Tomasz Budniok¹, Bernard Krakowczyk¹, Andrzej Tor¹, Wojciech Zasadni¹, Leszek Żyrek¹

¹Becker-Warkop Sp. z o.o, ul. Przemysłowa 11, 44-266 Świerklany, Poland

Modern means of underground transport – Technical and economic effects and benefits to working environment resulting from the operation of monorail VOLTER battery-powered locomotives

Battery-powered means of transport are more and more often used in underground mining. The article describes a suspended VOLTER battery-powered locomotive, which is designed for transport of equipment, materials and people. The technical and economic effects related to the operation of this innovative solution in comparison with diesel locomotives, including energy (fuel) costs and maintenance time, are presented. The article also describes the benefits to the working environment connected with the use of battery locomotives resulting from the lack of exhaust emissions and significant reduction in noise and heat generation, which improves the climatic conditions in comparison with diesel locomotives.

Keywords: suspended transport, battery locomotive, energy costs, operating costs, working environment, climatic conditions

https://doi.org/10.7494/miag.2022.4.552.7

Grzegorz Wąs¹, Adam Kluska¹, Marek Sobolowski¹, Marcin Garbacz¹, Marcin Pałka, Marek Wojtas²

¹Polska Grupa Górnicza S.A., Oddział KWK Piast-Ziemowit Ruch Ziemowit, ul. Granitowa 16, 43-155 Bieruń, Poland

²Elsta Elektronika Sp. z o.o., ul. Janińska 32, 32-020 Wieliczka, Poland

Underground Water Monitoring and Visualisation System at Piast-Ziemowit Hard Coal Mine, Ziemowit Operation

The paper presents a monitoring system for the pipeline network at Piast-Ziemowit Hard Coal Mine, Ziemowit Operation, which was implemented in February 2023. The system covers monitoring of both fire system pipelines and pipelines of the dewatering and drinking water systems. Ziemowit Operation is self-sufficient in terms of water consumption both for technological and domestic purposes. Precise monitoring of pipelines allows to maintain installation parameters at a level sufficient for technological and mine fire safety purposes. The system also provides for the detection of emergency conditions, monitoring of water levels in storage reservoirs, while in terms of hydrogeology it is used for water balancing. Flowmeters installed at the pumps allow the actual measurement of pump performance, determine their efficiency, and thus allow diagnostics to anticipate future failures and take preventive measures. Visualisation of the performance of the system is available from a web browser and enables convenient and intuitive configuration to suit the user’s current needs related to making changes to the system. The visualisation application has extensive functionality for current viewing and analysis of historical events and diagnostics of emergency conditions.

Keywords: monitoring, mine water, dewatering, visualisation

https://doi.org/10.7494/miag.2022.4.552.21

Grzegorz Wojdyło¹

¹Euro-Tech Plus Sp. z o.o., Siekierzyce 1A, 59-407 Mściwojów, Poland

BETEK modern tool systems

During the transformation period, in order to secure sufficient energy amounts and to ensure that energy systems remain stable, it will still be necessary to produce energy based on raw materials such as coal, natural gas and oil derivatives. Hence, mining techniques are being developed to increase productivity and improve safety by eliminating the workstations that pose a risk to human health and life. This is ensured by fully automated mining systems. However, even the best-designed system is only as strong as its weakest link. In most mining machines, the cutting tool that has an impact on performance are the conical picks. Fully automated mining machine systems make sense only if the working units are designed with high-quality materials used in the production of picks holders, pick sleeves and the picks themselves. This is something that EURO-TECH PLUS Sp. z o.o. has been working on together with BETEK  for years.

Keywords: conical picks, sintered carbide, mining

https://doi.org/10.7494/miag.2022.4.552.43

KRZYSZTOF KRASUCKI, TOMASZ KUDŁACIK, KRZYSZTOF AUGUSTYNIAK

RUFUS 3G LOAD BEARING CAPACITY MONITORING SYSTEM FOR ROVIDING DIAGNOSTICS FOR POWERED ROOF SUPPORT OPERATIONS

The Ziemowit part of the Piast-Ziemowit mine uses an active and passive load bearing capacity system for its powered roof support section, which allows for diagnostics, the selection of initial load bearing capacity, and control of the roof’s impact on the longwall support.
The diagnosis of powered roof support section operations by means of the load bearing capacity monitoring system shortens the search for faults. In underground conditions, it is difficult to diagnose failures related to the operation of the powered support, however, the mine is able to detect any irregularity on the mine’s surface by qualified energomechanical dispatchers. The need to ensure contact between the support and the rock mass at the stage of operation is the basic criterion for the functioning of the works performed. Controlling the situation in the longwall related to the limited amount of falling roof rocks is an advantage of the proper use of the load bearing capacity monitoring system by employees.

https://doi.org/10.7494/miag.2021.2.546.7

KRZYSZTOF ZAGÓRSKI, DANIEL STOMPOR

A MANUAL WINCH PROJECT WITH A TWO WAY RATCHET MECHANISM

The article describes a solution to an engineering problem concerning the development of a design of a manual winch for off–road vehicle users. The aim of the design is to provide the possibility of extracting an off-road vehicle which is not equipped with an electric winch in the event it becomes stuck in mud or sand. The concept was based on a review of available solutions on the market and an analysis of their advantages and disadvantages. The design was based on calculations performed in accordance with the literature recommendations and FEM strength analyses carried out on a model created using Autodesk Inventor Professional 2020. The developed device is able to provide a pulling force of over 50 kN with an unladen weight of 35 kg, and also provides the possibility of controlled lowering of the load.

https://doi.org/10.7494/miag.2021.2.546.33

EDWARD MICHLOWICZ JERZY WOJCIECHOWSKI

ENERGY CONSUMPTION ANALYSIS OF THE MAIN DEWATERING PUMPS IN UNDERGROUND MINES

Mine dewatering is one of the main tasks and problems in the mining sector which do not affect output directly but are necessary for correct mine operations. The main dewatering pumps are located at various levels, but the pumping head is always a few hundred metres underground. The number and operating time of the pumps depends on the water inflow and are specified in the applicable regulations. Due to the capacity and required head, the pow-er demand may well be in excess of 1 MW. Consequently, the correct use of main dewatering pumps, at low energy consumption, is a basic condition of limiting water pumping costs. The analysed pumping station is located at level 500, is equipped with ten Q = 500 m3/h (0.139 m3/s) OW-250/8 pumps. The operating time of most pumps exceeds 20 000 h and the energy consumption is from 2.17 to 2.67 kWh/m3 of pumped water. The analysis results and the energy consumption ratios have been compared with the data for new pumps which operate at data sheet parameters (efficiency). This was the basis to evaluate the impact of exceeding the time between repairs on operating parameters and the increase in the operating costs of the main dewatering pumps.

https://doi.org/10.7494/miag.2021.2.546.47

TOMASZ BUDNIOK, RAFAŁ KONSEK, BERNARD KRAKOWCZYK, ANDRZEJ TOR, WOJCIECH ZASADNI, LESZEK ŻYREK

AN INNOVATIVE CA-190 MONORAIL BATTERY LOCOMOTIVE POWERED BY A VOLTER LITHIUM BATTERY

The article describes the CA-190 battery locomotive powered by a VOLTER lithium battery, intended for the suspended transport of machine parts, materials and people.
The CA-190 battery locomotive with a VOLTER lithium battery is an innovative construction tailored to the current development trends in transport in the global mining industry. Having its own power source eliminates the use of electrical power cables or hydraulic hoses which typically limit the use of locomotives. The method of charging the battery directly from the mine’s power grid with a three-phase voltage of 500 V, 1000 V during standstill is an innovative solution. The use of batteries as a source of energy re-duces the negative impact on the mine environment due to the elimination of exhaust emissions and significant reduction of noise and heat. The implementation of CA-190 locomotives results in increased efficiency of works and improves the safety of personnel and work ergonomics.

https://doi.org/10.7494/miag.2021.2.546.63