Utah Development Company Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Journal Article · Wed Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1982 · Prepr., Soc. Min. Eng. AIME; (United States)

OSTI ID:7127380

Brett, J R

Utah Development Company (UDC) operates five large opencut coal mines in the Bowen Basin of Central Queensland, Australia. In total, over 20 million tonnes of coking coal are exported annually from the five mines. Typically, the coal seams dip at 5 percent, are 2 to 10 metres thick, and sub-crop some 20 to 40 metres below surface. In the main, the operations are single seam, but multiseam (2, 3 or 4 seams) operations do exist and will form an increasing proportion of the mining activities as depths increase. Draglines are used as the major stripping equipment, highwall depths currently ranging from 20 to 65 metres. Whilst project feasibilities were based on stripping to a 60 metre highwall, it is now proposed to continue opencut mining to depths exceeding 100 metres. This will entail large quantities of prestripping (ahead of the draglines) and overcoming problems associated with steepening seam dips, including haulage of coal from the pits.

• Research Organization: Utah Development Company, Central Queensland
• OSTI ID: 7127380
• Journal Information: Prepr., Soc. Min. Eng. AIME; (United States), Vol. 82-321
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
AUSTRALIA
SURFACE MINING
DRAGLINES
MINE HAULAGE
PRODUCTION
COAL
COAL MINES
COAL SEAMS
EXPORTS
INCLINED STRATA
AUSTRALASIA
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
COAL DEPOSITS
EARTHMOVING EQUIPMENT
ENERGY SOURCES
EQUIPMENT
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC STRATA
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
MATERIALS
MATERIALS HANDLING
MATERIALS HANDLING EQUIPMENT
MINERAL RESOURCES
MINES
MINING
RESOURCES
UNDERGROUND FACILITIES
012000* - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Mining
015000 - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Economic
Industrial
& Business Aspects