Development of the USSR coal industry, now and in the future

Journal Article · Tue Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1978 · World Coal; (United States)

OSTI ID:6641848

The rapid expansion of the coal industry has necessitated the solving of a variety of problems. The most important ones are outlined. (1) New and improved management structure. The coal industry of the USSR has become a large-scale integrated branch of the economy. (2) Higher rates of opencast development. Productivity in USSR open-cast mines is nine times higher than at underground mines, while cost of production per ton of coal is four to five times lower. Rapid growth of open-cast output required exploration and development of new coalfields, mainly in the Eastern parts of the country, construction of large open pits, wide-scale building of houses and socio-cultural centers, manufacture of high-performance draglines, shovels and bucket-wheel excavators, drills, trucks, dumpers, etc. (3) Concentration of production. Concentration was achieved by means of the construction of new high-capacity mines, radical reconstruction and merging of existing mines and the use of advanced technology and modern techniques. (4) Technical re-equipment of underground mines. The basis of the technical re-equipment of underground mines under the conditions of longwall mining, which is predominant and provides for minimum operational losses of coal, has been the changeover to narrow-web winning techniques (shearers and plows) and wide-scale use of powered supports under all mining and geological conditions. (5) Coal processing. (6) Improvements in safety and working conditions. (7) Personnel training and recruitment. Mining technicians are trained in 52 technical schools. Training of mining engineers is conducted in 31 higher educational establishments. (8) Care for miners' health and well-being. (9) Environmental legislation and methods of compliance are discussed briefly. The Ministry of the coal industry sponsors 36 research and development institutes. (LTN)

• OSTI ID: 6641848
• Journal Information: World Coal; (United States), Journal Name: World Coal; (United States) Vol. 4:8; ISSN WOCOD
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
012000* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Mining
COAL DEPOSITS
COAL INDUSTRY
COAL MINERS
COAL MINING
COAL PREPARATION
COAL RESERVES
COMMINUTION
EDUCATION
EQUIPMENT
EUROPE
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
INDUSTRY
INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS
LABOR RELATIONS
LONGWALL MINING
MANUFACTURING
MAPS
MATERIALS HANDLING
MINE HAULAGE
MINERS
MINING
MINING EQUIPMENT
PERSONNEL
PRODUCTIVITY
RESERVES
RESOURCES
SAFETY
SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS
SURFACE MINING
UNDERGROUND MINING
USSR
WORKING CONDITIONS