Soviet coal mining shows progress

Journal Article · Sat Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1980 · World Coal; (United States)

OSTI ID:6696062

Khudin, Yu L

With over half of the world's known coal reserves, the Soviet Union is one of the world's most important coal producers. Coal production has been on an upswing for the last 10 years; production in 1970 was 615,300,000 tons, 1975 production was 694,600,000 tons, and in 1979, 712,900,000 tons were mined. A primary consideration in the future of the Soviet coal industry is better production rates for the surface mines in the eastern regions of the country where the development of gasification, liquefaction, and electricity generating complexes is planned. Surface mining output has increased by 57 percent over the last 10 years with an average increase in production for each new open pit mine amounting to 4,000,000 tons. Conditions in the underground mines of the Soviet Union vary greatly. Panel mining accounts for 77 percent of coal production longwall mining accounts for 11 percent, and inclined slicing accounts for 6 percent. The following trends for improvement in development work are foreseen: (1) increased percentage of heading machine operations; (2) increased number of workings driven by drill and blast methods using drilling and loading machines; and (3) the use of supports, belt conveyors, and monorails in conjunction with the above mentioned methods. Further advances in underground transportation involve the following areas: new designs for underground transport systems, conveyor transportation away from the face, and improvements in locomotive transportation. Labor productivity in open pit mines is now 800 to 1000 tons per man per month and, in the future, developments in mining technology will raise this figure up to 2500 or 3000 tons per man per month. Increased production for surface mines is planned, particularly with the development of the mining and power complexes now under construction in the Ekibastuz and Kansk-Achinsk regions.

• OSTI ID: 6696062
• Journal Information: World Coal; (United States), Journal Name: World Coal; (United States) Vol. 6:11; ISSN WOCOD
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
012000 -- Coal
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ASIA
BELT CONVEYORS
BUCKET WHEEL EXCAVATORS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
COAL
COAL INDUSTRY
COAL MINING
COAL RESERVES
CONVEYORS
CUTTER LOADERS
DATA
EARTHMOVING EQUIPMENT
EASTERN EUROPE
ENERGY SOURCES
EQUIPMENT
EUROPE
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GEOLOGIC STRATA
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
HEADING MACHINES
INCLINED STRATA
INDUSTRY
INFORMATION
LONGWALL MINING
MATERIALS
MATERIALS HANDLING
MATERIALS HANDLING EQUIPMENT
MECHANICAL STRUCTURES
MINE HAULAGE
MINING
MINING EQUIPMENT
NUMERICAL DATA
PLANNING
PRODUCTION
RESERVES
RESOURCES
SUPPORTS
SURFACE MINING
UNDERGROUND MINING
USSR