Duration of the project:
01.07.2017 - 30.06.2020
Contact person:
dr inż. Sylwester Rajwa
e-mail: srajwa@gig.eu
tel. 32 259 24 10
The main goal of the project is the improvement of longwall working stability through the development of a complex shield support monitoring system and a longwall mining conditions prediction system.
Significance to industry:
The Shield Support Monitoring System (SSMS) will be developed as an independent system for installation in both new and already utilised longwall systems. Implementing the monitoring system together with a developed Longwall Mining Conditions Prediction System (LMCPS) will lead to an increase in longwall efficiency and an improvement of the safety of the mining personnel. Due to the above, coal producers in Poland and abroad ought to be interested in the results of the project.
Two significant industrial partners participate in the project, i.e. the Becker Warkop Sp. z o.o. company – manufacturer of equipment for the mining industry, and Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa S.A. – the biggest producer of coking coal in the European Union.
Project innovation:
The Shield Support Monitoring System (SSMS) and the Longwall Mining Conditions Prediction System (LMCPS) will constitute the basic innovative elements in project PRASS III. Solutions that allow online monitoring of shield support operational parameters to such a degree are currently unknown, i.e. support geometry and load capacity as well as face road width, together with the possibility to use the monitoring data to predict adverse events that may occur during the interaction of the support with the rock mass. A solution so far not applied in existing longwall monitoring systems is the face road width measuring sensor. Meanwhile, work related to the measurement of support unit geometry has so far been used only for research purposes. SSMS will make it possible to monitor and record the operational parameters of supports in real time, which will constitute a base for the development of the Longwall Mining Conditions Prediction System (LMCPS). LMCPS is another innovative element planned for development as part of the project. It is assumed that by monitoring the behaviour of the support together with data characterising the geotechnical conditions, it will be feasible to warn, in real time, about the possibility of difficulties occurring with regard to supporting the working roof, such as rock slides or support unit clenching. These warnings should allow the mining personnel to undertake preventive actions, which in turn may decrease longwall downtime.
Such solutions are currently not utilised in hard coal mining.
