ACARP ACARP ACARP ACARP
Underground

Rapid Roadway Development

Underground » Roadway Development

Published: May 00Project Number: C8014

Get ReportAuthor: Michael Kelly, Hau Guo, David Hainsworth Rao Balusu, K Mitchel, G Carter, Boatong Shen, D Adhikary, S Craig, H Kahraman | CSIRO Exploration & Mining

CSIRO and JCOAL signed an umbrella agreement for investment in productivity related research projects for the Australian underground coal industry in July 1997. Under the agreement, JCOAL agreed to jointly fund critical areas of research and development that would result in a direct improvement of Australian productivity. Funding from Australia and Japan would be approximately equally shared. The subject of the first study or "pilot project" was improvement of underground roadway development rates. A $160,000 scoping study was completed in March 1998 and formed the basis of the 5year Rapid Roadway Project commenced in December 1998.

This project set out to design, build, provide systems support for and test run an integrated, automated coal conveying/bolting module that may sit between a variety of production machines and coal haulage options. The full project is scoped over five years, and JCOAL have committed $A5.4M out of a projected total budget requirement of $A10.7M. ACARP has supported the first year of activities within this project and has recently awarded an extension of support to the second year's activities. This report details the first full years activity of the ACARP/CSIRO component of the RRD project.

Substantial progress has been made in all areas of the RRD project over the last twelve month period. The major milestone for the year, the trial of a combined autonomous feed and bolting prototype has been achieved. Other substantial milestones in strata control, control systems, systems development and machine layout have also been accomplished. Challenges remain, as highlighted in the next section, but progress to date can be accrued to the depth of talent and motivation of the RRD team, including the monitors and support groups. Up to the end of March 2000, the following outcomes have been completed for the RRD project.

  • A prototype autonomous feed and bolting system has been constructed and successfully trialled.
  • One of the key components of the RRD project is to determine suitable geological and geotechnical conditions and roadway support design methods for the new RRD system.
  • The specification and acquisition of Miner Remote Control System has been completed. The conceptual design and preliminary specification of supervisory and bolting platform control system and detailed definition of the functionality of system components has also been completed.
  • The Rapid Roadway Development project systems engineering component presented work in many areas of the overall mining system. This includes configuration details and specifications of the ACBM and the mining development system.

During the next two years, the ACBM will undergo final design, manufacture and initial field trials. The CSIRO responsibility includes support of this process in design and design approvals, manufacturing process, and arranging field trials and project management. In addition CSIRO has major responsibilities in automation control, systems engineering and strata control. Some unresolved issues remain regarding the process for design, approval and installation of power electrics and it is the requirement for front bolters that have not been fully scoped. The current detailed program for the ACARP/CSIRO components is shown in the final report.

Underground

Health and safety, productivity and environment initiatives.

Recently Completed Projects

C33029Review Longwall Face Ventilation To Mitigate Goaf Gas Emissions Onto Walkways And Tailgate End

As longwall mining increasingly targets deeper coal seams, managing ...

C29009Control Of Transient Touch Voltages During Switching

There have been an increasing number of electric shock incidents rep...

C29025Effectiveness Of Shotcrete In Underground Coal Mines

The primary objective of this project is to quantify the effectivene...

Underground

Open Cut

Safety, productivity and the right to operate are priorities for open cut mine research.

Open Cut

Coal Preparation

Maximising throughput and yield while minimising costs and emissions.

Recently Completed Projects

C34041A Coal Spiral For The 2020S

The objective of this project is to develop an enhanced coal process...

C33057Foreign Contaminants Detection On Conveyor Belts Using Digital Imaging Processing Techniques And Coal Penetrating Sensors

This project was initiated to tackle the ongoing issue of foreign co...

C29065Wash Plant Fines Testing Methods Enhancement

Accurately estimating the proportion of expected fine size material ...

Coal Preparation

Technical Market Support

Market acceptance and emphasising the advantages of Australian coals.

Recently Completed Projects

C34054Scoping Study: Design Of Cokes From Biomass-Coal Blends For Sustainable Blast Furnace Ironmaking

There is an increasing focus on improving the environmental sustaina...

C34058Strength Development In Fouling Deposits

When coal is combusted in a boiler, the fly ash that is produced flo...

C34059Coke Reactivity With CO2 And H2O And Impacts On Coke Microstructure And Gas Diffusion

With the global shift to low-carbon ironmaking, partial substitution...

Technical Market Support

Mine Site Greenhouse Gas Mitigation

Mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from the production of coal.

Recently Completed Projects

C34066Safe Operation Of Catalytic Reactors For The Oxidation Of VAM Operating Under Abnormal Reaction Conditions

The catalyst Pd/TS-1 has shown excellent activity in oxidising venti...

C28076Selective Absorption Of Methane By Ionic Liquids (SAMIL)

This third and final stage of this project was the culmination of a ...

C29069Low-Cost Catalyst Materials For Effective VAM Catalytic Oxidation

Application of ventilation air methane (VAM) thermal oxidiser requir...

Mine Site Greenhouse Gas Mitigation

Low Emission Coal Use

Step-change technologies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Recently Completed Projects

C17060BGasification Of Australian Coals

Four Australian coals were trialled in the Siemens 5 MWth pilot scale ga...

C17060AOxyfuel Technology For Carbon Capture And Storage Critical Clean Coal Technology - Interim Support

The status of oxy-fuel technology for first-generation plant is indicate...

C18007Review Of Underground Coal Gasification

This report consists of a broad review of underground coal gasification,...

Low Emission Coal Use

Mining And The Community

The relationship between mines and the local community.

Recently Completed Projects

C16027Assessing Housing And Labour Market Impacts Of Mining Developments In Bowen Basin Communities

The focus of this ACARP-funded project has been to identify a number...

C22029Understanding And Managing Cumulative Impacts Of Coal Mining And Other Land Uses In Regions With Diversified Economies

The coal industry operates in the context of competing land-uses that sh...

C23016Approval And Planning Assessment Of Black Coal Mines In NSW And Qld: A Review Of Economic Assessment Techniques

This reports on issues surrounding economic assessment and analysis ...

Mining And The Community

NERDDC

National Energy Research,Development & Demonstration Council (NERDDC) reports - pre 1992.

Recently Completed Projects

1609-C1609Self Heating of Spoil Piles from Open Cut Coal Mines

Self Heating of Spoil Piles from Open Cut Coal Mines

1301-C1301Stress Control Methods for Optimised Development...

Stress Control Methods for Optimised Development and Extraction Operations

0033-C1356Commissioned Report: Australian Thermal Coals...

Commissioned Report: Australian Thermal Coals - An Industry Handbook

NERDDC