Rock mechanics implications of secondary recovery under highwalls

Conference · Sat Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1983 · Prepr., Soc. Min. Eng. AIME; (United States)

OSTI ID:6080347

Unrug, K F

An overview of the history of mining technology, both past and present, shows that some of the new concepts being successfully applied have changed the reserve categorization and are having an overall impact on production. Past coal mining operations in the eastern coal fields, and especially in Appalachia, extensively utilized stripping with the predominately applied contour method. As a result, vast mountainous areas have abandoned benches left behind by past mining operations. While thicker seams previously stripped were usually mined by underground or mountain top removal methods, thin seams beyond technical or economical limits were left intact after contour mining had reached the ultimate height of the wall. These thin seams quite often contain high BTU, low ash and sulfur coal that makes them attractive for a secondary recovery due to the market requirements. Secondary highwall recovery has obvious potential and is economically attractive; however, with the present state of industrial experience and lack of analysis of site data, a trial and error approach is used by operators. Observed past experiences have shown that promotion of new mining methods has been applied overenthusiastically without prior study and determination of technical and economical limitations. These tendencies have often resulted in unnecessary failures, and have resulted in shaping an unfavorable reputation, especially in cases of sound technical concepts being applied to a wrong set of conditions. In the discussion, some areas of required research pertaining specifically to secondary highwall recovery methods, are identified.

• Research Organization: Dept. of Mining Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
• OSTI ID: 6080347
• Report Number(s): CONF-831009-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Prepr., Soc. Min. Eng. AIME; (United States) Journal Volume: 83-307
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
012000* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Mining
58 GEOSCIENCES
580300 -- Mineralogy
Petrology
& Rock Mechanics-- (-1989)
ABANDONED SITES
APPALACHIA
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
COAL
COAL DEPOSITS
COAL MINING
COAL SEAMS
COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS
CROSS-RIDGE MINING
DEPTH
DIMENSIONS
ENERGY SOURCES
EVALUATION
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
MATERIALS
MECHANICS
MINERAL RESOURCES
MINING
NORTH AMERICA
RECOVERY
RESOURCES
ROCK MECHANICS
SURFACE MINING
THICKNESS
USA