydraulic fracturing, which is widely used in the mines of Kuzbass. Longwall face 43K10-V in the Saranskaya mine of ArcelorMittal Temirtau Coal Department was used as an example to discuss a complex approach to addressing the challenges of high stresses within the coal seam, squeezing and guttering up at the stoping face. Application of the technique for rapid multi-stage weakening of poorly caving roof from inside the mining face made it possible to implement the measures and avoid downtime of the mining face. Monitoring of the implemented measures by recording changes in the stress-and-strain state of the rock mass at the test site has demonstrated the efficiency of the applied technology.

Моделирование и управление параметрами поточных технологий с локальным гидротранспортом и обезвоживанием угля на основе анализа структуры проходческого цикла

Introduction. The article discusses the issues of modeling various variants of flow line tunneling technologies based on an analysis of the structure of the tunneling cycle. Materials and methods. As research methods, the authors used: analysis of the structures of the tunneling cycle of continuous mining technologies, mathematical modeling of processes and operations, and industrial testing of options for implementing the proposed technological tunneling systems. Results. The results obtained during the implementation of the economic and mathematical model for the variant of the flow technology presented above showed that the following parameters of the technological scheme are optimal: technical productivity of the combine – 1.1 m3/min; process water consumption – 200 m3/h; number of drilling rigs – 2; the number of miner units is 6. The speed of development with these parameters of the flow technological scheme will be 880 m3/month, the labor productivity of miners is 14.8 m3/person during the work shift. Conclusion. The article summarizes the results of research on the development, justification of parameters and implementation of various options for in-line technologies for carrying out inclined workings with a hydraulic slope for various purposes for a wide range of conditions of their application. Resume. Implementation of the model proposed by the authors made it possible to determine the primary area of application of the considered version of the flow technology for carrying out preparatory workings in relation to the mining and geological conditions of the Kuzbass mines. Variants of the considered technological schemes for carrying out workings were implemented during the mining of reserves of the Anzherskaya-Yuzhnaya-3 mine, during the underground mining of reserves of the Listvyansky and Kedrovsky open-pit mines located in the Kemerovo region of the Russian Federation and the implementation of a project for the combined mining of a graphite deposit in middle Vietnam.Suggestions for practical application and direction for future research. The materials of the article may be useful for scientific and design organizations, coal mining enterprises in modeling and implementing precision mining technologies.

Kuzbass: Change of Development Paradigm and Structural Transformation

The article deals with the problem of structural transformation of the economy of the Kemerovo region – Kuzbass in the context of adaptation of this coal mining area to new conditions. The export-oriented coal industry as the core of the Kuzbass economy has recently become a challenge to sustainable development region. The reason is, first of all, the change in the priorities of state energy policies in many countries of the world: now the goals of decarbonization and statements about the rejection of fossil fuels for environmental reasons are paradoxically combined with the need for states to solve the tasks of ensuring their own energy security against the background of the deglobalization of the world economy. All this creates uncertainty about the future of coal and forces Kuzbass to look for new ways of development. But over the past twenty years, attempts to reduce dependence on the coal industry have not bring the desired result. The reason, according to the authors of the article, is, among other things, the region’s lack of a clear structural policy. To date, a whole range of challenges and threats has formed around and within Russia, which radically change the principles of development of Kuzbass in terms of openness to external markets for raw materials, capital, equipment and innovations, prospects for cooperation and creation of value chains, thereby creating prerequisites for destabilizing the economic systems of the Kemerovo region. The authors of the article consider three scenarios for the development of coal mining in Kuzbass and, in order to solve the above problems, they propose to focus on the use of two basic tools for the structural transformation of its economy: restructuring of coal industry and diversification with the predominant development of new economy sectors.

Assessment and management of injury risk of personnel in case of rock failures in coal mines in Kuzbass

Assessment and management of injury risk of personnel in case of rock failures in coal mines in Kuzbass

РАЗВИТИЕ И СОСТОЯНИЕ ПРИМЕНЯЕМЫХ ВИДОВ ТЕХНОЛОГИИ ВЕДЕНИЯ ГОРНЫХ РАБОТ И СИСТЕМ РАЗРАБОТКИ НА РАЗРЕЗАХ КУЗБАССА

A retrospective analysis of the development, state and types of open-pit mining technology and systems for the development of coal mines in Kuzbass has been carried out. It is shown that during the mining of deposits, the open spaces left on the sections after the completion of mining operations from the workings and the mountains of external dumps are prone to erosive manifestations and change for the worse the relief of the earth's surface and the state of the air environment of the territory that has developed in natural conditions. At the same time, the absence of a systematic approach to the restoration of the lands disturbed by open mining operations at the coal mines of the basins, as well as a system for the complete development of all layers of the coal formation on the cut working horizons determines the need to reduce the areas of the disturbed surfaces of the cut field by open mining and reduce the withdrawal of land areas for external rock dumps.

Optimization of parameters of semi-hard overburden excavation by power shovels in open pit mines in Kuzbass

Optimization of parameters of semi-hard overburden excavation by power shovels in open pit mines in Kuzbass

Study of geodynamic risks of large-scale mining in Kuzbass

Study of geodynamic risks of large-scale mining in Kuzbass

Анализ производственного травматизма и профессиональной заболеваемости на предприятиях угольной отрасли Кузбасса

The level of occupational risks, to which employees of coal enterprises are exposed, is significantly higher than in other branches of industry. Therefore, one of the main tasks of the coal complex development is the prevention of occupational diseases and injury rate based on risk assessment and analysis. The article gives a brief description of the coal industry — in the Kemerovo region. The information is given about the production capacity of enterprises and the volume of coal production in the region. It is established that the high levels of occupational injuries and diseases are explained by the impact on employees of the number of harmful and hazardous factors of the production environment and the labor process. At the same time, 80% of occupational diseases in Kuzbass occur at the coal mining enterprises. Statistical information is presented on the identified cases of occupational diseases at the mines and open pits of the Kemerovo region — Kuzbass in 2021. Possible causes of the high accident rate, including fatal injuries of the personnel, in the mines of Kuzbass over 5 years are identified. It is noted that 91.3 % of all the injuries in the coal industry occur at the enterprises that carry out underground mining. Despite the ongoing accidents and loss of life, the issue of miner safety is not becoming a priority. Many business leaders do not pay enough attention to this issue, and they have little control over the planned steps in this direction. Occupational safety measures are often funded on a residual basis and are not fully implemented. Therefore, improving the working conditions of the coal industry employees, reducing the level of injuries and occupational diseases among them were and remain the urgent tasks.

Формирование профессионально важных личностных качеств будущего горного инженера в условиях дуального обучения в Кемеровской области – Кузбассе

Kuzbass mining managers have certain requirements for professional skills of future mining engineers. Along with theoretical and practical knowledge, they expect university graduates to possess professionally important personal qualities that allow mining engineers to work in potentially dangerous environment and bear responsibility for themselves and their team. Dual training is a form of social partnership between an educational institution and a large industrial enterprise. The article provides mechanisms for interaction between social partners and describes the possibilities of dual training as a means of developing professionally important personal qualities. The author reviewed foreign and Russian publications in the field of dual training and analyzed regulatory documents, requirements of mining managers, curricula of Mining university programs, personality characteristics of students of the practice-oriented specialties, and the socio-psychological climate at Kuzbass mining enterprises. The research resulted in an adjustment project for Mining majors and curricula developed by an expert group of university staff and mining enterprises.

Исследование производительности труда горняков на разрезах и шахтах Кемеровской области – Кузбасса

he dynamic socio-economic development of Russia depends on the growth of labor force and productivity. This article introduces an analysis of labor productivity in coal-mining regions and the experience of Kuzbass mining. The authors explored the twelve-year dynamics of the labor productivity index both for the Russian economy as a whole and for its coal-mining regions. They identified the main trends in the management of labor productivity at the coal enterprises of the Kemerovo Region. The statistical analysis showed that the labor productivity index in Russia is slightly declining, especially in the mining industry. This negative trend can be avoided by applying new methods of personnel management, developing social and labor relations, involving employees in the labor process and encouraging their labor awareness, digitalizing all technological processes, and developing an effective contract.

Comparative analysis of the concentration of CO2, CO, CH, and O2 in the exhaust gases of BelAZ dump trucks that use liquefied natural gas as a motor fuel

The paper aims to compare the CO2, CO, CH, and O2 concentrations in the exhaust gases of Cummins KTA 50 diesel engines of BelAZ 75131 mining dump trucks equipped with an onboard cryogenic fuel system and running on diesel and gas-diesel fuel at coal mines of Kuzbass (Russia). The research novelty lies in determining ecological efficiency when using liquefied natural gas (methane) as a motor fuel for heavy-duty mining dump trucks. In the near future, the use of this type of motor fuel will minimize the anthropogenic impact on the environment by reducing harmful emissions and provoking the environmental safety of the region where a large amount of mining equipment is used in coal mining enterprises. The demand for mining dump trucks, their operating conditions, and the world experience in converting mining equipment to liquefied natural gas (methane) were briefly analyzed. The use of alternative fuel sources for heavy-duty mining trucks is a promising way to reduce harmful emissions into the atmosphere. This paper presents a research technique. The data on the study of the CO2, CO, and CH groups and O2 concentrations in the exhaust gases of Cummins KTA 50 diesel engines of BelAZ 75131 mining dump trucks hauling rock mass are presented. The obtained data on the CO2, CO, and CH groups and O2 concentrations during diesel and gas-diesel operation of empty and laden BelAZ 75131 mining dump trucks when going uphill and downhill were substantiated. The results of calculating the average weighted emissions of the CO2, CO, and CH groups in the exhaust gases of Cummins KTA 50 diesel engines were presented.

Efficiency evaluation of roof rock control in conveyor drift 555 in Chertinskaya-Koksovaya Mine

The depth of coal mining in Kuzbass reaches 600 m and more. The geological, geomechanical and gas-dynamic conditions of mining persistently complicate. In this respect, it is required to undertake additional geomechanical research of rock masses in order to select the most effective approach to ground control. Deeper level mining induces higher stresses in enclosing rocks and at the boundaries of roadways. This article describes the studies into the geomechanical processes outside and inside the zone of roof rock destressing in conveyor drift 555 in Chertinskaya-Koksovaya Mine, and the determined values of horizontal and vertical displacements in rocks. As the face of conveyor drift 555 was advanced, intense displacements took place in the roof, floor and sidewall rocks of the roadway, which greatly affected its operating conditions. The implemented work package included geomechanical and geophysical research, in situ measurements, adjustment of the behavior and structure of enclosing rocks, as well as development of roof control and validation of the selected parameters with due regard to the actual condition of rock mass, which enabled reduction in the adjacent rock mass movements, improved serviceability of roof support and preserved the roadway cross-section. The dipole electromagnetic sounding of the floor rocks susceptible to swelling determines the destressing depth; the product of the floor destress depth and the rock expansibility allows evaluating potential displacement of the floor rocks. The roof rock destressing made it possible to reduce displacements in the roof from 607 to 58–0 mm, which ensured maintenance-free support of the roadway. The studies proved the main roof rock destressing efficiency at the selected parameters, which ensured sufficient operating conditions in the drift for the whole service life.

Современные биологические методы восстановления и очистки нарушенных угледобычей земель в условиях Кемеровской области – Кузбасса

Introduction. Coal mining is the main source of anthropogenic impact on the landscapes of the Kemerovo Region – Kuzbass. The current mine reclamation rate lags far behind the annual increase in disturbed lands. A reclamation fund can be a perfect solution to this relevant issue. The present research objective was to analyze and structure the available data on the anthropogenic impact of coal mining in Kuzbass. The article reviews new effic ient methods of reclamation and resoiling.
 Study objects and methods. The study featured ten years of research publications that were registered in the PubMed database of the National Center for Biotechnology Information (USA), Elsevier (Scopus, ScienceDirect), the Web of Science, and the Russian Electronic Library (eLibrary.ru).
 Results and discussion. The research revealed the following Kuzbass districts that experience the greatest mining impact: Novokuznetsk, Prokopyevsk, Kemerovo, Belovo, and Leninsk-Kuznetskiy. The authors also identified the most common pollutants associated with coal mining. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) appeared to be the most dangerous pollutants: as waste coal burns, these substances cover considerable distances with the wind. Biodegradation seems to be the optimal solution because PAHs are known to be carcinogenic, and most mine tips are located near settlements. The article also features mine reclamation laws and introduces a list of plants with a high absorption capacity recommended for biological reclamation, as well as microorganisms and their consortia used for bioremediation.
 Conclusion. The authors identified the most promising methods of mine reclamation in the Kemerovo region, i.e. bioremediation with pollutant-binding microbial consortia and plants.

Geological, geotechnical and geoecological problems of reclamation of land disturbed by dumping in open pit coal mining in Kuzbass

Geological, geotechnical and geoecological problems of reclamation of land disturbed by dumping in open pit coal mining in Kuzbass

Innovative ways to control dust and explosion safety of mine workings

Ensuring dust and explosion safety during underground coal mining is one of the most important tasks of industrial safety and labor protection departments. The main method of preventing explosions of coal dust settled in mine workings is to process them with stone dust (rock dusting). The traditional methods of quality control of rock dusting include radioisotope, optical and chemical methods. To implement them, the devices are equipped with environmentally harmful radioactive elements, expensive optical sensors, desiccants and replaceable flasks with chemical reagents, which increases the cost of analysis and its duration. The measurement error of these devices is 10 % or more. The main purpose of the study is to develop and substantiate a new method for monitoring the dust and explosion safety of mine workings, which will be devoid of the disadvantages of the methods mentioned above. It is proposed to evaluate the quality of rock-dust distribution by a fundamentally new way – thermogravimetric. The method was tested on the dust of coal mines in Kuzbass and the Vorkuta basin, including dust samples taken in mines with actual explosions. The article presents the results of experimental studies of the processes of thermal destruction of coal and stone dust mixtures. The non-overlapping intervals of the thermogravimetric reaction are identified: moisture yield (35-132 °С); volatile matter yield from coal (380-580 °С); thermal degradation of limestone with carbon dioxide yield (650-850 °С). Methods and mathematical dependencies for processing significant and qualitative identification characteristics of thermogravimetric curves in determining the content of non-combustible components in a sample of mine dust are considered.

Prospects for the use of modern technological solutions in the flat-lying coal seams development, taking into account the danger of the formation of the places of its spontaneous combustion

Spontaneous combustion of coal remains an important problem for coal mines, which can lead to an explosion of methane and coal dust. Accidents associated with spontaneous combustion of coal can cause significant economic losses to coal mining companies, as well as entail social damage – injuries and loss of life. Accidents are known at the Kuzbass mines, which occurred as a result of negligent attitude to the danger of spontaneous combustion of coal, the victims of which were dozens of people. The analysis of emergency situations associated with spontaneous combustion of coal shows that the existing wide range of means of preventing endogenous fires does not provide complete safety when working out coal seams prone to spontaneous combustion, therefore, spontaneous combustion places continue to occur in mines. The consequences that may arise as a result of a methane explosion initiated by a self-ignition place indicate the need to improve the used technologies.
 The purpose of the work is to determine the impact of modern technological solutions used in functioning mines during underground mining of flat-lying coal seams prone to spontaneous combustion, and to develop new solutions that reduce endogenous fire hazard.
 Conclusions on the influence of leaving coal pillars in the developed space, isolated air removal from the stoping face through the developed space, the length of the stoping face and the excavation pillar, and other factors on the danger of the formation of spontaneous combustion places are presented. Conclusions about the possibility of using modern technological solutions in future are also drawn.