Highwall Miner Navigation System for Deep Coal Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional auger mining is limited by shallow penetration depths and low coal recovery rates due to increased friction and weight with deeper auger flights, making it economically unfeasible to extract coal beyond 150-200 feet, and existing mining methods like surface and underground mining have limitations such as high overburden costs and safety concerns.
Innovation Solution
A highwall mining system with a navigation system that includes a miner, conveyor units, and a steering unit connected by actuators and sensors to maintain directional control and pillar integrity, allowing for deeper coal extraction without interruption, enabling coal recovery up to 2000 feet with improved efficiency and safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If auger penetration depth is increased to improve coal recovery, then more auger flights are required, but frictional resistance and power requirements increase rapidly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical auger system with a highwall miner and conveyor system. The highwall miner uses a cutting head with picks to fracture and remove coal, eliminating the need for long auger flights. The conveyor system then transports the broken coal to the surface, substituting the mechanical auger conveyance mechanism with a separate conveyor system that does not suffer from frictional resistance issues.
Solution Approach 2:
The mining system is divided into separate functional components: a highwall miner for coal removal, a conveyor system for transport, and support equipment. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, with the miner focusing on efficient coal extraction and the conveyor handling transport without the friction problems that plague integrated auger systems.
2Ease of manufacture
If auger mining is used to reduce capital expenditure, then equipment cost is lower, but total coal recovery remains limited to less than 35%
Solution Approach 1:
The highwall miner is designed with movable components including a telescopic boom and adjustable cutting head that can dynamically adapt to different mining conditions and depths. This dynamic design allows the system to maintain efficiency at various penetration depths, unlike fixed auger systems that become increasingly inefficient with depth.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces the auger mining mechanism with a highwall miner that uses hydraulic-powered cutting picks and a conveyor system, fundamentally changing the mechanical approach to coal extraction and enabling higher recovery rates through more efficient material removal and transport.
3Device complexity
If conventional auger mining equipment is used, then equipment complexity is lower, but penetration depth is limited to 150-200 feet
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates the mining function from the transport function, with the highwall miner handling extraction and the conveyor system handling transport. This segmentation allows the miner to be positioned optimally for deep mining operations while the conveyor can be extended or reconfigured as needed, overcoming the depth limitations of integrated auger systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the auger system with a highwall miner equipped with a hydraulic power system and a separate conveyor system. This substitution enables deep mining operations by eliminating the friction and weight constraints that limit auger penetration depth, while the modular design keeps overall system complexity manageable.
4Quantity of substance
If surface mining is used to improve coal recovery percentage, then more coal can be extracted, but overburden removal costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The highwall miner system replaces traditional surface mining methods by using a remote-controlled or automated miner that can extract coal from steep walls with minimal overburden removal. The conveyor system transports coal directly from the mining face, eliminating the need for extensive overburden removal and haul roads required by conventional surface mining.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from horizontal surface mining to vertical highwall mining, exploiting the vertical dimension to access coal seams without removing large quantities of overburden. The highwall miner climbs or is positioned on the steep wall face, extracting coal in a vertical orientation that dramatically reduces the volume of overburden that must be handled.
Data Source
AI summary
A mining apparatus includes a miner, a conveyor unit and a steering unit connecting the miner and conveyor unit. The apparatus also includes a heading sensor and a controller responsive to the heading sensor. A first actuator is carried on the miner, the control unit or the steering unit. The first actuator is positioned to a first side of a midline of the miner. Further a second actuator is carried on one of the miner, the conveyor unit and the steering unit. The second actuator is positioned to a second opposite side of the midline of the miner. The first and second actuators are utilized to adjust a connection angle between the miner and the conveyor unit either side of parallel in order to maintain the miner on the desired directional heading.