Career in a quarry: equipment and technologies for open pit coal mining. Hard work of a miner, or how coal is mined Open pit coal mining

The coal mining industry is the largest segment of the fuel industry. All over the world, it surpasses any other in the number of workers and the amount of equipment.

What is the coal industry

The coal mining industry involves the extraction of coal and its subsequent processing. Work is carried out both on the surface and underground.

If the deposits are located at a depth of no more than 100 meters, the work is carried out in a quarry way. For the development of a deposit at great depths, mines are used.

Classic methods of coal mining

Working in coal mines and underground are the main methods of mining. Most of the work in Russia and in the world is carried out in an open way. This is due to the financial benefit and high speed extraction.

The process is as follows:

• With the help of special equipment, the top layer of the earth covering the deposit is removed. Several years ago, the depth of open work was limited to 30 meters, the latest technology allowed to increase it by 3 times. If the top layer is soft and small, remove it with an excavator. A thick and dense layer of earth is pre-crushed.
• Coal deposits are beaten off and taken away with the help of special equipment to the enterprise for further processing.
• The workers are restoring the natural relief to avoid harm to the environment.

The disadvantage of this method is that the coal deposits, which are at a shallow depth, contain impurities of mud and other rocks.

Coal mined by the underground method is considered to be cleaner and of higher quality.

The main task of this method is to transport coal from great depths to the surface. For this, passages are created: an adit (horizontal) and a shaft (inclined or vertical).

In the tunnels, coal seams are cut by special harvesters and loaded onto a conveyor that lifts them to the surface.

The underground method allows you to extract a large amount of minerals, but it has significant disadvantages: high cost and increased danger to workers.

Unconventional methods of coal mining

These methods are effective, but do not have mass distribution - at the moment there are no technologies that allow to clearly establish the process:

• Hydraulic. Extraction is carried out in a mine at great depths. The coal seam is crumbled and delivered to the surface under the strong pressure of water.
• Compressed air energy. It acts as both destructive and lifting force, compressed air is under strong pressure.
• Vibration impulse. The formations are destroyed by the powerful vibrations generated by the equipment.

These methods were used back in the Soviet Union, but did not become popular due to the need for large financial investments. Only a few coal mining companies continue to use unconventional methods.

Their main advantage is the absence of workers in potentially life-threatening areas.

Leading countries in coal mining

According to the statistics of the world energy, a rating of the countries holding the leading positions in coal production in the world has been compiled:

1. India.
2. Australia.
3. Indonesia.
4. Russia.
5. Germany.
6. Poland.
7. Kazakhstan.

For many years, China has been the leader in terms of coal production. In the PRC, only 1/7 of the available deposits are being developed, this is due to the fact that coal is not exported outside the country, and the available reserves will last at least 70 years.

On the territory of the United States, deposits are evenly scattered throughout the country. They will provide the country with their reserves for at least 300 years.

The coal deposits in India are very rich, but almost all of the coal mined is used in the energy industry, since the available reserves are of very low quality. Despite the fact that India occupies one of the leading positions, artisanal methods of coal mining are progressing in this country.

Australia's coal reserves will last for about 240 years. The mined coal has the highest quality rating, a significant part of it is destined for export.

In Indonesia, the level of coal production is growing every year. A few years ago, most of the mined was exported to other countries, now the country is gradually abandoning the use of oil, and therefore the demand for coal for domestic consumption is growing.

Russia possesses 1/3 of the world's coal reserves, while not all of the country's lands have been explored.

Germany, Poland and Kazakhstan are gradually reducing the volume of coal production due to the uncompetitive cost of raw materials. Most of the coal is for domestic consumption.

The main places of coal mining in Russia

Let's figure it out. Coal mining in Russia is carried out mainly by open pit mining. Deposits across the country are scattered unevenly - most of them are located in the eastern region.

The most significant coal deposits in Russia are:

• Kuznetskoe (Kuzbass). It is considered the largest not only in Russia, but throughout the world, located in Western Siberia. It produces coking and coal.
• Kansko-Achinskoe. Production is carried out here. The field is located along the Trans-Siberian Railway, occupying part of the territories of the Irkutsk and Kemerovo Regions, Krasnoyarsk Territory.
• Tunguska coal basin. It is represented by brown and hard coal. It covers part of the territory of the Republic of Sakha and the Krasnoyarsk Territory.
• Pechora coal basin. Mining is carried out at this deposit Work is carried out in the mines, which allows the extraction of high-quality coal. Located in the territories of the Komi Republic and the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.
• Irkutsk-Cheremkhovsky coal basin. It is located on the territory of the Upper Sayan. Provides coal only to nearby enterprises and settlements.

Today, 5 more fields are being developed that can increase the annual volume of coal production in Russia by 70 million tons.

Coal Industry Outlook

Most of the coal deposits in the world have already been explored, from an economic point of view, the most promising belong to 70 countries. The level of coal production is growing rapidly: technologies are being improved, equipment is being modernized. This increases the profitability of the industry.

The range of its use is very wide. Coal is used to generate electricity, as an industrial raw material (coke), for the production of graphite, for the production of liquid fuel by hydrogenation.

Russia has vast reserves of coal deposits and coal basins.

The coal basin is the area (often over 10 thousand square kilometers) of development of coal-bearing deposits, formed under certain conditions over a certain period of time. The coal deposit has a smaller area and is a separate tectonic structure.

Platform, folded and transitional basins are found on the territory of Russia.

The largest amount of coal deposits was found in the territory of Western and Eastern Siberia.

60% of Russian coal reserves are humus coals, including coking coal (Karaganda, Yuzhno-Yakutsk, Kuznetsk basin). Brown coals are also found (Ural, Eastern Siberia, Moscow region).

Coal reserves are scattered across 25 coal basins and 650 separate deposits.

Coal mining is carried out in a closed or open way. Closed mining is carried out in mines, open-pit mining - in open pits (open-pit mines).

The mine has been operating for an average of 40-50 years. Each layer of coal is removed from the mine for about 10 years, followed by the development of a deeper layer through reconstruction. Reconstruction of the mine horizons is a prerequisite to preserve environment and ensuring the safety of workers.

In the open-pit coal mines, coal is excavated in successive strips.

For the period of 2010 coal in Russia was mined in 91 mines and 137 open-pit mines. The total annual capacity was 380 million tonnes.

After coal is mined in mines or open-pit mines, it goes directly to the consumer or is sent to coal enrichment enterprises.

In special factories, pieces of coal are sorted by size and then processed.

The enrichment process is the purification of fuel from waste rock and impurities.

Today coal in Russia is mined mainly in the territory and 10 main basins. The most large deposit coal and coking coal is the Kuznetsk Basin (Kemerovo Region), brown coal mined in the Kansk-Achinsk basin (Krasnoyarsk Territory, Eastern Siberia), anthracites - in the Gorlovka basin and in the Donbass.

The coal in these pools is of the highest quality.

Other well-known coal basins in Russia include the Pechora basin (Polar region), the Irkutsko-Cheremkhovsky basin in the Irkutsk region, the South Yakutsk basin in Far East.

The Taimyr, Lensky and Tunguska basins in Eastern Siberia, as well as deposits in the Trans-Baikal Territory, Primorye, and the Novosibirsk Region are being actively developed.

The largest branch (in terms of the number of workers and the cost of production fixed assets) of the fuel industry is coal mining in Russia.

The coal industry extracts, processes (enriches) coal, brown coal and anthracite.

How and how much coal is produced in the Russian Federation

This mineral is mined depending on the depth of its location: by open (in open-pit) and underground (in mines) methods.

During the period from 2000 to 2015, underground production increased from 90.9 to 103.7 million tons, and open-pit production increased by more than 100 million tons from 167.5 to 269.7 million tons. The amount of fossil mined in the country during this period, broken down by production method, is shown in Fig. one.

Rice. 1: Coal production in the Russian Federation from 2000 to 2015 by production method, in mln.

According to the Fuel and Energy Complex (FEC) in the Russian Federation, 385 million tons of black minerals were produced in 2016, which is 3.2% higher than the previous year. This allows us to conclude that the industry has a positive growth trend in last years and about the prospects, despite the crisis.

The types of this mineral, mined in our country, are divided into power-generating and coking coals.

In the total volume for the period from 2010 to 2015, the share of energy production increased from 197.4 to 284.4 million tons. The volumes of coal production in Russia by type, see Fig. 2.

2: Structure of coal production in the Russian Federation by types for 2010-2015, in million tons

How much black fossil is in the country and where is it mined

According to Rosstat, the Russian Federation(157 billion.

tons) ranks second after the United States (237.3 billion tons) in the world in terms of coal reserves. The Russian Federation accounts for about 18% of all world reserves. See figure 3.

Rice. 3: World reserves by leading countries

Rosstat information for 2010-2015 indicates that production in the country is carried out in 25 constituent entities of the Federation in 7 Federal Districts.

There are 192 coal enterprises. Among them are 71 mines and 121 open-pit mines. Their combined production capacity is 408 million tons. More than 80% of it is mined in Siberia. Coal production in Russia by region is shown in Table 1.

In 2016, 227 400 thousand.

tons were mined in the Kemerovo region (such cities with one industry affiliation are called monocities), of which about 125,000 tons were exported.

Kuzbass accounts for about 60% of domestic coal production, there are about 120 mines and open-pit mines.

At the beginning of February 2017, a new open-pit mine, Trudarmeysky Yuzhny, with a design capacity of 2,500 thous.

In 2017, it is planned to produce 1,500 thousand tons of minerals at the open pit, and, according to forecasts, the open pit will reach its design capacity in 2018. Also, in 2017, three new enterprises are planned to be launched in Kuzbass.

Largest deposits

On the territory of the Russian Federation there are 22 coal basins (according to Rosstat information for 2014) and 129 separate deposits.

More than 2/3 of the reserves that have already been explored are concentrated in the Kansk-Achinsk (79.3 billion tons) and Kuznetsk (53.4 billion tons) basins. They are located in the Kemerovo Region of the Krasnoyarsk Territory.

Also among the largest pools are: Irkutsk, Pechora, Donetsk, Yuzhno-Yakutsk, Minusinsky, and others.

Figure 4 shows the structure of proven reserves by major basins.

Rice. 4: Explored reserves for the main basins in Russia, billion tons.

Import Export

The Russian Federation is among the top three largest exporters coal after Australia (export volume 390 mln.

tons) and Indonesia (330 million tons) in 2015. The share of Russia in 2015 - 156 million tons of black fossil was exported. This figure for the country has grown by 40 million tons in five years. In addition to the Russian Federation, Australia and Indonesia, the six leading countries include the United States of America, Colombia and South Africa.

The structure of world exports is shown in Fig. 5.

Rice. 5: Structure of world exports (largest exporting countries).

The Central Dispatch Office of the Fuel and Energy Complex reports that in 2016 the total volume of exports from the country increased, while imports decreased.

Data on export-import in 2016 are presented in Table 2.

Head of the Information and Analytical Division of the Department of Coal and Peat Industry of the Ministry of Energy of the country V.

Grishin predicts an increase in exports by 6% in 2017, its volume may reach 175 million tons, that is, increase by 10 million tons.

Which companies are the largest manufacturers

Large oil companies Everyone knows Russia, and the largest coal producing companies in the country in 2016 are: OJSC SUEK (105.47), Kuzbassrazrezugol (44.5), SDS-coal (28.6), Vostsibugol (13.1), Yuzhny Kuzbass (9), Yuzhkuzbassugol (11.2), Yakutugol (9.9), Raspadskaya OJSC (10.5), the amount of coal produced is indicated in parentheses in million tons, see

Rice. 6. Largest manufacturers in RF in 2016, in mln.

The companies OJSC SUEK, Kuzbassrazrezugol and SDS-Ugol have been leaders in production over the past years.

The largest manufacturers for 2014-2015 are shown in Fig.

7. Among them, in addition to the two above-mentioned industry leaders, there are also processing enterprises: Kuzbass Fuel Company, Holding Sibuglement, Vostsibugol, Russian Coal, EVRAZ (one of the largest private companies in the country), Mechel-Mining, SDS-coal.

7. Largest producers in the Russian Federation for 2014-2015, in million tons.

In November 2016, Evgeny Kosmin's team of section No. 1 of the V.D.

Yalevsky JSC SUEK-Kuzbass set a new Russian production record for the year from one working face - 4,810 thousand tons.

Results and conclusions

• The coal complex of Russia is actively developing.
• Imports have declined slightly in recent years, while exports and production have grown.
• In terms of exports, the Russian Federation is one of the three leading countries after Australia and Indonesia.
• In the coming years, it is planned to open new mining and processing enterprises.
• The three leaders include companies from the Siberian region, which accounts for more than 80% of production from the total volume of the country.

Lyudmila Poberezhnykh, 2017-03-29

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Related References

Coal basins of Russia

The role of this or that coal basin in the territorial division of labor depends on the quality of the coal, the size of the reserves, the technical and economic indicators of production, the degree of preparedness of the reserves for industrial exploitation, the size of production, and the peculiarities of the transport and geographical location.

By the combination of these conditions, interdistrict coal bases- Kuznetsk and Kansk-Achinsk basins, which together account for 70% of coal production in Russia, as well as the Pechora, Donetsk, Irkutsk-Cheremkhov and South Yakutsk basins.
The most important coal producer in Russia is the Kuznetsk Coal Basin.

Kuznetsk Basin

The balance reserves of Kuzbass hard coal of the A + B + C1 category are estimated at 57 billion tons, which is 58.8% of Russia's hard coal.

At the same time, the reserves of coking coal amount to 30.1 billion tons, or 73% of all reserves of the country.

Almost the entire range of coal grades is mined in Kuzbass. The bowels of Kuzbass are rich in other minerals, such as manganese, iron, phosphorite, nepheline ores, oil shale and other minerals.

Kuznetsk coals are of high quality: ash content 8-22%, sulfur content - 0.3-0.6%, specific heat of combustion - 6000 - 8500 kcal / kg.

The average depth of underground mining reaches 315m.
About 40% of the coal produced is consumed in the Kemerovo region itself and 60% is exported to other regions of Russia and for export.
In the structure of coal exports from Russia, Kuzbass accounts for over 70% of its physical volume.
Bituminous coal lies here High Quality, including coking. Almost 12% of mining is carried out in an open pit.
Belovsky District is one of the oldest coal mining areas in Kuzbass.

The balance reserves of coal of the Belovsky region are more than 10 billion.

tons.
The development of the Kuznetsk coal basin began in 1851 with more or less regular production of fuel at the Bachatskaya mine for the Guryevsky metallurgical plant. The Bachat mine was located six versts northeast of the village of Bachaty. Now at this place are the mines "Chertinskaya - Koksovaya", "Novaya-2" and the open pit "Novobochatsky".
Firstborn coal industry The town of Belova is considered to be the Pionerka mine. the first ton of coal was mined here.

At present, the Belovsky District is the largest coal mining region in the Kuzbass.
The geographic center of the Kemerovo region is located in the Belovsky district.
The main centers are Novokuznetsk, Kemerovo, Prokopyevsk, Anzhero-Sudzhensk, Belovo, Leninsk-Kuznetskiy.

The Kansk-Achinsk Basin is located in the south of Eastern Siberia in the Krasnoyarsk Territory along the Trans-Siberian Railway and provides 12% of coal production in Russia.

Brown coal from this basin is the cheapest in the country, since it is mined in an open pit. Due to its poor quality, coal is not easily transportable, and therefore powerful thermal power plants operate on the basis of the largest open-pit mines (Irsha-Borodinsky, Nazarovsky, Berezovsky).

The Pechora Basin is the largest in the European part and accounts for 4% of the country's coal production.

It is remote from the most important industrial centers and is located in the Arctic Circle; production is carried out only by the mine method. In the northern part of the basin (Vorkuta, Vorgashorskoe deposits), coking coal is mined, in the southern part (Intinskoe deposit) - mainly energy.

The main consumers of Pechora coal are the Cherepovets Metallurgical Plant, enterprises of the North-West, Center and Central Black Earth Region.

The Donetsk Basin in the Rostov Region is the eastern part of the coal basin located in Ukraine.

It is one of the oldest coal mining areas. The mine method of mining led to the high cost of coal. Coal production is decreasing every year, and in 2007 the basin gave only 2.4% of all-Russian production.

The Irkutsk-Cheremkhovsky Basin in the Irkutsk Region provides a low cost of coal, since mining is carried out in an open pit and gives 3.4% of the country's coal.

Due to the great distance from large consumers, it is used at local power plants.

The South Yakutsk Basin (3.9% of the total Russian production) is located in the Far East. It possesses significant reserves of energy and technological fuel, and all production is carried out in an open pit.

The prospective coal basins include Lensky, Tungusky and Taimyrsky, located beyond the Yenisei to the north of the 60th parallel.

They occupy vast areas in underdeveloped and sparsely populated areas of Eastern Siberia and the Far East.

In parallel with the creation of coal bases of interregional significance, there was extensive development of local coal basins, which made it possible to bring coal mining closer to the regions of its consumption. At the same time, in the western regions of Russia, coal production is decreasing (the Moscow region), and in the eastern regions, it is sharply increasing (deposits of the Novosibirsk region, the Trans-Baikal Territory, Primorye.

Coal mining is difficult technological process, which requires a lot of resources and technology. It is used in industry, for agricultural needs, for the production of electricity. It is of great value in the world, the fossil is called black gold, solid oil. What does the mining and processing of coal look like, and how did this industry develop in countries, from antiquity to the present day?

The coal industry began to develop in antiquity. The first countries to start using it as a fuel are Greece and China. Most often, it was used for heating premises, and later for smelting metals. 3000 years ago in China realized that its combustion is much more efficient than obtaining heat from wood and other raw materials. In 315, the first to study its properties was the scientist Theophrastus, who gave it a self-explanatory name - anthrax, which means "burning stone" in Greek.

There have been many theories about the origin of this fossil fuel. Some believed that it was formed as a result of exposure to high temperatures during a volcanic eruption. The first deposits were found precisely in their vicinity - near tectonic faults, where the deposits were closest to the earth. Given its flammable properties, some scientists have suggested that it is solidified oil.

Later, scientists determined that coal has vegetable origin, it was even possible to establish which species of trees prevail in one or another layer of the fossil.

They found coal by chance, during the weathering and collapse of rocks, pieces of strange material appeared on the surface, which had a black color, and shimmered in the sun. It was mined by hand using primitive techniques. Also, the pieces were collected by children on the coasts, especially after high tides and storms. It began to be obtained by the mine method only in 1113, but even that production was far from modernity. Coal activity was considered one of the most dangerous; the lower strata of the population worked in the mines, receiving mere pennies.

The most extensive use of coal was in blast furnaces: in forges, in metal processing, in brick factories. It was appreciated because of the heat capacity during combustion, with its help it was possible to maintain high fever for a long time.

With the advent of steam engines, this fuel has become part of the propulsion systems on steamships, cars and other equipment operating on this principle. Now, not only people are involved in mining, but also a huge amount of equipment, and the amount of raw materials that are received annually is billions of tons.

The first data on the search for coal deposits for industrial use date back to 1491, when the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III organized expeditions to the mountain ranges. He chose the Pechora Territory - one of the largest coal mines in Russia today.

The most large-scale development of coal mines was under Peter I, he was the initiator of the creation of mines in the Urals, Donbass, Kuznetsk, the Far East and in the vicinity of Moscow. He spared no money to finance the mining industry, sought to introduce new technologies that made it easier for people to work and increase production.

During the Soviet era, the extraction of fossil fuels played a special role. The workers were greatly appreciated, even an all-Union holiday was introduced - Miner's Day, in order to pay tribute to their difficult and hazardous work... Coal received the name "bread of industry", it has already been used to generate energy at thermal power plants.

Now the coal mining industry has reached high heights, but many countries, along with the introduction of all kinds of innovative developments, are trying to take this resource out of use. It's all about the environmental hazard that arises from its use. When fuels are burned, huge amounts of carbon dioxide are produced, one of the culprits of the greenhouse effect.

It turns out that the name brown and black coal did not come from the color of the raw material. Previously, to determine the "fat content" of the rock, it was carried out on a white surface. It turned out a black or brown stripe, which gave the fossil its corresponding name.

How coal is mined in modern mines

Despite the fact that production has never stood still, constantly modernizing, some countries still mine it with manual power. One can highlight India, where residents of towns near the deposits are engaged in collecting coal. Even young children are involved in this process, striving to help parents make money. The village of Jaria was even called a hell on earth, because the air there is filled with coal dust and poisonous gases, the raw materials often ignite spontaneously.

The main methods of coal mining

In more developed countries this problem is not so pronounced. The development of deposits is carried out with the help of specialized equipment, in some processes a person does not even take part.

Nowadays, 3 types of coal mining are widely used:

• Quarry or split;
• Mine;
• Hydraulic.

Their use depends on the depth of the mineral formation, rock hardness and availability.

Comparative table of coal mining methods.

	Career	Mine	Hydraulic
pros	Low cost Safety Rapid field development	Comparatively environmentally friendly High quality coal Large workings	Eco-friendly Does not require the involvement of a huge amount of human resources Comparatively cheap Doesn't harm the planet's foundation
Flaws	Quality of mined coal Non-ecological	Not a safe way Labor intensity Cost is very high	Using huge amounts of water Low productivity

Career way

Open pit coal mining is carried out where it lies underground at a depth of no more than 500 meters. For the development of such deposits, cranes are used that remove the waste rock layer. They are called draglines. Cranes consist of a cabin, a boom and a bucket. They are fixed on rails for moving around the quarry or stand on tracks.

Also, explosives are used to loosen the rock, but because of the danger they are now being abandoned in most industries. After the deposit is empty, the empty land is filled back up, the territory is leveled and enriched with fertilizers. Trees are planted on top to restore or improve the ecosystem of this area. Open pit mining of bituminous coal nevertheless harms nature - the ecological situation is disturbed, underground waters dry up.

Brown coal is relatively shallow, at a depth of 300-400 meters, therefore, an open method is also used for its extraction. The places of development of deposits are usually called cuts, because they are long and narrow, this is especially noticeable from space. Perhaps this is their only difference from quarries, because the technology for obtaining raw materials is the same.

Then smaller machines come into operation, which loosen the rock and load it into wagons that are sent to production. Coal is poured onto a conveyor unit and sent to production, processing stations or thermal power plants.

Mine way

Underground coal mining is an older and more technological way of obtaining raw materials. A large amount of the fossil lies at a depth of more than 500 meters, and the removal of the upper rock will be unprofitable, time consuming and expensive. The construction of the mine is carried out in this way - a shaft is made, the main mine, through which all equipment and workers will subsequently descend.

When it reaches its maximum possible depth, horizontal cuts are made in the formation, rails are laid and the main equipment is started. All walls are reinforced with pillars or rings to prevent vibration collapse.

The deepest coal mine is located in the Donetsk coal basin in Ukraine. Now it reaches 2043 meters.

It is very important for the safety of the workers to provide constant ventilation of the mine in order to reduce the concentration of methane and to heat the air if climatic conditions require it.

Coal mining in mines is carried out using a technique that crushes seams and sends them to the surface. The mastodon in this area is a roadheader. It strips the raw material from the formation and sends it to the surface along a conveyor belt. In places of occurrence of hard rock, slightly different equipment is used.

The cutter-cutter is equipped with an analogue of a drill with huge teeth, which crush the rock, moving deeper and deeper into the mine. Additionally, a shearer is installed, which removes excess shavings and crushes large pieces of rock so that they can move along the conveyor to the top.

Another important part that should be noted in the closed method of coal mining is pumping water. In places of occurrence, even underground rivers can pass, they greatly burden production and are dangerous for workers. In case of violation of norms, failure of equipment that pumps out water, it can break into the shaft of the mine, flooding the branches. This will lead to equipment breakdown and the death of workers or their imprisonment underground.

Hydraulic way

The hydraulic method is the newest, now it is undergoing modernization in order to minimize water consumption for coal production. The first device was invented back in the USSR in the 30s. This installation is called a mechanical-hydraulic harvester. It is used to loosen the rock, breaking it off from the main layer.

The outflowing water flows through troughs, through which it is transported to the low-pressure pump. There, the mined coal is dehydrated, fed to the conveyor and moved outside. The water is purified so as not to damage the hydraulic equipment by the remaining particles. This way. Despite the huge number of advantages, the hydraulic method is less productive.

Copanka or coal mining at home

Despite the fact that coal is mined on an industrial scale, it is a complex and time-consuming process. Residents of the area where there are deposits, independently develop them, using it for their own purposes. It is very simple to build, but to implement this method, the coal should not be buried deep.

In many countries this method is used only illegally, to sell coal on the black market. A large number of workers can also be involved there, but the use of advanced industrial technology is out of the question. This is the most dangerous and difficult work, besides, the norms are not regulated in any way, because the owner of the kopank only cares about his own profit.

The most effective ways

It is impossible to say which type of obtaining a fossil is more profitable, because all this is influenced by many factors. It is possible to dig a quarry for 1 km in the ground, but this requires a huge amount of equipment, time, and can also greatly spoil the ecosystem. But it will be too expensive to make a mine on a coal deposit, which lies 300-400 meters away, and such places do not always produce high-quality coal.

Only 8% of the world's raw materials are now extracted using the hydraulic method, while it is more experimental.

The locations and methods of coal mining are not randomly selected. Initially, the size of the deposit, the quality of raw materials, and features of the relief are assessed. Only after that, equipment is brought to the territory and test fences are made to make sure that the production is profitable.

Man has been using coal fuel since ancient times. Its flammability and heat transfer, the duration of keeping heat in the hearth became the salvation of people in cold periods, which cyclically replaced each other on our planet. Coal is actively used today as well; in the fuel and energy complex it is in the top three raw materials along with oil and gas.

How did the coal deposits form?

Coal deposits were formed in the places of huge green areas. This is an ancient organic matter that remained after the death of tree plantations. In order for dead plants to become coal, certain conditions are necessary: ​​wood residues should not rot under the influence of bacteria. This is possible only if they fall under swamp water, and then underground, where oxygen does not enter. Coal is considered a mineral, extracted from rock strata occurring at different depths.

How are coal deposits found and developed?

The places where there is coal have been explored on the planet for a long time. Its stocks in different countries huge, they will be enough for the needs of heating and industry for almost three centuries. But according to geologists, there may be more, since not all parts of the world have carried out deep geological prospecting for the presence of coal fuel. The development of coal deposits is relevant and brings tangible income to the states that are engaged in the extraction of this solid black gold. The process of developing deposits is carried out depending on the terrain and the depth of the coal seams.

Unlike underground way, open - carried out on the surface and is economically 2-2.5 times more efficient than the mine method. Open pit coal mining in Russia is 2/3 of the total volume... This mining method is considered the most productive and cheapest. However, this does not take into account the associated severe disturbances of nature - the creation of deep quarries and extensive overburden dumps. Mine production is more expensive and has a high accident rate, which is largely determined by the deterioration of mining equipment (40% of it is outdated and requires urgent modernization).

Open pit mining has some disadvantages in addition to economic benefits. One of these disadvantages is the disruption of the natural landscape, which leads to a negative impact on the environment. During the development, large and deep quarries are created, mixing and removal of the upper fertile soils, which subsequently leads to weathering. Toxic compounds contained in sections of coal seams can have a negative effect on the human body.

The geological characteristics of open pit mines that distinguish them from other surface mines are the nature of the formation and the relatively low cost of the mine, which often requires the removal of large volumes of waste rock over a wide area (i.e., there is a high outcrop ratio). As a result, specialized equipment and mining methods have been created for open pit mines. Examples include dragline belt mining, where mining is carried out in strips from 30 to 60 m wide, with material being dumped into mines up to 50 km in length.

diagrams of working equipment of a single-bucket excavator with rigid (a, b) and flexible (c, d) connections of the working body with the boom

1 - straight shovel; 2 - back shovel; 3 - dragline; 4 - grab

The restoration of the damaged environment is an integral part of the mining cycle due to the significant damage caused to the respective territories.

Open pit mines range from very small (i.e. producing less than 1 million tonnes per year) to large (over 10 million tonnes per year). The required workforce depends on the size and type of mine, the size and quantity of equipment, and the amount of coal and waste rock. There are some typical parameters that reflect productivity and staff size work force... This:

1. Output per miner, expressed as tonnes per miner per year; this figure ranges from 5,000 tonnes per miner per year to 40,000 tonnes per miner per year.
2. Total material recoverable, expressed in tonnes per miner per year. This performance metric combines coal and waste rock; productivity of 100,000 tonnes per miner per year should be considered low and 400,000 tonnes per miner per year very high, at the upper end of this range.
Due to the high capital investment, many coal mines operate seven days a week on the current schedule. This requires four teams: three work three shifts of eight hours each, while the fourth has free time.

Influence of geology

Geological features have a major impact on the choice of mining method and equipment used in this case. specific development coal.
Reservoir position commonly known as the fall, is the angle between the developed reservoir and the horizon plane. The steeper the fall, the more difficult it is to develop. The fall also affects the stability of the development; the limiting value of the fall for the dragline operation is about 7.
Density coal and waste rock determines which equipment can be used and whether or not the material should be detonated. Continuous mining equipment (such as bucket bucket shovels commonly used in Eastern Europe and Germany) is limited in its use to a very low density material that does not require explosions. Typically, however, waste rock is too hard to be recovered without some explosions to crush the rock into smaller chunks that can then be removed with shovel excavators and mechanical equipment.
The more depth the occurrence of the coal seam, the greater the cost of transporting waste and coal to the surface or to a dump. At a certain depth, it becomes more economical to mine coal by underground rather than open pit mining.
Seams with a thickness of 50 mm can also be mined, but coal mining becomes more difficult and costly as it decreases formation thickness.
Hydrology- what is associated with the presence of water in coal and waste rock. Significant amounts of water affect the stability of the job, and the cost of production is increased by the cost of pumping the water.
The magnitude stocks coal and the scale of the job affect what equipment can be used. Small developments require smaller and relatively more expensive equipment, while large developments provide economies of scale and lower unit costs.
Environmental characteristics have to do with what happens to the waste rock after it has been extracted. Some waste rocks are called "acid-forming", which means that when they come into contact with air and water, acid is formed, which is harmful to the environment and requires special treatment.
A combination of the above and other factors determines which mining method and equipment are appropriate for a given coal mining operation.

Depending on the shape and position of mineral deposits relative to the earth's surface, 5 main types are distinguished (according to Pzhevsky) open development deposits.

The development of the surface view (Fig. 1, a) is characterized by the development of overburden and minerals at once to full capacity, the placement of overburden in the mined-out area of ​​the open pit. External dumps are suitable for the construction of open pits, as well as under special geological and technological conditions of open-pit mining. This type includes the development of placers, the construction of rocks, a significant part of coal and a small part of ore deposits with horizontal and flat bedding. At the same time, the quarries have a shallow (up to 40-80 m) and relatively constant depth, different plan dimensions and different production capacities. Overburden and minerals are very diverse and practically encompass all possible combinations.

Development of a deep view (Fig. 1, b) is distinguished by the excavation of minerals and overburden in layers in descending order. Rock mass is usually moved from bottom to top to higher elevations or to the surface. The development of each new horizon is preceded by mining preparatory work. The depth of the quarry gradually increases to 400-700 m and more (determined by the boundaries of the quarry field). Overburden is usually placed in external dumps. When the maximum depth of the open pit is reached, open-pit mining can be used. In this case, the opening of the underlying section of the deposit is carried out by underground workings from a quarry, the transport communications of which are used to deliver minerals to the surface. Development is being carried out on most of the ore, nonmetallic and partly coal deposits with an inclined and steep dip of the deposits of medium thickness and thick, covering all types of rocks.

For open mines of the upland type (Fig. 1, c), the movement of overburden and enclosing overburden and extracted minerals by means of transport to lower elevations to the location of the dumps and the technological complex is characteristic. At the same time, they tend to move part of the waste rocks along the shortest distance to the flanks of the quarry field, to dumps located on barren (coalless) areas. Deposits of various ores, sometimes mining and chemical raw materials and construction of rocks, are being developed, rarely coal deposits, which are located much higher than the prevailing level of the surface. Mineral resources and overburden are overwhelmingly rocky. Features of the 2 nd and 3 rd types of open pit mining are of the upland-deep type. They are typical for complex reliefs of the surface of a quarry field. Mineral resources and overburden rocks are rocky or semi-rocky, sometimes heterogeneous. They are carried out in the deposits of ores, mining and chemical raw materials, construction of rocks and coal, where they are the most widespread and large.

A special type of opencast development of deposits is underwater production (Fig. 1, d), carried out, in particular, in floodplains of rivers, at the bottom of seas and lakes. In this case, the roof and soil of the deposit are located below the open water level; overburdens are usually relatively thin: soft, dense, semi-rocky or heterogeneous.

The choice of a more rational type of development depends on the surface topography and the position of the coal deposits. Regardless of the choice, each type of opencast mining is carried out according to approximately the same principle.

1. Before starting work, overburden is removed - waste rock on the surface, under which minerals are located (in our case, coal). Depending on the hardness of the rock, stripping can be done with or without loosening. The removed rock is moved either to storage sites or to a worked-out section of the open pit. Removal of overburden provides direct access to coal seams and prevents contamination during excavation.

2. For further work on the extraction of coal from the massif, after the removal of overburden, one of the types of excavation is used. These types include geotechnological view, hydraulic view and drilling and blasting operations. There are also a number of mixed methods, such as drilling and blasting with jackhammers. During the excavation, the released coal is taken by means of mechanization. Single-bucket and multi-bucket rotary excavators, scrapers, bulldozers - this is only a small part of the equipment used in open pit mining. After extraction and withdrawal, separated from the main massif, the coal is immersed on vehicles and is sent for processing.

Development planning
Mining planning for open pit coal is an iterative process that can be summarized in a checklist. The cycle starts with geology and marketing and ends with an economic assessment. The level of detail (and cost) of planning increases as the project goes through various stages of approval and development. Prior to the actual development, a feasibility study of the project is carried out. The same checklist is used after the facility is operational to develop annual and five-year plans, and to plan for closure and site restoration when all coal has been recovered.

It is important that the need for planning persists and plans need to be updated frequently to reflect changes in the market, technology, legislation and sediment knowledge as the mining industry progresses.

Imploding works

Blasting operations - a set of operations for the preparation and initiation of BB charges. They are mainly used in mining and construction. Carried out on condition of ensuring safety for workers, equipment, structures and the environment.

The preparatory stage of blasting operations is the selection of personnel, execution of documents for the right to purchase, store, transport explosive materials (BM) and conduct work. Blasting work itself includes drawing up a project for an explosion or a passport for drilling and blasting operations, preparing BM for use, delivering them to the explosion site, manufacturing fighter cartridges, loading and stemming BB charges, assembling an explosive network and initiating charges. Concludes. the blasting stage consists of an inspection of the explosion site and elimination in the event of the discovery of the remains of unexploded BM and failed charges.

For detonating charges prom. BB use various methods of initiation, which are classified: depending on the means of explosion used - fire blasting, electric blasting, electric blasting; from the value of the interval of deceleration between explosions det. charges in a series - instant explosion, delayed explosion, short-delayed explosion; on the peculiarities of the arrangement of charges - single-row, multi-row; from the purpose of the explosion - the main (primary), as a result of which a part of the massif is separated by the explosion and crushed, the secondary - the blasting of large (substandard) pieces of rock formed after the main blasting, the blasting of overshoots and peaks on the ledge, ore hovering when it is released from the chambers; for release and discharge during the construction of dams, canals and pits.
BM staff and storage. Blasting operations can be performed by persons (engineers and technicians, workers) who have passed special. training for explosives and those who have a "Single blaster book (master blaster)". To perform auxiliary operations (carrying BB, loading during transportation of BB, etc.) during blasting operations, workers with qualifications of drillers, auxiliary professions (locksmiths, repairmen, electricians, riggers, etc.) may also be involved, who must be instructed and warned in writing about the features transactions with BB. Preparation and production of the explosion are carried out under the guidance of technical supervision persons. Persons who have completed higher or secondary education or graduated from special education are allowed to the leadership of blasting operations. courses giving the right to manage mining and blasting operations. BM storage is carried out at Basic Explosives Depots and stationary or mobile BM consumables.

Explosion design. In the production of explosions in quarries and mines, a project is drawn up, approved by Ch. the engineer, where the properties of the blasted block of rock or ore are given, the parameters of the location of wells and the structures of charges in them, the method and scheme of initiation of charges, the calculated results of the explosion, the flow rate BM is indicated. The project also contains a plan of the exploded block, the result of checking the charges for seismicity. safety, the radius of the danger zone in terms of the scattering of pieces and the action of the air wave, the table for calculating the charges in each well, the procedure for a mass explosion, which indicates the persons personally responsible for the event and the time of its holding, as well as the scheme and procedure for protecting the danger zone of the explosion. The surveyor draws up an act of acceptance of the block for explosion.
When using the methods of blast-hole, external and small-chamber charges, a certificate of drilling and blasting operations is drawn up (with other methods - projects), in which are given general information o place of work and characteristics of the blasted g. p., information on drilling equipment, the number and location of blast holes, the required quality of the blast, method of blasting, blasting method, charge parameters and their location, calculation and layout of the blasting network, calculated blast indices (consumption of BB, means of initiation, rock emergence, etc.), safety measures are indicated (calculation of the radii of hazardous zones by seismicity, scattering of pieces, cordon scheme, order of signaling, etc.). Attached to the passport is a situational plan with marking of places B. p., Location of signal masts, cordon posts, barriers, dugouts, boundaries of the danger zone, etc.; the layout of the charges and the diagram of the explosive network.
Technology cards issued directly performers of work, contain approximately the same information as in the passport, however, unlike the passport, they are drawn up on the basis of the project and are not independent. project document... After the explosion and cleaning the forge. the masses enter the actual results into the design of the mass explosion.
The preparation of BM for use and the manufacture of fighters is to test the suitability of the BB and the means of initiation. Loose and patronized BBs with high humidity are dried. The caked BBs are crushed before giving them the original. states. Capsules-detonators (CD), fuse and detonating cords (DSh), short-time retarders of a detonating cord (KZDSh) are subject to external examination, electric detonators (ED) are checked by instruments. Preparation of BBs, manufactured at the forge. an enterprise from components (igdanites, ifzanites, carbatols, etc.), includes the delivery and preparation of starting components (or BB) at BB preparation points. With fire blasting in special. Incendiary pipes are made in the BM warehouse. Militants are made in specials. rooms in BM supply warehouses or in places of explosion before loading.
The loading process includes prepare. stage - sequential. operations for loading BB and delivering them to the place of loading and preparation (unloading, kneading, etc.) and loading itself - the introduction of def. the number of BBs in the charging cavity and the introduction of the fighter to initiate the BB charge, to-poe is carried out manually or using mechanisms (for free-flowing granules and water-containing BB). At complex mechanization loading all operations with BB for loading and unloading from the railway. wagons to the BM warehouse and further are carried out using mechanisms. For large quarries and mines, several. schemes of complex mechanization B. p., designed necessary equipment: loading and unloading machines and mechanisms, transport-charging, mixing-charging machines and mixes. devices. Underground conditions for mechanic. For loading boreholes and boreholes with a diameter of up to 100-150 mm with granular BB, chamber ejector chargers are used, etc., for cartridge BBs, push and throw charges are used. In each BB charge, in the process of loading, one (blasthole and overhead charges) or two (borehole and chamber charges) fighter initiators are placed. The fighter is introduced into the charge last (direct initiation) or first (reverse initiation). When blasting watered wells, they are preliminarily drained and waterproof BBs are used or a charge is placed in a waterproof shell. Without preliminaries. drainage of flooded wells, loading is carried out in small portions of BB to eliminate the formation of a plug on the water surface, or BB is charged by placing the charge in polyethylene. In mines that are hazardous in terms of gas and dust, the entire calculated charge is simultaneously sent into the hole to protect it. BB, consisting of several. cartridges to eliminate the possibility of gaps between coal or rock cartridges.

The hammering is a time-consuming operation and therefore. In the amount of blasting work, it is mechanized (for small volumes, stemming is usually done manually). In the quarries, the stemming is carried out by specials. Driving machines. In coal mines (especially hazardous for gas and dust), the use of stemming is mandatory and its length is regulated by the nature of the face and the depth of the holes.
Installation of an explosive network and initiation of charges. When electric. When blasting, the terminal wires from the ED are connected to the explosive network using the district and main wires, then the explosive network is checked with a device, the ends of the main wires are connected to the current source, a combat signal is given and the current is turned on. When exploding with the help of the LH, its ends coming from the charges are attached to the main threads. After visual inspection of the network, two CDs or two EDs are connected to the end of the highway, the network is checked, a combat signal is given, and the OSh is ignited, or the current is switched on into the explosive network. In the CCCP, in case of fire detonation, the installation of the network is not carried out and each section of the OSh coming from the charges is ignited and detonated separately. With electric fire detonation, ignition of the sections of the fireball going to the charges is carried out by electric ignitors mounted in the electric. chain. Simultaneously. setting fire to several. Osh sections (5 and more) are carried out by group ignition cartridges.

Inspection of the explosion site is carried out at a time interval established by the rules, but not earlier than full ventilation. The detonator (blast leader) visually determines the possibility of admission for the work of workers and mechanisms, removes dangerous hanging pieces in the face and checks that there are no failed charges and remnants of unexploded BM. If there are no faults, a clear signal is given. If failures are found, work is carried out to eliminate them, during which it is prohibited to perform other work and allow workers to enter the face. Eliminate charges by re-detonating a failed charge; driving parallel boreholes, boreholes or chambers and blasting them for opening and subsequent destruction of charges; by extracting the charge.
Safety in blasting operations includes a system of organization and technical measures aimed at preventing exposure to harmful and hazardous production factors. Organizational measures include training workers in safe methods and techniques of work; use of protective equipment; development and implementation of instructions and propaganda tools, strict implementation of work technology, labor regulations, etc. Technical measures - development of safe process technology, tools, created on the basis of rules and regulations that provide for safe and harmless working conditions during operation and repair. Blasting operations are highly hazardous, so in the CCCP they are carried out in strict accordance with the "Uniform safety rules for blasting operations" (the first "Provisional rules on the use of explosives in mining" were published in Russia in the 1st volume of 1880), tech. rules of conduct B. p. in decomp. conditions and departments. instructions agreed with the organizations of Gosgortekhnadzor CCCP. The rules are improved and supplemented in connection with the complication of mining conditions, the development of new BM and blasting techniques and are regularly reissued as a set of laws binding on mines and departments of the CCCP conducting blasting operations.

Permitting documentation. For blasting operations, the CCCP and the CCCP Ministry of Internal Affairs issue permits for the storage, acquisition and transportation of BM, as well as for blasting operations. Obtaining permits is carried out in accordance with the "Instructions on the procedure for storage, use and accounting of explosive materials" and "Instructions on the procedure for obtaining permits for the right to carry out blasting operations, as well as certificates for the purchase or transportation of explosive materials", given in the annexes to the current "Uniform Rules blasting safety ".