Fachartikel

Electricity generated from photovoltaic (PV) systems can mean a great deal to mining industries who either have limited or no grid access at all. For companies that rely on a diesel power supply, a PV plant can reduce fuel consumption and thus operating expenditures dramatically. Grid connected facilities could also profit from an additional renewable power supply as it provides ...

The mining sector represents the largest source of revenues and the most important sector of Chile´s economy. At the same time the Chilean mining sector is the largest of the country’s industrial energy consumers. The share of energy costs in the total operating costs of Chilean mining operations is between 20 and 40 % and therefore represents a significant factor influencing ...

This year’s Annual Report of the German Coal Association (GVSt), Herne/Germany, is entitled “Still dependable in a changing world”. This reflects not only the fact that all the industry’s agreements and commitments are being kept but also that reliability is the defining theme for the end of the coal mining industry in general and for the future tasks that will ...

Fires have been one of the major hazards for miners. In order to minimize fire risks in underground mines, preventive measures need to be taken. Such means are for example using materials which are hard to ignite and hardly spread fire or hydraulic fluids with low flammability. Testing and assessing those properties is standardized in Germany and Europe. In addition, ...

Since the mid sixties, there were over 200 spontaneous combustion fires in German collieries, with more than a dozen cases of CH4 ignitions. It should be agreeable that the related mine rescue work for the prevention of damage to property should not be more hazardous than ordinary underground work. This claim requires a regular check of safety regulations for the ...

The arising of smouldering fire of slack coal in close proximity of conveyer belt systems still cannot be prevented despite of all safety engineering. That is why it is necessary to find the source of fire at an elementary stage and detect it locally. The GESO Firefinder M is based on the technology of fibre optical distributed temperature sensing and guarantees ...

By adding a special foam concentrate and compressed air to water the One Seven MINING system produces compressed air foam (CAF). The foaming agent is a surfactant and a non-flammable substance unlike phenol or polyurethane. By inundating a mine space with foam it displaces any explosive gases and prevents oxygen contact with the fuel. The foam has strong penetrating and ...

The Institute for Mineral Resources Machine Technology (IMR) at the RWTH Aachen University, Aachen/Germany has been working on options to enable boundary layer detection as well as horizon control for underground coal operations for more than a decade. One of these tested options is laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). After a short introduction into the technology of LIBS, this article describes ...

Freiberg Mining Academy was established in November 1765 by Prince Xaver, regent of Saxony, based on plans drawn up by Friedrich Wilhelm von Oppel and Friedrich Anton von Heynitz. It was set up as a training institution for mine engineers and was known as the Electoral Saxon Mining Academy of Freiberg. Teaching began in May 1766. The new institution was ...

Long-lasting entrapments are a rare but serious issue in mine rescue. Especially at great depth, such scenarios lead to complex rescue missions, even in modern mining. The first challenge is to locate the trapped miners and to establish communication. Depths of more than 1,500 m go beyond technological feasibility and thus require alternative approaches. With respect to drilling technology, the ...