Solution 1.: Problem & Solve Mine Design and Planning

PROBLEM & SOLVE MINE DESIGN AND PLANNING
Problem 1
A horizontal ventilation duct reduces in cross-sectional area from 1.40 sq ft to 0.80 sq ft. Assuming
no losses, what pressure change will occur when 3.75 lb per sec of air flows? Assume w equals
0.0750 lb per cu ft for the pressure and temperature conditions involved.
Solution 1.
Problem 2.
Given the following information on a 100-acre coal property, calculate its value: (1) seam
thickness: 5 ft; (2) coal density: 80 lb per cu ft; (3) estimated mining recovery: 80%; (4) estimated
yield of clean coal: 75% of run-of-mine; (5) Btu of clean coal: 12,000 Btu per lb; (6) selling price
to the utility: $1.50 per million Btu.
Solution 2
Problem 3.
A coal deposit is to be developed using longwall mining. Each longwall panel will be 800 ft wide
and 10,000 ft long. The seam thickness is 72 in., and the coal has a density of 80 lb per cu ft. The
preparation plant's reject rate will be 20%. The mine has a contract requiring 15,000 tons of clean
coal per day. A double-drum shearer will be used to extract the coal. With each pass, it will extract
a 36-in. web of coal and will operate bidirectionally. The cutting speed in this coal is expected to
average 40 linear fpm. A 2-min turn time is encountered after each pass. It is assumed that the
shearer will actually be cutting coal for only 8 hr of the 10-hr shifts, due to scheduled and
unscheduled downtimes. Annual major downtime is estimated to be 5 days per operating year. It
will take 7 working days to move the longwall equipment from one face to the next. The mine will
work two 10-hr shifts per day. Three continuous miner sections, which average 1,000 tons per day
(each), will be used for development. The mine is scheduled to work 350 days per year. Determine
the daily tonnage required to meet the contract, the time required to mine one panel (excluding
move time), and the number of longwalls required to be operational in this mine. Disregard any
additional continuous-mining development for additional longwall panels.
Solution 3.
Problem 4.
Solution 4.
By inspection, it can be seen that there are 10 distinctly different activities that take the following
durations:
The network indicates that nodes 2,4, and 5 are crucial because two or more paths feed into each.
As such, it becomes necessary to determine the earliest and latest any activity can commence
without holding up the entire project; this will expose the critical path. For example, there are two
separate paths that terminate at node 2, namely 0-1-2 and 0-2. The path 0-1-2 is estimated to take
4 weeks to complete, while 0-2 is estimated to take 5 weeks. Thus, path 0-1-2 can start 1 week late
(float one week) and still not hold up the completion date of node 2. Looking solely at these two
paths, 0-2 is the critical path because its float is zero. To determine the project’s critical path and
total time, the activity and duration listings previously shown should be expanded to include the
earliest / latest start and the earliest/ latest completion of each activity. This is shown in tabular
form below.
The zero float activities are 0-2, 2-4,4-5, and 5-6. This constitutes the critical path and, by looking
at the earliest / latest finishing dates for node 6, it is apparent that the project time will be 16 weeks.
Problem 5.
A 10,000-tpd underground coal mine is in the planning stages. It is anticipated that salaried and
supervisory personnel will constitute 20% of the work force. Each production crew will consist of
eight miners and one foreman. Several of the other mines operated by the company have been
averaging 10 tons per miner per day and 200 tons per unit shift. However, there is reason to believe
that this new mine will average 15 tons per miner per day and 300 tons per unit shift. Determine
the size of the required labor force for both rates of productivity.
Solution 5.
Problem 6.
Solution 6.
6
Problem 7.
A coal mine's entry and breakthrough centers are set at 60 ft with 20-ft-wide openings. The 6-ft
coal seam lies 1,000 ft below the surface, and the specific gravity of the overburden is 2.4. If the
compressive strength of 4-in. cubic coal specimens is 5,000 psi, determine the safety factor for
compressive failure of the pillars utilizing the Holland-Gaddy relationship.
Solution 7.
Problem 8.
A 6-ft coal seam at a depth of 750 ft is to be mined by a room-and-pillar system incorporating
1643 entries and pillars that are 50 ft square. The K value for the seam is 4,000. Utilizing the
Bieniawski formula, determine if these dimensions provide adequate stability.
Solution 8.
Problem 9.
A 12-ft-thick limestone bed is located 600 ft below the surface. Testing of a specimen whose width-to-
height ratio is 0.5 indicates that the limestone has a strength of 9,000 psi in compression. The density of
the overburden is 160 lb per cu ft, and indications show that 20-ft wide entries may be driven. A pillar
safety factor of 2.5 is to be incorporated. Calculate the pillar dimensions and the initial extraction ratio.
Solution 9.
Pre-mining stress = (600 ft) [(160 lb per cu ft)/ (144 sq in. per sq ft)] = 667 psi
The total load on the pillar is equal to the pre-mining stress multiplied by the tributary area:
(667 psi) (L + 20)2
Multiplying the above-mentioned value by the safety factor and dividing by the cross-sectional
area of the pillar equals the strength in compression, from which L can be derived:
Problem 10.
A quarry face, cut to an angle of 60" with the horizontal, has been excavated to a depth of 100 ft,
as shown in the figure on the next page. At this depth, the quarry floor intersects a well-developed
joint that dips at an angle of 30" toward the quarry face. This joint is intersected by a vertical
tension crack 20 ft back from the quarry face. If the density of the rock is 160 lb per cu ft, the
friction angle is 25", and the cohesion along the joint plane is 1,000 psf, determine the existing
factor of safety against sliding of the block. Assume that the situation is not influenced by water
pressure.
Solution 10.

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PROBLEM & SOLVE MINE DESIGN AND PLANNING

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