Advanced Unmanned Fully-mechanized Coal Mining Technology

Advanced Unmanned Intelligent Fully-mechanized Coal Mining Technology

Recent years, unmanned intelligent fully-mechanized coal mining technology is very popular in coal mining industry of China.

The study and application of unmanned fully-mechanized coal mining technology and equipment which used for the thickness of coal seam from 1.4m to 2.2m.

Situation of working face:

1) Number of coal mine: 2#

2) Thickness of coal seam: 1.4-2.2m

3) Hardness of coal ore: f≈2.5-3  

4) Dip angle of coal seam: 3-5°

5) Length of working face: 235m

6) Walking length: 2280m

7) Capacity: 2.0Mt

The main equipment:

1) Coal shearer: MG2*200/925-AWD

2) AFC: SGZ800/1050

3) Hydraulic support: ZY6800/11.5/24D

1.Hydraulic support with machine automation technology

Install the infrared transmitter on shearer, and install 1 infrared receiver on each support, to receive the digital signals sent from infrared transmitter. By recognizing the location and direction of shearer, the system could realize automatic control of hydraulic support working along with shearer, including automatic support removal, automatic propelling and automatic spraying.

2.Shearer Memory Mining Technology

There’re walking encoder, left mining height encoder, right mining height encoder, dual-axis inclinometer, gas sensor, which could realize real-time monitoring on working face dip angle, up-down mining angle, rocker arm dip angle and shearer location, and could preset shearer memory mining route.

3.Video Monitoring Technology

Install 1 set of mining security camera for roof support every 6 supports, and which is placed on the top beam of support, the irradiation direction is parallel with working face; install 1 set of mining security camera for coal wall every 3 supports, which is placed on the top beam of support, the irradiation direction is parallel with working face. 

4.Remote centralized control technology

Create a "underground control room" on the train or on the ground. Press the "start and stop" button, the equipment of working surface will automatically start in turn. Equipment data will upload in high speed, control signal is real-time, and the control delay will not be more than 200ms.

Summary of application results:

Achieved mainly based on coal shearer memory cutting technology, and partially based on manual remote intervention; mainly based on hydraulic support with machine movement, and partially based on manual remote intervention; mainly based on centralized automatic control of fully mechanized transportation equipment, and partially based on manual remote intervention of the production pattern, Fully mechanized coal mining face from the original 11 people (3 coal machine drivers, 5 support workers, 1 transport driver, 1 electrician, 1 pump station driver ) joint operation .

Descending to the present 3 people (1 inspections, 2 monitoring center operator ) random monitoring, truly fully mechanized face remote automatic control of unmanned mining.

Future outlook: At present,we are subject to unable to realize the shearer localization autonomously,scraper can not automatically adjust,coal and rock identification technology is not mature and other factors.

Domestic automation working face is still in no one cut two knives per day or each shift cut two knives, the rest of the time is mainly based on human intervention.

But with the development of fiber optic gyroscope in coal mining machine localization autonomously experiment ,and coal and rock identification technology .

In the near future, completely autonomous mining will become a reality!