UniversityofWollongongResearchOnlineUndergroundCoalOperators'ConferenceFacultyofEngineering1998OperatingacontinuoushaulingsystematUnitedCollieryV.IstominUnitedCollieriesA.BoylingUnitedCollieriesResearchOnlineistheopenaccessinstitutionalrepositoryfortheUniversityofWollongong.ForfurtherinformationcontactManagerRepositoryServices:morgan@uow.edu.au.RecommendedCitationIstomin,V.andBoyling,A.,OperatingacontinuoushaulingsystematUnitedColliery(1998).UndergroundCoalOperators'Conference.Paper262.~and20kilometressouth-westofSingleton.(Fig.1)Highstandardroadandraillinksprovidereadyaccesstocustomersandsuppliers.UNrrEDJOINT.VENTURECOALLEASE--y--tJ:;;/~,~x:;iIr,~i~/','c~~~/c~~L=n$Fig.l-LocationplanUnitedCollieriesPtyLimitedisajointventurebetweentheUnitedMineWorkers(CFMEU-MiningandEnergyDivision)andAbelshorePtyLtd.Theinvolvementofaunion,inthisinstancetheUnitedMineWorkers,asajointventure1GeneralManagerUnitedCollieriesPtyLimited2DevelopmentEngineerUnitedCollieriesPtyLimited300COAL98ConferenceWollongong18-20February1998~LLJ~,.~,,,-.~partnerandshareholderinaminingoperationisunderstoodtobeuniqueintheworld.AnexplorationauthorisationwasgrantedtotheAustralianCoalandOilShaleEmployeesFederatiol11in1979.ThisareawasareplacementfortheNymboidacollieryleasewhichhadbeenworkedbytheunionuntilreserveswereexhausted.Theauthorisationcoveredanareaofapproximately10squarekilometresandcontainedbothopencutandundergroundreservesinmanyseams.Opencutreserveshoweverwereinsufficienttowarrantthedevelopmentof.1majoropencutmineandthemajorityofreserveswereaccessibleonlybyundergroundmining.AresourcerationalisationwiththeadjacentWambominetookplaceinApri11991.WambogainedfourofUnited'sopencutcoalseamsandUnitedgainedaccesstoanareaofoneseamwithinWambo'slease,theWoodlandsHill.ThereservereallocationallowedWambotoexpandtheirexistingopencutmineandUnitedtodevelopaviableundergroundmine,initiallyintheWoodlandsHillseam,withpotentialtolatermineothers,eams.GEOLOGYANDRESJ:i:RVESCoalseamswithinUnited'sleasebelongtothePennianAgeWittinghamCoalMeasures.Theyareoverlainandinterbeddedwithhardcompetentsedimentsconsistingofmudstones,siltstonesandsandstones.In-situresourcesof262Mtin9seamshavebeendelineatedwithintheleaseincludingI06MtintheWoodlandsHillSeam.Anadjoiningauthorisationareaisbeingexploredforbothundergroundandopencutdevelopmentpotential.TheWoodlandsHillistheonlyseamcurrentlybeingmined.Workingheightrangesfrom2.5minthefarnorthoftheleaseto4.3minthesouthwest.averaging3.6m.Theseamisoverlainwithmudstoneandtoassistwithroofcontrolapproximately300mmoftopcoalisleftagainstthemudstone.Theworkingflooriscomposedofapproximately200mmofcarbonaceousmudstoneunderlainbysiltstoneorsandstone.Floorconditionshavegenerallybeengoodduetothecomparativelystrongfloormaterial.Occasionallybrokenfloorconditionshaveresultedfromlossoffloorhorizon,generallyinintersections,andinfaultedareaswherethefloorstrengthis;usuallylower.OPERATIONSDevelopmentoftheundergroundminecommencedin1991withthedrivageofentriestotheWoodlandsHillseam,80metresbelowthesurface,andconstructionofsurfaceinfrastructureincludingminefan,administrationandbathhousecomplex.ProductionstartedinJanuary1992withonecontinuousminerunit.TheminewasexpandedinOctober1995withtheintroductionofasecondunitextractingpillarsusingmobileroofsupports.InNovember1996athirdunitcommencedoperationandsurfaceinfrastructurewasexpandedincludinganewminefanandextensionstoadministration,storesandbathhouseareas.MININGMETHODOI.lOGYMinedevelopmentcommencedinJanuary1992utilisingJoy12CM12Dcontinuousminersfittedwithonboardrootboltersloadingintotwoshuttlecars.Thecontinuousminerwouldcutoutfor6metresandthencuttingwouldceasewhiletheroofwassupported.Averageproductivitywas540tonnesperunitshift.InpursuitofimprovedproductivitythesystemwasmodifiedinOctober1993withtheintroductionofadualminerpanelsystem.Thissystemutilisedtwocontinuousminersusedalternatelywithroofsupportbeingerectedinonefacewhileproductioncontinuedatanalternativeface.Threeshuttlecarswereusedinthesectionbutonlytwoonproductionatanytime.Averageproductionincreasedto1,060tonnesperunitshift..InApril1994thecutandflitsystemofminingwasintroducedwiththreeshuttlecarsusedcontinually.productivitytodateisapproximately1,200tonnesperunitshiftwithapj~akof2,829tonnesinaneighthourshift.AverageCOAL98ConferenceWollongong18-20February1998301Currentminingoperationsarebasedaroundthreecontinuousminersections.Twounits,oneondevelopmentusingthecutandflitsystemandtheotheronpillarextraction,bothutiliseshuttlecarstoloadcoalfromthecontinuousminerontothepanelconveyorbelt.Thethirdunitoperatesindevelopmentusingthecutandflitsystembututilisesachaintypecontinuoushaulagesysteminsteadofshuttlecars.In1998,runofmineoutputoftwoandahalfmilliontonnesisplannedoffthethreeunits.CONTIN