Shearer-mounted dust collection: evaluation of ventilated cutting drums. Open File Report (Final)

Technical Report · Mon Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1987

OSTI ID:7192790

Kelly, J S; Muldoon, T L

Effective control of respirable dust is one of the most serious problems associated with longwall mining in the United States. This report describes the development and the underground evaluation of ventilated cutting drums, on a double ended ranging-drum shearer. The ventilated drum uses high pressure (1500 psi) water sprays to draw air (3500 cfm) through 12 airmoving tubes mounted in the drum hub. The sprays draw dusty air from the face side of the drum, scrub the air, and discharge the clean air on the gob side of the drum against a deflector plate. During a three-week underground evaluation, the cutting drums reduced shearer-generated dust levels at the shearer operators position by 40%, at the shield operators downwind of the shearer by 55%, and at the tailgate by 55%. Cutting and loading performance of the drums were superior to the mine's conventional drums. After the evaluation, the mine continued to use the ventilated drums to finish mining the panel.

• Research Organization: Foster-Miller, Inc., Waltham, MA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 7192790
• Report Number(s): PB-88-209200/XAB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
420202 -- Engineering-- Protective Structures & Equipment
500200* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AIR POLLUTION
CAVING MINING
CUTTER LOADERS
CUTTING MACHINES
DUST COLLECTORS
EQUIPMENT
HAULAGE EQUIPMENT
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
LOADERS
MATERIALS HANDLING EQUIPMENT
MINING
MINING EQUIPMENT
POLLUTION
POLLUTION CONTROL EQUIPMENT
SCRUBBERS
SHEARER LOADERS
UNDERGROUND MINING
VENTILATION