report on roadway development technology audit...

ACARP Project C17010 Roadway Development Improvement Project

Report on Roadway Development

Technology Audit June 2010

Gary A Gibson

GaryGibson&ASSOCIATES

DISCLAIMER No person, corporation or other organisation (“person”) should rely on the contents of this report and each should obtain independent advice from a qualified person with respect to the information contained in this report. Australian Coal Research Limited, its directors, servants and agents (collectively “ACR”) is not responsible for the consequences of any action taken by any person in reliance upon the information set out in this report, for the accuracy or veracity of any information contained in this report or for any error or omission in this report. ACR expressly disclaims any and all liability and responsibility to any person in respect of anything done or omitted to be done in respect of the information set out in this report, any inaccuracy in this report or the consequences of any action by any person in reliance, whether wholly or partly, upon the whole or any part of the contents of this report.

Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1

INTRODUCTION 4

FINDINGS 5

Utilisation, Effectiveness, and Benefit of Further Research of Technology Elements 5

Respondents Comments 6

Introduction of New Technology and Processes 7

CONCLUSIONS 9

RECOMMENDATIONS 11

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 12

TABLES 13

1 Process Elements and Technology as Ranked by Utilisation 14

2 Process Elements and Technology as Ranked by Effectiveness 15

3 Process Elements and Technology as Ranked by Likely Benefit of Further Research 16

4 Process Elements and Technology Responses – OEMs and Suppliers 17

5 Observations Relating to the Utilisation of and Requirement for Further Research of Process Elements and Technologies – as ranked by research priority

24

6 Key Factors Contributing to the Successful Introduction of New Technologies and Processes – Mine Responses

41

7 Factors Contributing to the Successful Introduction of New Technologies and Processes – Mining Contractors

44

8 Key Factors Contributing to the Successful Introduction of New Technologies and Processes – OEMs and Suppliers

45

9 Barriers or Factors Impacting the Introduction of New Technologies and Processes – Mines 47

10 Barriers or Factors Impacting the Introduction of New Technologies and Processes – Mining Contractors

48

11 Barriers or Factors Impacting the Introduction of New Technologies and Processes – OEMs and Suppliers

49

12 Major Barriers to the Successful Research, Development and Introduction of New Technologies – Mines

50

13 Major Barriers to the Successful Research, Development and Introduction of New Technologies – Mining Contractors

52

14 Major Barriers to the Successful Research, Development and Introduction of New Technologies – OEMs and Suppliers

53

APPENDICES 55

A Roadway Development Technology Audit ‐ Mines 56

B Roadway Development Technology Audit – OEMS and Suppliers 64

Faculty of Engineering � 23/6/10 1:35 PMComment: Move to a line above the Table

C Audit Respondents 71

Report on Roadway Development Technology Audit – June 2010 Page 1

Report on Roadway Development Technology Audit – June 2010

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

A self reporting Technology Audit was completed across underground mines, OEMs and suppliers, and mining contractors with a view to establishing the level of utilisation, effectiveness and need for further research associated with current roadway development related equipment and practices.

Respondents were also invited to identify key factors contributing towards the successful introduction and development of new technologies and processes, and those that were considered to be barriers to their successful introduction and development.

In overall terms, 63 individual technology elements covering the roadway development process were evaluated, including continuous miners, strata support, coal haulage, face ventilation, face services (eg; power, water in/out, compressed air, communications), materials handling, panel advance, and personnel transport. Respondents were also invited to comment against each element, particularly if technology elements had previously been trialled and/or installed but were currently not in use.

Responses were received from 19 longwall mines and 7 bord and pillar mines, 16 OEMs and suppliers, and 6 mining contractors.

Mines reported that 56% of the 63 technology elements were considered to be somewhat effective or extremely effective, with some 69% of those considered as somewhat or extremely effective also being used regularly or exclusively. Mines also reported that 73% of the technology elements were either likely to or extremely likely to benefit from further research. Results indicate that Mines tended to adopt a simple, low technology approach to roadway development, with “new”, higher technology elements (such as continuous haulage, auto‐cut facility for sumping and cutting, remote steering systems, machine auto‐reporting systems, self drilling bolts, push button controls on bolting rigs) not being widely utilised. Interestingly, a number of these low ranking “new” technology elements ranked high in regards to the Likely Benefit of Further.

Mines and Mining Contractors offered a wide range of comments in relation to earlier trials of the various technology elements, or potential benefits that could arise from further research. A number of observations were developed in respect to these comments, including:

The operational benefits offered by self drilling bolts are now being recognised, the challenge is to develop a range of competitive products, improve the understanding of potential cost/benefit relationships, and ensure potential operational gains from adoption of self drilling bolts are not lost in poor process management.

The potential benefits of remote (CM) steering systems are also being recognised, with further development and application of remote sensing technologies, video monitoring, and self steering systems considered as necessary to underpin the development of an integrated, high capacity roadway development system.

Push button controls on bolting rigs now offer improved consistency and quality of installation, the challenge is to take that control off the continuous miner and allow bolting rigs to be remotely operated/automated.

Bolting is recognised as perhaps the largest limiting factor on improving roadway development, with concurrent operation of roof and rib bolters seen as critical in respect to improving overall support cycles. Access to and escape from bolting platforms, coupled with the ergonomics associated with restricted space on the bolting platform appears to be limiting the adoption of concurrent bolting practices. The development of automated bolting and meshing systems coupled with development of remotely operated automated control system is likely to address such issues, as well as providing a more positive solution to the challenges posed by compliance with MDG35.


On‐board ducted ventilation systems or possibly the interface between the on‐board systems and roof mounted ducting system appears to be a significant constraint on overall ventilation effectiveness. The under‐platform ducting system developed for the Tahmoor MB610 warrants close evaluation, while adoption of continuous haulage systems (or monorails) might eliminate much of the manual handling concerns and reduce potential space constraints and/or conflicts.

The benefits afforded by adoption of machine auto‐reporting systems are again being recognised, however their broader adoption appears to be constrained by less than state of the art underground communication systems.

Machine diagnostic display units were seen as being invaluable, although there accuracy was questioned. Development of multiple access levels for operators and trades was identified as an opportunity, as was the development of a “black‐box” style data logging system to improve diagnostics, particularly in relation to unplanned movements of machinery.

Maintaining mine‐wide explosion suppression compliance was recognised as a significant challenge in 7 day operations, with the eventual approval of wet dusting systems being seen as a positive outcome.

In relation to the research, development and successful introduction of new technologies and processes Mines, OEMs and Suppliers reported a number of consistent themes, as summarised in Figure 1. As expected perhaps, Mines were critical of the level of support and commitment provided by OEMs in developing and introducing new technologies, whilst OEMs and Suppliers were critical of the lack of buy‐in by Mines to new technologies.

Key Factors Identified by Mines Key Factors Identified by Mining

Contractors, OEMs and Suppliers Key Factors in the Successful Introduction of New Technologies and Processes

Product or project champions Robust change management processes Involvement of personnel Company support and involvement Good planning Demonstrated productivity and safety benefits Reduced manual handling Introductory training

Champion to push the innovation Personnel taking ownership of system Equipment designed and built fit for purpose Improved operational flexibility and equipment maintenance Test and validation processes prior to going to market Improved performance Reduced manual handling injuries

Barriers to Successful Introduction of New Technologies and Processes

Cost Certification and regulatory issues Lack of OEM support and commitment Lack of operator buy‐in Lack of corporate commitment Lack of management support

Certification and regulatory issues Lack of operator buy‐in Resistance to change

Barriers to Successful Research and Development of New Technologies

Funding and costs OEM commitment Research being too “pure” Lack of corporate support for R&D Over‐commitment of R&D funding to longwall operations Lack of ability or inability to apply technological solutions to roadway development challenges

Funding and development costs Certification and regulatory issues Low cost sourcing by mines End user acceptance Lack of project champions

Figure 1: Summary of Key Success Factors and Barriers to New Technology and Processes

Equipment certification and regulatory issues were also identified as a major barrier to the introduction of new technology and processes and is expected to be a major consideration in the


development and adoption of remotely operated or automated roadway development equipment as is contemplated by this report.

Unfortunately, the Audit does not identify the change management strategies adopted by mines when introducing new technologies and processes, nor does it reveal a sense of the level of success or otherwise achieved in regards to the introduction of new technologies and processes, ie; how often we succeed or fail, or how well we realise the full capability afforded by the new technology or process. The wide disparity in roadway development performance levels between best practice mines and the bulk of the industry suggests that much of the industry is failing to realise the full capability afforded by available or newly developed technologies, whilst a review of roadway development related technology developments over the past 20‐30 years might suggest that it is a long and difficult road from concept development to operational and commercial success.

Based on the Audit Findings and Conclusions it is recommended that ACARP’s Roadway Development Task Group maintains the general thrust of its CM2010 R&D strategy and where appropriate review R&D priorities in respect to the following key elements:

1. The development of technologies that enable bolting (and meshing) to be undertaken remotely, including: self drilling bolts (to minimise the number of process steps and components) bolt, washer, and mesh storage/handling systems and manipulating devices remotely controlled/automated bolting rigs and manipulators, and associated sensing and monitoring systems.

2. The development of technologies required to support a self steering remotely controlled continuous miner including: remote sensing seam profiling video monitoring machine navigation and steering communication protocols that facilitate integration of the differing technologies and

hardware (eg; miners, bolters, manipulators, haulage systems, etc), and machine supervisory/auto‐reporting systems (including the development of “black‐box”

data logging systems for machine diagnostics and failure analysis).

3. Addressing issues associated with on‐board ventilation systems, interconnections between on‐board and auxiliary ventilation ducting, roadway space constraints, and the overall effectiveness of face ventilation systems.

4. The development of shuttle car guidance systems (potentially as an off‐shoot to the development of continuous miner navigation systems) as a means of improving the consistency of operations and facilitating the development of a fully remote mining system.

5. Addressing issues associated with the management of face services, be it via the continuous haulage system or a monorail mounted face services system. In the latter instance methods need to be developed to enable the monorail to be extended remotely if a remotely operated roadway development system is to be employed effectively.

6. Development of strategies to address equipment certification and regulatory issues, including consideration of how the Earth Moving Equipment Safety Round Table (EMESRT) design guidelines may be applied in an underground mining context.

It was also recommended that mines continue to undertake ongoing operational research as a means to optimising face cycle times (ie; matching of cutting, haulage and support cycles), and to consider engagement of change management expertise as part of any strategy to introduce new roadway development technologies and processes.


INTRODUCTION

Representatives from underground coal mines, OEMs and suppliers, and mining contractors were invited to complete a self reporting Technology Audit which sought to identify the level of utilisation, effectiveness and need for further research associated with current roadway development related equipment and practices. Respondents were also invited to identify key factors contributing towards the successful introduction and development of new technologies and processes, and those factors that were considered to be barriers to their successful introduction and development.

An audit instrument was developed for mines (refer Appendix A) and circulated to mines by members of ACARP’s Roadway Development Task Group. Minor changes were subsequently made to that instrument to reflect the perspective of OEMs and Suppliers (refer Appendix B). Mining Contractors were subsequently supplied with both audit instruments and invited to complete that instrument which best suited their perspective.

In overall terms, there were some 63 individual elements covering the roadway development process, including continuous miners, strata support, coal haulage, face ventilation, face services (eg; power, water in/out, compressed air, communications), materials handling, panel advance, and personnel transport. Respondents were asked to identify in respect to each element whether:

individual equipment, technologies or systems were installed and/or available; their frequency of use; their relative effectiveness; and, their likelihood of benefiting from further research.

A four (4) point scale was provided to rank responses, with a ranking of 1 representing an extremely low level of utilisation, effectiveness, or likelihood of benefiting from further research, while a ranking of 4 represented an extremely high level of utilisation, effectiveness, or likelihood of benefiting from further research.

Respondents were also invited to comment against each element, particularly if technology elements had previously been trialled and/or installed but were currently not in use. Three further tables were included to enable respondents to identify key factors contributing to the successful introduction and development of new technologies and processes, barriers to the successful introduction and development of new technologies and processes, and major barriers to the successful research, development and introduction of new technologies.

The audit instrument utilised for OEMs and Suppliers asked respondents to identify:

whether the OEM/Supplier supplied the individual equipment, technologies or systems; to what extent where their products adopted; their relative effectiveness; and, their likelihood of benefiting from further research.

OEMS and Suppliers were similarly invited to comment regarding the application, trial and use of their equipment.

Responses were received from 19 longwall mines and 7 bord and pillar mines, 16 OEMs and suppliers, and 6 mining contractors. In only two instances were multiple responses received from a mine, OEM and supplier, or mining contractor, and in both instances were from a bord and pillar mine. A list of responding Mines, Mining Contractors, OEMS and Suppliers is provided in Appendix C.

All responses were processed utilising a JMP statistical package, with an average score being determined for each element based upon responses from individual groups or classes (ie; longwall mines, bord and pillar mines, OEMs and suppliers, mining contractors). Individual comments and observations were separately tabulated by question or element, again by individual groups or classes.


FINDINGS

Utilisation, Effectiveness, and Benefit of Further Research of Technology Elements

Key findings in relation to the Utilisation, Effectiveness and Likely Benefit of Further Research of the various technology elements as reported by Mines include:

Mines reported that 56% of the 63 technology elements were considered to be used regularly or almost exclusively (ie; an average score of 3.00 or more across all mine respondents).

Table 1 ranks Utilisation of the Technology Elements, with the 20 highest ranked elements highlighted in green and the 20 lowest ranked elements highlighted in pink. The levels of utilisation reported are perhaps consistent with the expectations of experienced roadway development operators, however a closer review of the 20 lowest elements suggests that the industry adopts a simple, low technology approach to roadway development, ie; elements not being widely utilised include continuous haulage, auto‐cut facility for sumping and cutting, remote steering systems (on continuous miners), machine auto‐reporting systems, self drilling bolts, push button controls on bolting rigs, powered cable and hose winders/storage, monorail mounted ducting, etc. Interestingly, a number of these low ranking “new” technology elements ranked high in regards to the Likely Benefit of Further Research as noted below.

Mines similarly reported that 56% of the 63 technology elements were considered to be somewhat effective or extremely effective (ie; an average score of 3.00 or more across all mine respondents) – with some 69% of those considered as somewhat or extremely effective also being used regularly or exclusively.

Table 2 ranks Effectiveness of the Technology Elements, with the 20 highest ranked elements highlighted in green and the 20 lowest ranked elements highlighted in pink. Again, the levels of effectiveness reported are probably consistent with expectations however, a closer review of the 20 lowest ranked elements identifies a number of manual operations or human factors as being somewhat less than effective, including; manual loading of bolting consumables, manual loading of mesh sheets onto the continuous miner, overall ergonomic configuration for CM operation, manual tendon/cable tensioning, maintenance accessibility and servicing, face services manually handled. Interestingly again, except for the ergonomic configuration for CM operations these manual operations or human factors did not rank high in regards to the Likely Benefit of Further Research.

From a statistical perspective there was a moderately strong correlation between low levels of utilisation and low levels of effectiveness (coefficient of correlation 0.7), suggesting that less effective elements were less likely to be utilised. This was partially supported by the relationship between higher levels of utilisation and higher levels of effectiveness (coefficient of correlation 0.4). What is somewhat surprising is that some “new” technology elements such as remote steering systems on continuous miners and continuous haulage systems, which have low levels of uptake (utilisation) across the industry, were reported as having low levels of effectiveness.

Mines reported that 73% of the 63 technology elements were either likely to or extremely likely to benefit from further research (ie; and average score of 3.00 or more across all mine respondents).

Table 3 ranks Likely Benefit from Further Research of the Technology Elements, with the 20 highest ranked elements highlighted in green and the 20 lowest ranked elements highlighted in pink. Those elements reported as being more likely to benefit from further research include a number of “new” technology elements such as; self drilling bolts, remote steering


systems (on continuous miners), continuous haulage mounted services, wet dusting, and machine diagnostic systems.

Those elements considered less likely to benefit from further research largely include proven technology elements (eg; bolt washer dispensers, east/west chain and rotating arm/spinner loading configurations, breaker feeders, area lighting, cable and hose boats), with few “new” technology elements.

When viewing the combined results of Tables 1, 2, and 3, (ie; Utilisation, Effectiveness, and Likely Benefit of Further Research) it was evident that technology elements that were considered to be more effective tended not to be ranked as benefitting from further research, although conversely, those considered to be less effective were not necessarily considered as likely to benefit from further research. There was a stronger correlation however between lower levels of utilisation and likely benefit of further research than there was between the level of effectiveness and likely benefit of further research.

It was not possible to similarly rank responses from OEMs and Suppliers as in most cases respondents only serviced a limited range of process elements and technologies, ie; the number of OEM and Supplier responses was statistically low. Table 4 details OEM and Supplier rankings by process element and technology (and also includes comments made by OEMs and Suppliers in relation to the application, trial and use of their equipment or services).

Respondents Comments

Mine and Mining Contractor respondents offered a wide range of comments in relation to earlier trials of the various technology elements, or potential benefits that could arise from further research and development. Table 5 tabulates these responses based upon the Likely Benefit of Further Research ranking, and includes comments from longwall mines, bord and pillar mines, and OEMs and Suppliers. A number of observations are offered in respect to these comments, including:

The operational benefits offered by adoption of self drilling bolts are now being recognised, the challenge is to develop a range of competitive products, improve the understanding of potential cost/benefit relationships, and ensure potential operational gains from adoption of self drilling bolts are not lost in poor process management.

The potential benefits of remote (CM) steering systems are being recognised, with further development and application of remote sensing technologies, video monitoring, and self steering systems being necessary to underpin the development of an integrated, high capacity roadway development system.

While push button controls on bolting rigs now offer improved consistency and quality of installation, the challenge is to take that control off the continuous miner and allow bolting rigs to be remotely operated/automated.

Bolting is recognised as perhaps the largest limiting factor on improving roadway development, with concurrent operation of roof and rib bolters seen as critical in respect to improving overall support cycles. Access to and escape from bolting platforms, coupled with the ergonomics associated with restricted space on the bolting platform appears to be limiting the adoption of concurrent bolting practices. The development of automated bolting and meshing systems coupled with development of remotely operated automated control system is likely to address such issues.

While improved ergonomics on‐board continuous miners was noted, there was considered to be major opportunities to further improve ergonomics, particularly associated with bolting, handling of mesh, access platforms, and cables and hosing.

While the objectives of MDG35 appear to be well understood and accepted, it appears that there is still substantive work to be done to develop and implement appropriate technologies


that provide productive solutions, including removal of operators from the contact zone through automation of bolting.

On‐board ducted ventilation systems or possibly the interface between the on‐board systems and roof mounted ducting system appears to be a significant issue in terms of both a constraint on overall ventilation effectiveness, the interface between the systems and access under or around ducting, and the adoption of larger capacity shuttle cars to balance cutting and support cycles. The under‐platform ducting system developed for the Tahmoor MB610 warrants close evaluation, while adoption of continuous haulage systems (or monorails) might eliminate much of the manual handling concerns and reduce potential space constraints and/or conflicts.

While one longwall mine considered it all too hard, a bord and pillar mine which operated a continuous haulage system reported significant advantages from installing face services on the continuous haulage.

Machine diagnostic display units were seen as being invaluable, although there accuracy was questioned. Development of multiple access levels for operators and trades coupled with improved training were seen as opportunities to improve existing systems. The development of a “black‐box” style data logging system was also seen as an opportunity to improve diagnostics, particularly in relation to unplanned movements of machinery.

The benefits afforded by adoption of machine auto‐reporting systems are again being recognised, however their broader adoption appears to be constrained by less than state of the art underground communication systems.

Maintaining mine‐wide explosion suppression compliance was recognised as a significant challenge in 7 day operations, with the eventual approval of wet dusting systems being seen as a positive outcome.

A number of mines reported concerns with the overall effectiveness of face/mine ventilation systems, particularly in respect to respirable dust levels, quantity and capacity (distance), and noise levels.

The installation of 6m long victaulic pipes coupled with the size and manoeuvrability of existing pipe installation equipment is an issue at a number of mines, and is expected to warrant further research and development to establish systems and equipment to support higher capacity development systems.

Introduction of New Technologies and Processes

Respondents were requested to identify and rank up to five (5) new technologies and processes they consider had been successfully introduced, and to identify the key factors they considered had been instrumental in the successful introduction of those technologies and processes (respondents are asked to rank these key factors from 1 to 4, with a ranking of “1” indicating the most positive factor of those identified). Table 6 shows the consolidated responses from mines, with responses from longwall mines being identified with a highlighted ranking. Figure 1 over summarises these key factors.

While respondents did not consistently complete the table in the manner proposed, Table 6 highlights a number of reoccurring themes in respect to the successful introduction of new technologies and processes, including; product or project champions, robust change management processes, involvement of personnel, company support and involvement, good planning, demonstrated productivity and safety benefits, reduced manual handling, introductory training.

These themes are also reflected in Tables 7 and 8 which detail the responses of Mining Contractors and OEMs/Suppliers in relation to the successful introduction of new technologies and processes.


Respondents were similarly requested to identify and rank barriers or factors that have impacted the introduction of up to five (5) new technologies and processes that they have been associated with, and to identify root causes of these barriers or impacts wherever possible. Table 9 shows the consolidated responses from mines, with responses from longwall mines again being identified with a highlighted ranking. Again, Figure 1 summarises these key factors.

Again a number of reoccurring themes were evident in mine responses, including; cost, certification and regulatory issues, lack of OEM support and commitment, lack of operator buy‐in, lack of corporate commitment and management support

OEMs and Suppliers (Table 11) also identified certification and regulatory issues, a lack of operator buy‐in and resistance to change as barriers to the successful introduction of new technologies.

Respondents were similarly requested to identify and rank major barriers to the successful research and development of new technologies. Table 12 shows the consolidated responses from mines, with responses from longwall mines again being identified with a highlighted ranking. Again, Figure 1 summarises these key factors.

Themes evident in the mine responses included; funding, costs, OEM commitment, cost, research being too “pure”, lack of corporate support for R&D, over‐commitment of R&D funding to longwall operations (the profit maker), or lack of or inability to apply technological solutions to roadway development challenges.

OEMs and Suppliers (Table 14) again identified funding and development costs, certification and regulatory issues, low cost sourcing by mines, end user acceptance, and a lack of project champions as key barriers to successful research and development of new technologies.

Key Factors Identified byMines Key Factors Identified by Mining Contractors, OEMs and Suppliers

Key Factors in the Successful Introduction of New Technologies and Processes

Product or project champions Robust change management processes Involvement of personnel Company support and involvement Good planning Demonstrated productivity and safety benefits Reduced manual handling Introductory training

Champion to push the innovation Personnel taking ownership of system Equipment designed and built fit for purpose Improved operational flexibility and equipment maintenance Test and validation processes prior to going to market Improved performance Reduced manual handling injuries

Barriers to Successful Introduction of New Technologies and Processes

Cost Certification and regulatory issues Lack of OEM support and commitment Lack of operator buy‐in Lack of corporate commitment Lack of management support

Certification and regulatory issues Lack of operator buy‐in Resistance to change

Barriers to Successful Research and Development of New Technologies

Funding and costs OEM commitment Research being too “pure” Lack of corporate support for R&D Over‐commitment of R&D funding to longwall operations Lack of ability or inability to apply technological solutions to

Funding and development costs Certification and regulatory issues Low cost sourcing by mines End user acceptance Lack of project champions


roadway development challenges

Figure 1: Summary of Key Success Factors and Barriers to New Technology and Processes

While Mines, OEMs and Suppliers reported a number of consistent themes, as summarised in Figure 1, Mine respondents were also critical of the level of support and commitment provided by OEMs in developing and introducing new technologies, as were OEMs and Suppliers critical of the lack of buy‐in by Mines to new technologies. This dichotomy is perhaps fuelled by the Mines’ preference to develop localised solutions to their technology requirements (with perhaps a leaning towards higher level technologies), whereas OEMs seek to develop global products in order to offset development costs (with perhaps a leaning towards lower or simpler levels of technology).

Equipment certification and regulatory issues have also been identified as a major barrier in the introduction of new technology and processes (and is possibly a factor in OEMs’ preferences towards lower technology solutions) and is expected to be a major consideration in the development and adoption of remotely operated or automated roadway development equipment.

Unfortunately, the Audit does not identify the change management strategies adopted by mines when introducing new technologies and processes, nor does it reveal a sense of the level of success or otherwise achieved in regards to the introduction of new technologies and processes, ie; how often we succeed or fail, or how well we realise the full capability afforded by the new technology or process. The wide disparity in roadway development performance levels between best practice mines and the bulk of the industry suggests that the industry is failing to realise the full capability afforded by available or newly developed technologies, whilst a review of roadway development related technology developments over the past 20‐30 years (eg; Maintel Development Machine, Kemcoal Beaver, Joy 1FCT – 4FCT, Klockner Becorit continuous haulage, Joy Sumps Shearer, Mobile Boot Ends, 12CM20, 12CM30, ABM20, ABM25,) might suggest that it is a long and difficult road from concept development to commercial success.

Again unfortunately, the Audit does not identify the change management strategies adopted by mines when introducing new technologies and processes. a sense of the level of success or otherwise achieved in regards to the introduction of new technologies and processes, ie; how often we succeed

CONCLUSIONS

The Technology Audit provides an industry wide picture of the level of utilisation and relative effectiveness of current roadway development equipment and systems. The Audit also identifies potential areas for further research and development together with the challenges associated with the research, development and introduction of new technology and processes into an underground environment.

The Audit clearly identifies that in overall terms bolting is perhaps the most significant challenge facing the industry in respect to improving roadway development performance, including:

self drilling bolts push button controls on bolting rigs concurrent operation of roof and rib bolting rigs improving ergonomics associated with access to and operation of bolting rigs addressing issues associated with the adoption of and compliance with current Guidelines

(MDG35).

Whilst ever continuous miners are required to operate within a 5.0–5.4m wide 2.5–3.5m high operating envelope, provide effective roof and rib support within metres of the face, be able to break away and mine cut throughs between adjoining roadways, and cut coal at instantaneous rates of 30‐40tpm, it is unlikely that designers and manufacturers will be able to incorporate the concurrent operation of manually operated bolting and meshing systems within an ergonomically acceptable on‐board work environment.


Therefore, future roadway development R&D should, as a priority, focus on developing technologies that enable bolting (and meshing) to be undertaken remotely, including:

self drilling bolts (to minimise the number of process steps and components) bolt, washer, and mesh storage/handling systems and manipulating devices remotely controlled/automated bolting rigs and manipulators, and associated sensing and monitoring systems.

A continuing focus on the development of technologies required to support a self steering remotely controlled continuous miner should also be maintained, including remote sensing, seam profiling, video monitoring and navigation technologies. These technologies need to be supported by state of the art underground communication systems, the development of communication protocols that facilitate integration of the differing technologies and hardware (eg; miners, bolters, manipulators, haulage systems, etc), and the development of machine supervisory/auto‐reporting systems (including the development of “black‐box” data logging systems for machine diagnostics and failure analysis).

Current research into automated bolting and mesh handling systems has identified significant issues in regards to space constraints in and around the continuous miner, particularly in respect to potential conflicts between bolt and mesh storage/handling systems, and on‐board ducting systems and connections to the auxiliary ventilation ducting. Similar constraints were identified by mines in the Audit in respect to on‐board ducting systems and connections to the auxiliary ventilation ducts, and between roof/monorail mounted ducting and shuttle cars, with mines also identifying issues in respect to the effectiveness and capacity of current face ventilation systems.

The development of higher capacity roadway development systems will result in higher linear rates of advance in gateroads, which in turn is likely to result in increased rib emissions (unless more extensive gas drainage is undertaken). Further consideration of issues associated with on‐board ventilation systems, interconnections between on‐board and auxiliary ventilation ducting, roadway space constraints, and the overall effectiveness of face ventilation systems is warranted as an emerging priority.

Batch haulage systems (eg; shuttle cars, battery/diesel haulers) are unlikely to surface as a major constraint to improved roadway development performance until such time as self drilling bolts and automated bolting and meshing systems are developed and adopted, and utilised in conjunction with concurrent sumping, cutting, and bolting operations. Further, the matching of cutting, haulage and support cycles has recently been recognised as a major contributor to improved development rates, with a number of mines increasing the size of shuttle cars to optimise current face cycles. Larger shuttle cars have also introduced issues in respect to space constraints in roadways, particularly in regards to shuttle car/ventilation duct interferences and the application of monorail mounted services management systems. Ongoing operational research by mines into the optimisation of face cycles is warranted (ie; matching of cutting, haulage and support cycles), while the development of shuttle car guidance systems, potentially as an off‐shoot to the development of continuous miner navigation systems, may offer improved consistency of operation and facilitate the development of a fully remote mining system.

The introduction of continuous haulage systems into bord and pillar operations will provide an opportunity for longwall mines to evaluate the potential application of proven continuous haulage systems to gateroad development, not only as a coal clearance system but as a means of mounting face services on the haulage system to eliminate manual handling of ducting, cables, and hoses. Monorails are increasingly being utilised to manage face services and are reportedly highly effective however full integration of the ventilation system has largely been ignored, with the weight of monorail segments understood to be a limiting factor. The development of a remotely operated mining system will require means to manage face services, be it via the continuous haulage system or a monorail mounted face services system. In the latter instance methods need to be developed to enable the monorail to be extended remotely.


The concept of developing a high capacity roadway development system capable of sustained production rates of 10MPOH 20 hours a day as contemplated by ACARP’s CM2010 R&D strategy is expected to reflect similar key success factors, and to experience similar barriers to its successful development as experienced with existing technologies. While the project objectives may appear visionary, there is an emerging recognition that adoption of emerging technologies such as bolter‐miners, self drilling bolts, and continuous haulage systems could, in best practice mines, almost realise the 10MPOH objective – the challenge then is to make that rate sustainable, and to minimise or eliminate process downtime. The project also has other key factors in its favour, being the recent highly successful development of the longwall automation system under the ACARP banner, with a number of the key longwall automation players also being involved in the Roadway Development Task Group. The Task Group also recognises the necessity of developing a critical mass to pursue development and adoption of the necessary technologies, and to gain OEM commitment and support for their commercialisation. The successes achieved by Earth Moving Equipment Safety Round Table (EMESRT) in developing design guidelines for surface mining equipment are also likely to be applicable in an underground mining context, and may become an essential element in any strategy aimed at addressing current certification and regulatory issues.

RECOMMENDATIONS

It is recommended that ACARP’s Roadway Development Task Group maintains the general thrust of its CM2010 R&D strategy and where appropriate review R&D priorities in respect to the following key elements:

1. The development of technologies that enable bolting (and meshing) to be undertaken remotely, including: self drilling bolts (to minimise the number of process steps and components) bolt, washer, and mesh storage/handling systems and manipulating devices remotely controlled/automated bolting rigs and manipulators, and associated sensing and monitoring systems.

2. The development of technologies required to support a self steering remotely controlled continuous miner including: remote sensing seam profiling video monitoring machine navigation and steering communication protocols that facilitate integration of the differing technologies and

hardware (eg; miners, bolters, manipulators, haulage systems, etc), and machine supervisory/auto‐reporting systems (including the development of “black‐box”

data logging systems for machine diagnostics and failure analysis).

3. Addressing issues associated with on‐board ventilation systems, interconnections between on‐board and auxiliary ventilation ducting, roadway space constraints, and the overall effectiveness of face ventilation systems.

4. The development of shuttle car guidance systems (potentially as an off‐shoot to the development of continuous miner navigation systems) as a means of improving the consistency of operations and facilitating the development of a fully remote mining system.

5. Addressing issues associated with the management of face services, be it via the continuous haulage system or a monorail mounted face services system. In the latter instance methods need to be developed to enable the monorail to be extended remotely if a remotely operated roadway development system is to be employed effectively.

6. Development of strategies to address equipment certification and regulatory issues, including consideration of how the Earth Moving Equipment Safety Round Table (EMESRT) design guidelines may be applied in an underground mining context.


It is also recommended that mines continue to undertake ongoing operational research as a means to optimising face cycle times (ie; matching of cutting, haulage and support cycles), and to consider engagement of change management expertise as part of any strategy to introduce new roadway development technologies and processes.


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The contribution from participating Mines, Mining Contractors, OEMs and Suppliers is greatly acknowledged, as is the support of ACARP’s Roadway Development Task Group in circulating the audit instrument to Mine Staff. The support from Associate Professor Ernest Baafi and student Christopher Brunero is also acknowledged, their help was invaluable in compiling and analysing the responses. Gary A Gibson GaryGibson&ASSOCIATES


LIST OF TABLES

Table Title Page

1 Process Elements and Technology as Ranked by Utilisation 14

2 Process Elements and Technology as Ranked by Effectiveness 15

3 Process Elements and Technology as Ranked by Likely Benefit of Further Research 16

4 Process Elements and Technology Responses – OEMs and Suppliers 17

5 Observations Relating to the Utilisation of and Requirement for Further Research of Process Elements and Technologies – as ranked by research priority

24

6 Key Factors Contributing to the Successful Introduction of New Technologies and Processes – Mine Responses

41

7 Factors Contributing to the Successful Introduction of New Technologies and Processes – Mining Contractors

44

8 Key Factors Contributing to the Successful Introduction of New Technologies and Processes – OEMs and Suppliers

45

9 Barriers or Factors Impacting the Introduction of New Technologies and Processes – Mines

47

10 Barriers or Factors Impacting the Introduction of New Technologies and Processes – Mining Contractors

48

11 Barriers or Factors Impacting the Introduction of New Technologies and Processes – OEMs and Suppliers

49

12 Major Barriers to the Successful Research, Development and Introduction of New Technologies – Mines

50

13 Major Barriers to the Successful Research, Development and Introduction of New Technologies – Mining Contractors

52

14 Major Barriers to the Successful Research, Development and Introduction of New Technologies – OEMs and Suppliers

53



Table 1: Process Elements and Technology as Ranked by Utilisation


Table 2: Process Elements and Technology as Ranked by Effectiveness



Table 3: Process Elements and Technology as Ranked by Likely Benefit of Further Research


Table 4: Process Elements and Technology Responses – OEMs and Suppliers

No Process Element and Technology Supplied Extent Adopted

Efficiency Further Research

Comments and Responses

1.00 Continuous Miners 1.01 Remote control operation of CM functions

(eg; radio) Y 4 4 3

1.01 Y 4 4 3 Joy is currently working on new generation of handheld remote 1.01 Y 4 4 3 Improve ergonomics of the transmitter 1.02 Concurrent sumping, cutting and bolting Y 2 4 4 Joy is working on the development our product for use in the Global arena 1.03 Auto‐cut facility of sumping and cutting

action Y 1 4 2

1.03 Y 3 3 2 1.04 Rotating arm/spinner loading configuration Y 4 3 2 1.04 Y 3 4 2 1.04 Y 4 4 2 1.05 East/west chain loading configuration Y 2 2 2 1.05 Y 2 3 1 Joy offers the plough exclusively E/W no longer offered 1.06 Plough shovel loading configuration Y 3 4 2 1.07 Scrolling head assisted loading Y 2 4 2 1.08 Operator display units (eg; cutting height,

loads, etc) Y 2 4 2 Works well in Place Change applications so driver knows what is happening on

the machine when it is under unsupported roof 1.08 Y 3 4 2 1.08 Y 4 3 2 1.09 Machine diagnostic display units Y 4 3 2 1.09 Y 4 4 3 1.09 Y 4 4 2 1.09 Y 1 4 4 New application, so not widely deployed yet 1.10 Machine auto‐reporting systems Y 2 3 4 Some issues with mine maintaining infrastructure. Data communications not

fully developed. Need better data analysis systems 1.10 Y 1 3 4 New application, so not widely deployed yet 1.10 Y 1 4 3 1.10 Y 2 2 3 Problems collecting data via manual downloads. Will only be really effective

with real time data communications 1.11 Automated lubrication systems Y 1 3 2 1.11 Y 2 3 3 Issue is that there is no way of checking if lube is getting to where it should get

to 1.12 Area lighting systems N Only really applicable to bolter miners 1.12 Y 4 4 1 used on miner bolters but not place change machines 1.12 Y 3 4 2 1.13 Operator access and egress N Only really applicable to bolter miner





1.13 Y 4 4 4 1.14 Maintenance accessibility and servicing Y 4 4 3 1.14 N Assume this relates to OEM supplied service contracts 2.00 Strata Support 2.01 Concurrent operation of roof and rib

bolters Y 2 4 3

2.02 Push button controls on bolting rigs N No but have seen auto bolters at Crinum East and they remove much of the operator dependence making it easier and less variable, using the auto bolters each bolt installation should be identical in terms of spin and hold times.

2.02 N 1 3 4 Still under development 2.03 Automated bolting systems N No but have seen auto bolters at Crinum East and they remove much of the

operator dependence making it easier and less variable, using the auto bolters each bolt installation should be identical in terms of spin and hold times.

2.03 Y 1 3 4 Equipment OEM's need to discuss with strata reinforcement company's. Lack of support.

2.03 Y 4 4 3 2.04 Roof mesh racking system on CM Y 1 3 4 Initial trails conducted. Requires further investigation. Lack of Industry support 2.04 N Currently being researched at University of Wollongong 2.04 Y 2 3 3 2.05 Bolt storage cassettes or pods Y 3 3 2 Pods and Cassettes are fairly commonly 2.05 Y 3 3 2 2.05 Y 3 3 4 Bolt storage systems are generally the last in the design chain. The parameters

are defined by what available space is left rather then what is actually required. 2.05 Y 3 4 3 2.05 Y Used on mobile bolters not bolter miners 2.05 Y 3 4 3 2.06 Tendon/cable tensioners Y 4 4 3 Involves manual handling. Possible research to reduce weight. Scale of market

limitations 2.06 Y 3 3 3 Hydraulic tensioners are heavy and can cause strains along with hydraulic

injection risk. They will always be around for high cable tension so should be made lighter & safer. Lower tension cables (>10t) will not require hydraulic tensioners due to recent developments by Jennmar ToTo device and the Resco threaded end fitting.

2.06 Y 2 4 3 2.07 Roof fall protection devices Y 3 4 3 Category too broad. Needs to be broken down into specifics 2.07 Y 2 4 3 Joy offers MGD35 compliant TRS system 2.08 Rib fall protection devices Y 3 4 3 Category too broad. Needs to be broken down into specifics 2.08 Y 3 4 3





2.10 Self drilling roof or rib bolts Y 1 4 4 New modifications being trialled in next 3 months. Commercial availability of the SDRB technology expected by end of 2010.

2.10 Y 1 3 4 This is considered the ultimate product for faster development metres. Yet to develop a product that will achieve the same degree of roof support effectiveness

2.10 Y Working with Ground Support Services (Peter Gray) to trial this new technology SDRB on surface and u/g. Most prospective users are very keen to try. Delays are being overcome. Should perform u/g trial by end August. Minova Operations are using Self Drilling fibreglass bolts for PUR injection on faces etc.

2.10 Y 3 4 3 2.10 N Joy bolting equipment is designed to 3rd party consumables 2.11 Long roof tendons/cables N Joy bolting equipment is designed to 3rd party consumables 2.11 Y 3 4 4 Adopted well , safer & more efficient 2.11 Y 4 4 3 2.11 Y 3 4 4 Lack of industry support in expanding research 2.11 Y Minova entering this market now. All mines very willing to evaluate. 2.11 Y 3 4 3 There is greater range of groutable long tendons on the market these days.

Better systems of grouting for "bottom‐up" applications and quality control of grout etc would be good developments

2.12 Other Y 2 4 4 New technology in resin anchors has improved the performance of roof bolts systems. Lack of supplier support limited technology introduction

2.12 Other Y 2 4 1 3.00 Coal Haulage 3.01 Shuttle car coal haulage systems Y 4 4 3 3.01 Y 4 3 2 3.02 Battery/diesel hauler haulage systems Y 2 2 3 Heat and filter life on the diesel Battery life on bad floor conditions and battery

handling infrastructure 3.02 Y not in Australia 3.03 Continuous haulage systems Y 2 4 3 3.03 N System soon to be installed. No experience yet 3.04 Breaker feeders Y 4 3 2 3.04 Y 4 4 2 3.05 Mobile boot ends Y 3 4 2 4.00 Face Ventilation 4.01 On‐board ducted ventilation systems N Can feed straight into CES monorail mounted vent system 4.01 Y 2 4 3





4.02 Monorail mounted ducting systems Y 2 4 4 CES Monorail system with flexible vent ducting reduces injuries from handling elephant trunk and fixed tube lifting, improves advance rate as less need to stop to install ventilation, extremely low maintenance, allows storage of material close to miner that moves with miner, relatively light to handle, recycle rails and long cycle life increases profitability of operations, multiple use applications when left in place.

4.02 Y 4 4 4 This is relatively new technology and proven results are only just being delivered to the market. We have had a strong enquiry on this product and believe with more operator awareness it will become more readily adopted.

4.03 On‐board or fan mounted dust scrubbers Y 2 3 3 4.03 Y 2 4 2 Extremely effective when set up and operated correctly particularly for a place

change application. Operators need to be meticulous with spray and screen maintenance. Ventilation needs to be set up to match the scrubber

4.03 Y 4 4 1 4.04 Flexible ducting Y 3 4 4 CES Monorail mounted ducting has low damage rate, maintains air flow,

increases options for mining movements, can be left in place when miner flits/moves, expandable to minimise fixed ducting needed, fans may be mounted on monorail (possible)

4.05 Auxiliary fans N Not something we supply at this time ‐ might be monorail mounted to increase operational flexibility

4.06 Face monitoring systems (eg; methanometers)

Y 3 4 2

4.06 Y 4 4 2 5.00 Face Services (eg; power, water in/out,

compressed air, communications, etc)

5.01 Cable rollers and other devices for manual handling of cables and hoses

Y 3 3 4 Cable rollers and cable brackets are well accepted in the industry but reinforce the need for manual handling cables and hoses ‐ some of which can be reduced by using monorails.

5.01 N Looking at for hard rock mines. Currently use crawler rigs via Minova Operations Division for secondary support.

5.01 Y 2 3 2 Can be supplied with Alfabs work platforms 5.01 Y 3 4 2 5.02 Monorail systems for mounting of face

services Y 2 4 4 It is Worth investigating fixed brackets compared to roller brackets in injury and

flexibility outcomes. 5.02 y 4 4 4 This is relatively new technology and proven results are only just being

delivered to the market. We have had a strong enquiry on this product and believe with more operator awareness it will become more readily adopted.

5.02 Y 2 3 3 5.03 Cable/hose boats for storage of cables

and/or hoses Y 3 3 2





5.03 Y 3 4 3 5.03 Y 3 4 2 Can be LHD mounted or fork mounted 5.03 N 2 3 3 Mines that use pipe monorails end up using it extensively as it is light and

multipurpose ‐ reduces injuries, improves operational effectiveness. Carries ventilation, cables, hoses, stores, pumps, etc

5.04 Hydraulically powered cable reelers Y 3 3 3 5.04 Y 3 3 3 5.04 N Major safety features for moving injured workers and equipment not

researched adequately 5.04 Y 3 4 2 5.04 Y 2 4 3 5.04 Y 2 2 2 5.05 Hydraulically powered hose reelers Y 3 4 2 5.05 Y 3 3 3 5.05 N Reduction in cable/ hose damage from better storage practices, improve

handling risks, and all pits would use them 5.06 Electrical DCB/Gate End Boxes Y 4 3 2 5.07 Other Y 3 4 4 Digital based communication and tracking technology used for some years in

hard rock mines is now finalising I.S. certification for some key components which will see rapid uptake (e.g. I.S. VoIP Telephone handset for two‐way voice & texting). Also Proximity Detection Systems for coal applications will be a growing requirement with more remote control and automation.

6.00 Materials Handling 6.01 QDS style racking devices for loading

bolting consumables onto CM Y 3 3 4 The QDS Equipment is designed around the pod design. See previous pod design

comments in section 2.5 6.01 Y 3 4 2 6.01 N 1 3 3 under development 6.02 QDS style jib devices for loading bolting

consumables onto CM Y 3 3 4 The QDS Equipment is designed around the pod design. See previous pod design

comments in section 2.5 6.02 Y 3 3 2 Can be QDS, RAS, KAT etc 6.02 Y 2 3 3 6.03 Boom lifting or racking devices to load

mesh sheets onto CM N 1 3 3 under development

6.03 N One location uses monorail mesh carrier to act as storage near cm and provide additional rib protection for operators walking past

6.03 N Individual mines have developed/trialled different systems to lift mesh sheets onto CM's

6.04 QDS attachments for the transport of pods or cassettes

Y 2 3 3





6.04 Y 3 4 2 6.04 Y 3 4 2 Can be designed to suit customer needs 6.04 N 1 3 Monorails with block and tackle enable operators to load cm when mobile

machinery not available ‐ issue is time effectiveness 6.04 Y 3 3 4 This would need to be included as a part of any future research considerations

in moving or handling these consumables 6.04 Y 3 3 2 6.05 Material trailers for the transport of

multiple pods or cassettes Y 2 3 2

6.05 Y 2 3 3 6.05 N 1 3 3 under development 6.05 Y 3 4 2 6.05 Y 3 4 2 6.05 N Under consideration as additional service / supply to facilitate operational

flexibility 6.05 N 3 3 4 as above 6.06 Face stonedusting systems Y 3 3 2 6.06 Y 3 4 3 6.07 Bulk stonedusting systems Y 2 4 2 6.07 N Storage system for locating bulk stone dust bags close to face, enabling more

effective distribution and loading of smaller stone dust system 6.07 Y 3 4 2 Refers to Alfabs Barrier Bag system 6.07 Y 3 2 4 Quickduster was 1st of its type in industry, now Quickduster MKII is expected

for commercialisation in June/July 2010 6.08 “Wet dusting” systems Y 3 4 4 Future research is currently underway to prove effectiveness. 6.08 Y 2 4 2 6.08 N Theoretical process improvements possible using wet dusting systems. Approval

to use is limiting application. 7.00 Panel Services 7.01 Conveyor belting reeling/handling devices Y Some items supplied on request ‐ technology in use and incremental

improvements over time 7.01 Y 3 4 2 7.01 Y 3 3 2 7.01 Y 3 4 2 offered through our conveyor arm of the business CCC 7.01 Y 2 3 3 7.01 Y 3 3 2 7.02 Devices to facilitate installation of

structure Y 1 3 2 offered on feeder breakers and continuous haulage

7.02 Y 2 3 3 Pods to carry equipment available





7.03 Purpose designed pipe installation equipment (eg; pipe trailers, QDS attachments)

Y 3 3 3

7.03 Y 2 3 3 Pipe handler available as work platform attachment. 7.03 Y 4 3 2 7.03 N Suitably installed Monorails may facilitate installation of pipes ‐ more research

needed on effectiveness / opportunity for improved operating processes 7.03 Y 2 3 4 Pipe trailer designs are limited to "what works elsewhere" there is no room for

testing or trying new concepts as the market is too small for suppliers to develop and test new concepts unless then end user is willing to risk buying a "white elephant"

7.03 Y 1 2 4 A pipe trailer unit was sold into Oaky North early 2002, complete with hydraulic grabber claw.

7.04 Cable reeling/ hanging devices Y 2 3 3 7.04 Y 3 3 2 7.04 Y 3 4 2 Cable reelers available 7.04 N 3 3 4 Monorail system materially impact on the need for this facility, and cable

reeling devices can be transported by monorail for use. 7.05 Electrical DCB/Gate End Boxes Y 4 3 2 7.05 N Can be suspended beneath monorails reducing potential damage from

movements by mobile machinery and integrating their movement with cables along the monorail ‐ operational flexibility and effectiveness increased ‐ more research would define increased productivity improvements.

7.06 Roadway maintenance vehicles/attachments

Y 2 3 2

8.00 Personnel Transport 8.01 PJB/SMV style personnel transporters Y 4 4 3 8.01 Y 4 4 2 8.03 Purpose designed maintenance support

vehicles Y 3 3 3


Table 5: Observations Relating to the Utilisation of and Requirement for Further Research of Process Elements and Technologies – ranked by research priority

Score No Process Element & Technology Comments from Respondents 3.77 2.10 Self drilling roof or rib bolts Longwall

Three mines noted that they are currently either adapting continuous miners for self drilling bolts (SDB) or are well advanced in respect to potential uptake of SDB, with a fourth noting that they were being used on one continuous miner

One mine noted that a Hilti cuttable rib bolt was not far off, while another noted that a SDB trial had been abandoned due to bolts blocking up in soft sheared coal, further noting that SDB need to function in all conditions

Bord & Pillar One mine reported trialling Sandvik’s SDB and noted that development rates would if a system of bolting quicker and not having

as many items to handle can be successfully developed OEMs and Suppliers Self drilling bolts have been around since the 1960's in many forms. Numerous products exist on today's market but not many

consider the full requirements of such systems. Lack of industry support for suppliers This is considered the ultimate product for faster development metres. Yet to develop a product that will achieve the same degree

of roof support effectiveness Working with GSS to trial this new technology on surface and underground. Most prospective users are very keen to try. Should

perform underground trial by end August. Also noted that fibreglass SDB are being used in conjunction with PUR injection on longwall faces

3.56 1.02 Remote steering systems employed (eg; video) (on continuous miners)

Longwall This would enable operators to improve machine visibility whilst cutting and flitting Use of cameras on larger equipment could be beneficial in reducing blind spots and assisting with operation of equipment such as

picking up loads, etc Accuracy of location of drivages is paramount to modern longwall mining. If remote steering could accurately achieve this it would

be of great benefit Bord & Pillar One mine noted that remote steering systems were used on one Eimco

3.53 2.02 Push button controls on bolting rigs

Longwall One mine reported improved consistency/ quality of installation with push button controls while another reported ergonomic

benefits. Another noted that more technology was required The machine has the hydraulic capacity but ergonomic and egress issues prevent this occurring simultaneously Bord & Pillar One mine reported a frustration that longwall shields can be moved from 200m away and yet still have 4 men on a miner putting

up bolts! Two mines reported a preference for levers or handle controls OEMs and Suppliers Have seen auto bolters at one mine and they remove much of the operator dependence making it easier and less variable, using

the auto bolters each bolt installation should be identical in terms of spin and hold times


Score No Process Element & Technology Comments from Respondents 3.50 1.11 Machine auto‐reporting systems

(on continuous miners) Longwall Communication system not set‐up to allow data reporting from the equipment. Real time detailed reporting can only be a good

thing for process coordinators No fibre network to section expense to business versus return for business Telemetry not kept up to machine data displayed poorly Needed as a must, require data cabling and equipment not through supply cables Have had consistent problems in establishing reliable data link to central facility Still trying to develop outbye communications Information difficult to use and get information back to crews. Information needs to be more user friendly Reporting system wasn't accurate, currently being looked at again RTM currently being used as data verification tool. The system has great potential to aid in optimising development cycles One mine noted that it was currently working through the development of a live data capture package with the OEM, while

another noted the software was coming soon and they were excited about implementation of the system, and another noted that it was to be fitted to new continuous miners being currently built

Bord & Pillar One mine noted that the JSRP was installed while another noted that the system does not report directly to the surface but can be

gathered from point underground and brought to the surface OEMs and Suppliers Some issues with mine maintaining infrastructure. Data communications are not fully developed. Need better

data analysis systems New application, so not widely deployed yet Problems collecting data via manual downloads. Will only be really effective with real time data communications

3.48 3.07 Overall effectiveness of coal haulage system

No observations made

3.45 2.01 Concurrent operation of roof and rib bolters

Longwall Access to roof rigs is an issue when rib bolting, therefore operators tend to support roof then rib with 2nd operator assisting to

install top rib bolt. Have to switch from roof to rib bolters Concerns regarding the ability of the inbye operator to escape the face in the case of fall or outburst are an issue with concurrent

bolting. To leave the bolting on automatic has issues with the rigs jamming up and spitting steels out Standing in front of rib borer in bad ground (ribs) ‐ no protection for operator using roof bolting rigs Requires greater ergonomic consideration. Current configurations provide very small working envelope Emergency escape issues Use of new technology is proposed (eg; SDB) ‐ new miners being built can use all 6 rigs together Bord & Pillar Bolting is still one of our biggest delays to production, takes 1 min to cut a metre and 3 minutes to bolt it ( on minimal support

level, next level up is 6 minutes) Two bord & pillar mines and one longwall mine reported that rib bolts were not utilised, and therefore not an issue


Score No Process Element & Technology Comments from Respondents 3.42 1.16 Overall ergonomic configuration

for CM operation Longwall Onboard mesh carrying system for low seam operations One mine noted that side platforms were narrow, resulting in poor ergonomics Hose and cable runs and lay outs are always an after though One mine noted that ergonomics had improved over the years but could still be further improved, with four other mines also

noting that further or research work was required to improve on‐board ergonomics Bord & Pillar Dust and noise and manual handling still large problems even on the most modern machines ‐ more research in to operator

comfort and reduction in manual handling is required 3.41 2.11 Overall ergonomic configuration

for strata support Longwall Additional steps and changes to rig configuration being made to improve the access to bolting rigs Hard to attain required bolting patterns When an operator is required to continually install bolts (cut/ bolt) for up to 12 hours the ergonomics of the machines need to be

greatly improved Stand on bolting platforms Good with available room New miner is improved from the last model, constantly looking options Bord & Pillar Still too much manual handling operators putting in 250 bolts each per shift requires a lot of manual handling Could be improved, potential for issues arising from static constrained postures as a result of 2 handed operation

3.41 7.04 Purpose designed pipe installation equipment utilised to extend pipe ranges

Current systems are very unyielding. Due to the length of the pipes used the equipment is very long. There needs to be work on finding a better, faster, more flexible joint than Victaulic

Pipe trailer are high maintenance due to damage incurred in manoeuvring Always damaged manoeuvring One mine noted that these units are big ‐ they tie up a LHD, while another noted that a Capricorn/ Mastermyne trailer was very

unsatisfactory Two mines reported utilising pipe trailers with a third reported utilising a pipe pod using MPV trailer Accepted method of installing pipes. Capacity is an issue Manual system used, looking into hydraulic system Bord & Pillar Pipes advanced from Eimco platform OEMs and Suppliers Suitably installed Monorails may facilitate installation of pipes ‐ more research needed on effectiveness / opportunity for

improved operating processes Pipe trailer designs are limited to "what works elsewhere" ‐ there is no room for testing or trying new concepts as the market is

too small for suppliers to develop and test new concepts unless then end user is willing to risk buying a "white elephant" Pipe handler available as work platform attachment


Score No Process Element & Technology Comments from Respondents 3.40 4.01 On‐board ducted ventilation

system (on continuous miners) Longwall Mitigation tool against frictional ignition and respirable dust levels Elephants trunk on the ABM would often fall out or pull down the tubes, was heavy and awkward. Better design needed for

transition from Miner to tube On ABMs the highest restriction in ventilation circuit Encountering restrictions at miner, being looked into ABM system had on board system. Current Joy machines only use tubes Would be fantastic on our miner bolter (MB30) if it could be engineered New system fitted to new Sandvik MB610 Size of shuttle cars don’t allow Working towards getting the system up and running again a hire miner currently being utilised is not fitted with on board

ventilation Please research Bord & Pillar More can be done to improve these systems

3.40 5.03 Continuous haulage mounted services

Longwall One mine suggested that there would be too much engineering back up required Bord & Pillar However, a mine equipped with a continuous haulage system noted that services run along the continuous haulage to the

continuous miner allow for communication, air, water, etc all to be at the face at all times with no manual handling Another bord & pillar mine noted the introduction of a Joy 4FCT

3.36 6.09 “Wet dusting” used for face and outbye dusting

Longwall Trial required Approval issues have prevented the use of this product. Has a lot of potential in areas with 24/7 and extensive outbye workings This would be very beneficial for outbye dusting, not sure about advantage in development One mine requested that this system be further researched, while three mines noted an intention to trial this system when

available. Another noted that the process had been stopped by DII Please research (Mandalong) One mine noted that this was not the preferred method at this mine Bord & Pillar Another (bord & pillar) mine also proposed to undertake trials when available OEMs and Suppliers Future research is currently underway to prove effectiveness. Theoretical process improvements possible using wet dusting systems. Approval to use is limiting application.

3.35 1.10 Machine diagnostic display units Longwall One mine reported them as being an invaluable tool while another questioned the accuracy of information given Another noted that operators and trades personnel need to be better educated in their use, further noting that the screens and

layouts need to be intuitive


Score No Process Element & Technology Comments from Respondents On the miner there is the facility to download the event log and downloading on to the computer and then using this information

to do effective maintenance Bord & Pillar Systems are there now, to advance their utilisation requires further introduction of possible delay monitoring s with extra

sensors, etc Could be more simpler &/or have multiple access level to assist operators/maintenance more effectively JNA system better than operators OEMs and Suppliers New application, so not widely deployed yet

3.33 3.05 Mobile boot end Longwall Have purchased for future use in mine extension project Currently negotiating to purchase MBE Attempts made using a QDS boot End with PTO hydraulics. No designs for mobile boot end s are currently available to my

knowledge 3.31 7.02 Device/s used to separate upper

and lower belts and facilitate installation of structure

Longwall Boot end provides separation of belt to install structure Not used anymore, but was preferred by operators comfortable with these operations Will reduce manual handling Overall belt move system needs improving Bord & Pillar Boot put in Eimco bucket Crude manual device utilised OEMs and Suppliers Offered on feeder breakers and continuous haulage

3.29 2.12 Level of MDG35 compliance Two hand operation, shoulder injuries, interaction with rotating parts, this area requires much more research to prevent injuries to operators

Controls over ridden by operators, due to speeds being to slow TRS operation interferers with bolting process – continuous miner not configured correctly for our support system Causes delays and difficulties especially in poor roof One mine reported a good level of compliance, while another reported that some of the Guideline is in place, full compliance not

yet achieved Ongoing program to have bolter operations on machines in Queensland compliant to MDG35 Proposed trials being planned Roof bolters are digital stations, rib bolters are two handed operation Simplification Bord & Pillar Making bolters more difficult to operate is a mechanical engineers method of controlling the issues that MDG35 is trying to

control. Better to remove the operator from the zone of contact rather than create more complicated systems that they are


Score No Process Element & Technology Comments from Respondents tempted to override

3.29 4.05 Overall effectiveness of ventilation system

Longwall One mine reported that conventional ducting was fine, however monorail mounted duct was inadequate Ventilation is a hot topic with the miner bolter where a number of failed dust samples have been taken At end of longer gateroad drivages the quantity available is getting low to effectively cut & bolt Respirable dust failures Noise is an issue also regulation of supply of air quantity ( ie always flat out) Bord & Pillar System requires a lot of maintenance and could benefit from more research to make it more robust Two mines reported continued use of brattice ventilation

3.28 1.03 Concurrent sumping, cutting and bolting (on continuous miners)

Longwall One mine noted that it was a standard provision with ABM20's and ABM25's, and as it was proven equipment application of the

technology was not an issue One mine reported the need to employ a high capacity fan to satisfy ventilation requirements , while two other mines reported

dust control as being an issue with concurrent operations One mine noted that the current system would support while another noted that the current miners being employed did not allow

for cutting & bolting simultaneously Bord & Pillar A mine utilising a continuous haulage system reported that it was still restricted by bolting cycle times, hence coal clearance was

not an issue 3.28 3.06 Pedestrian interaction measures

(coal haulage) Longwall Currently relies on operators Would greatly reduce the risk of machine pedestrian interaction LED lighting and no go zones do not provided sufficient protection for pedestrians around shuttle cars Managers transport roles No go zones, if done practically Mine site traffic rule No Go Zone video produced and comprehensive training Bord & Pillar In our shuttle car panels no go zones are used to control movement around shuttle cars ‐ this is a procedural control and is of

limited effectiveness. The continuous haulage system moves slowly enough that this energy source is greatly reduced and the control is more robust

3.27 3.01 Shuttle car coal haulage system Longwall One mine reported it to be “tried and trusted” technology while another reported that they only use Joy shuttle cars, while

another considered the current Highlander shuttle cars as ineffective and unreliable Another mine reported that new 15SCs were ordered for July 2010 delivery, while another noted that a continuous haulage

system was being considered as part of new suit of mining equipment With the current focus of 2 cars per cycle the size of the car has increased. With this increased size it has introduced additional


Score No Process Element & Technology Comments from Respondents problems of operator visibility and size of intersections required to get car around safely

Large cars have proven to be extremely unreliable Operator comfort questionable Bord & Pillar Same shuttle cars (15SC) for last 30 years We use shuttle cars in some of our units in combination with the continuous haulage Remove bottle necks Some issues arising from electronic foot switches, safety and control

3.03 3.25 Continuous haulage system Longwall The lack of a reliable system has hampered the introduction of continuous haulage systems. Has a long way to go before it

displaces the shuttle car Needs to have more research done to simplify systems for Australian use and address reliability of past systems used in Australia One mine noted that a continuous haulage was being considered as part of a suite of new mining equipment, while another noted

that it was too complex for that operation Current mine conditions would suit, however operator involvement would be essential Bord & Pillar Continuous haulage is the key to the future in my opinion ‐ current system carries ventilation, cables, hoses, and supplies, and

also hauls coal. System moves in a slow and controlled manner with little or minimum risk of somebody being hit or run over by it. It is the way of the future

FCT proposed and installed May 2010 OEMs and Suppliers System soon to be installed. No experience yet

1.15 3.25 Maintenance accessibility and servicing

Longwall Two mines noted that it was difficult to gain access to some parts of the continuous miner, while access to an ABM was noted as

very difficult at one mine Machine design with OEM so components are modular and or compartmentalised and swing or slide in or out would help Could always be better Bord & Pillar Two mines noted that access was difficult for maintenance/repair purpose

4.03 3.25 On‐board or fan mounted dust scrubbers

Longwall Cut flit continuous miner in gateroad development Have used the on‐board scrubber ‐ works very well in the cut and flit process Bord & Pillar Place change mining system OEMs and Suppliers Extremely effective when set up and operated correctly particularly for a place change application. Operators need to be

meticulous with spray and screen maintenance. Ventilation needs to be set up to match the scrubber


Score No Process Element & Technology Comments from Respondents 2.09 3.24 Rib fall protection devices Longwall

Limited use due to the interaction with the rib bolter Protection limited due to pinch points between guards and bolter rigs Currently reviewing design to make them more effective. Have ROP's fitted to miners for rib protection Needed as added safety device Needs further development in high rib areas (loss of roof horizon) and when roof and rib bolting together Rib protection fitted to all miners Standard OEM system Bord & Pillar Can still have rib failures as rib bolts are installed behind the roof bolter operators

1.04 3.23 Auto‐cut facility of sumping and cutting action

Longwall This would enable auto profile cut sequences to be installed to enable machine to cut and repeat to the same defined standard

and sequence. Benefit to operating standards and reduced abuse and damage to machine through operation error Would help with horizon control Consistency of roadway conditions Further training required for operators to be aware of benefits Geological conditions variable on this site Two mines noted that such systems were not available on current machines in use, while a third noted that it was being

introduced on a new miner Bord & Pillar Coal seam very variable and needs to be continually checked

1.09 3.21 Operator display units (eg; cutting height, loads, etc)

Longwall Very difficult to read on our current machines. More user friendly displays required Need better more visible displays. Displays usually mounted well out of the miner driver’s field of view making it impractical to

use effectively Would be of benefit The more the operators use this the better the cutting system becomes More technology required Bord & Pillar Still have problems with horizon control If combined with remote steering systems OEMs and Suppliers Works well in Place Change applications so driver knows what is happening on the machine when it is under unsupported roof

5.01 3.21 Face services manually handled on cable rollers and other devices

Longwall Manual system which requires operator interaction. Need to get operators out of system Removal of manual handling tasks and risk of cable damage will reduce risk profile Two different types of cable rollers already trialled to separate CM cable and water line Rarely used except on some breakaways


Score No Process Element & Technology Comments from Respondents Bord & Pillar Cost and flexibility have hindered acceptance of alternate systems

7.01 3.20 Conveyor belting pre‐installed in LTU and extended on advance

Longwall Belt moves is where we need to improve process ASAP Tension issues often increase the load required to be pulled by loader on boot end Have tried however winch does not support process due to technical issues Not used frequently due to installation standards of conveyor belts Currently the mine has 2 full capacity LTU systems, with a third to be installed mid‐year which will allow belting to be pre installed

in the development LTU No LTU available on 1050mm development conveyor currently in use Bord & Pillar One mine reported small LTUs in use (13m capacity) while another reported that no LTU was used

6.04 3.20 Mesh sheets manually loaded onto CM

Longwall Automated systems will reduce manual handling incidents Risk of injury due to manual handling and pinch point. Need to find something better Manual and ergonomic issues Two mines noted that a low seam height (2.8m) raised issues handling mesh Roof height raises Bord & Pillar Have trailed a number of methods but manual loading still quickest and most flexible

2.04 3.18 Bolt storage cassettes or pods Longwall Ergonomics need work. Still require a lot of man handling Interaction of loading cassettes onto machine and ventilation system needs to be developed a lot further Current system does not match process well. Cassettes regularly returned with rib bolts Improvements would be welcomed Racker system being introduced New continuous miners are fitted with them Roberts Rack system on the continuous miners More pods required to allow loading off‐site Cannot hold enough supplies. Mine does not have enough pods to run system Bord & Pillar Whilst we don't use cassettes we do load our bolts with a machine. Cassettes restrict the number of supplies the machine can

carry (currently our machine carries over 100m of supplies ,not including mesh) Issues with low height/clearance (2.4m)

6.03 3.17 Boom lifting devices used to load bolting consumables onto CM

Longwall Ergonomics need work. Still require a lot of man handling Acceptance from operators due to low seam height 2.8m Mesh carrier being fitted to CM now but is fixed into position and cannot be moved to load machine


Score No Process Element & Technology Comments from Respondents Height is a challenge Need to review and trial Bord & Pillar Have tried a number of systems for loading mesh but currently still hand loading it works well A rudimentary current system, would benefit with further consideration of low height/clearance environments (2.4m) Used by some crews ‐ fairly basic system could be improved OEMS and Suppliers One location uses monorail mesh carrier to act as storage near cm and provide additional rib protection for operators walking past Individual mines have developed/trialled different systems to lift mesh sheets onto CM's

6.01 3.13 Bolting consumables manually loaded onto CM

Longwall Automated systems will reduce manual handling incidents Pod very high on side of CM ‐ too high with consumables Manual loading was consistent, if not the fastest and there were no issues with how the miner was positioned All bolts loaded on by hand Some crews prefer to manually load materials Although our system allows for cassettes to be changed crews still manually load miner as they believe it is safer and more

effective Racker system on site and being investigated to get into service New Darby Pods being trialled Bord & Pillar Old fashioned and labour intensive Cut and flit ‐ bolts not loaded on miner Flexibility of alternate systems‐variable roof/working heights

7.03 3.11 Device/s used to install structure Longwall Will reduce manual handling Technology Two mines noted that all structure is handled manually as did one Bord & Pillar mine OEMS and Suppliers Offered on feeder breakers and continuous haulage

6.05 3.09 Mesh sheets loaded onto CM with boom or racking device

Longwall Automated systems will reduce manual handling incidents Jib onto the mesh carrier. Room for improvement, particularly on Joy equipment Roberts jib used very effective Review and trial needed

4.02 3.09 Monorail mounted ducting Longwall Concertina ducting used on monorail application had higher resistance and provision of sufficient air to the face is problematic Half assed attempt to introduce the system with a limited number of rails and duct. Meant that more time spent pulling apart and

advancing. Poorly organised and thought through, pretty much killed it before it was born


Score No Process Element & Technology Comments from Respondents Size of shuttle cars doesn’t allow System is inefficient without 2:4:1 mining. Vent tube extension creates a 30m unventilated stub OEMS and Suppliers This is relatively new technology and proven results are only just being delivered to the market. We have had a strong enquiry on

this product and believe with more operator awareness it will become more readily adopted CES Monorail system with flexible vent ducting reduces injuries from handling elephant trunk and fixed tube lifting, improves

advance rate as less need to stop to install ventilation, extremely low maintenance, allows storage of material close to miner that moves with miner, relatively light to handle, recycle rails and long cycle life increases profitability of operations, multiple use applications when left in place.

2.08 3.08 Roof fall protection devices Longwall In bad roof condition the ABM TRS is difficult to get to roof particularly if the roof cavity has only developed on one side of the

heading which in our case is usually the case Not as effective on a Joy as the machine is generally in motion. Elephant’s feet have minimal impact compared to the ABM TRS

set‐up No position monitoring on TRS cylinder while timers built into program slows the operation of cut / bolt sequence Five mines reported using TRS, ranging from Version 1 to ones meeting MDG guidelines, with another in process of installing TRS

on miner Bord & Pillar Becomes ineffective in cavities around faulted areas Timber jacks on bolting rigs, activities under mesh/supported roof Canopy on mobile bolter OEMS and Suppliers Joy offers MGD35 compliant TRS system

2.07 3.06 Manual tendon/cable tensioning Longwall Would be better if it could be incorporated into the bolt so that the current rigs can be used to pretension without the need to use

additional equipment Current systems available to us are manual type tensioners. Although they are effective they are causing our operators a lot of

injuries due to weight and mode of operation Manual handling issues need to be addressed, similar to on board set‐ups Tensioner is heavy Reduces manual handling Secondary support completed independent of mining process. it is only if ground deteriorates that secondary support id installed

from the miner Bord & Pillar Used in conjunction with hand bolting New tendon being tested that doesn’t require tensioner

5.02 3.00 Monorail mounted services Longwall Size of shuttle cars don’t allow


Score No Process Element & Technology Comments from Respondents Bord & Pillar

Basic manual system Used outbye of boot OEMS and Suppliers This is relatively new technology and proven results are only just being delivered to the market. We have had a strong enquiry on

this product and believe with more operator awareness it will become more readily adopted Mines that use pipe monorails end up using it extensively as it is light and multipurpose ‐ reduces injuries, improves operational

effectiveness. Carries ventilation, cables, hoses, stores, pumps, etc 1.01 3.00 Remote control operation of CM

functions (eg; radio) Further research required to provide effective barriers to personnel entering No‐Go Zones during operation Still development required particularly from a dead man point of view User friendly units including size Prefer Pempek system to Joy Jana for reliability and simplicity and avoids costly upgrades at overhaul Can go flat, chargers underground may help Bord & Pillar Currently unable to record keystrokes of the remotes functions. If this information became available, unintended activation events

could be confirmed as real events or operator error. Saving hundreds of hours of engineering resources, researching problems that may not exist

Currently having issues with software on the Joy 1232CM giving unplanned movements Still some issues with stuck spools Still some issues with unplanned movements, ie; time taken to accurately analyse causes A lot of issues with remote systems on Joy miner needs to be simpler and more reliable Make remote control units smaller OEMS and Suppliers Joy is currently working on new generation of handheld remote Improve ergonomics of the transmitter

8.03 3.00 Purpose designed maintenance support vehicles

Longwall Utilise conventional SMV dual cab ute with Hiab crane on board Mainly utes with Hiab Would be great at mine Bord & Pillar Maintenance MPV pods used SMV Utes with Hiab

2.06 3.00 On‐board tendon/cable tensioning

Longwall Light weight tensioning units should be an urgent target for the industry. The risk associated with the high pressure fluids in close

proximity to the operators is also an area that could be addressed Too heavy currently and requires operator to lift the device normally above their head Hydraulic swap on fittings Double acting ram required Improvement in design and weight required


Score No Process Element & Technology Comments from Respondents Unreliable Reduces manual handling Secondary support completed independent of mining process. it is only if ground deteriorates that secondary support id installed

from CM Bord & Pillar No problems with this system works well, however tensioner is heavy and can get jammed on bolts. Still a certain amount of

manual handling in lifting tensioner to bolts, etc 4.04 3.00 Auxiliary fan mounted on mobile

boot end or monorail Longwall Need to review and trial Large, heavy structure once suspension attachments are added to fan structure

1.08 3.00 Scrolling head assisted loading Longwall Unavailable for J35 pick block configuration on centre drums Joy Miners with scrolled head currently in service and performance is better than the standard cutter heads Only used on one miner at this time, power requirements higher than standard head Research for application on ABM Not available on present machine Need information before assessing the benefits Reduced the number of moving parts

2.03 3.00 Roof mesh racking system on CM Longwall Ergonomics need work. Still require a lot of man handling Acceptance from operators due to low seam height (2.8m) Mesh carrier being fitted to CM now but is fixed into position and cannot be moved to load machine Height is a challenge Need to review and trial Bord & Pillar Have tried a number of systems for loading mesh but currently still hand loading it as it works well A rudimentary current system, would benefit for low height/clearance environments (2.4m) Used by some crews‐fairly basic system could be improved

1.14 3.00 Operator access and egress (on continuous miner)

Longwall Access on and off the machines are regularly damaged during flitting. Egress on and off the machine has caused injuries in the past Machines are becoming larger and legislation requirements are becoming more stringent (eg; working at heights). Also egress

from machine on regularly bases difficult but in case of injury or sickness (operators on stretcher) it is almost impossible Access systems are notorious for damage. Once damaged they are discarded. Had a number of injuries with the egress off CM Access is always a challenge Incorporate rear step to platforms Better designs required Operator platforms fitted to remove men from working on ground and pinch points next to miner if slewed


Score No Process Element & Technology Comments from Respondents Have walking platforms Platform on ABM New CMs have big improvements Most efficient, little interest in research Bord & Pillar Only site‐added platforms, very basic

6.08 3.00 Bulka bags used to transport stonedust

Longwall No so much the bulk bag but what equipment (bulk dusting and trickle dusting) is used in association with the bulk bag Loading into dusters only issue We have manufactured a bulk device for behind the auxiliary fan that holds 4t of stone dust Pneumatic systems are the way of the future for stone dust handling Bord & Pillar Lots of wastage due to difficulty of loading duster in low seam

6.06 2.94 Individual pods or cassettes transported throughout mine

Longwall Method of transporting numerous pods Pods are only for transport ‐ they don’t go on the miners QDS pods with multiple cassettes transported through the mine Roberts’s system implementation will eliminate this Cassette trailers with the ability to carry 4 bolting cassettes Not the prime method of pod transportation Bord & Pillar MPV pods are used with all bolting supplies incl. Mesh loaded into using forklift

8.01 2.93 PJB/SMV style personnel transporters

Longwall Safety aspects and passenger ergonomics required to reduce injuries Introduced the forward and rear facing seat configuration to be compliant with corporate standards Good on good roads, suspension not designed for rough going Availability, ergonomics and performance Bord & Pillar Converted Mazda utes are used

6.02 2.93 Racking devices used to load bolting consumables onto CM

Longwall Rackers are the preferred method for changing out bolt pods Working extremely well The racker requires the CM, LHD and pod to be perfectly aligned. In the conditions we were in this was never going to happen.

Was quicker to manually load then waste time with the racker. Couldn't fit a pod in one pass, had to stop and adjust every time Used previously, and taken out of service due to damage on cassette frame and maintenance costs on racker jibs Please research

5.06 2.92 Powered water hose reels used for storage of hoses

No observations made


Score No Process Element & Technology Comments from Respondents 5.07 2.90 DCB mounted on mobile boot end

or monorail Longwall Review and trial needed Currently DCB is mounted on QDS sled for LHD management. This has occurred in the last 12 months Lifting bracket attached to the top for easy repositioning. DCB set up on timber and levelled as per mine Development Standards Bord & Pillar DCB is mounted on the continuous haulage Looking at monorail for this

1.12 2.88 Automated lubrication systems Longwall This will improve machine reliability Trades and operators find this item very useful Only used on one CM Would have to prove integrity When system fails has been hard to find not working until it is too late OEMS and Suppliers Issue is that there is no way of checking if lube is getting to where it should get to

6.07 2.87 Trailers used to transport multiple pods or cassettes throughout mine

Longwall With rapid advanced required for gate road development this task is drain on operators & resources Currently looking at this Pairing frames will be used with the Roberts system OEMS and Suppliers Under consideration as additional service / supply to facilitate operational flexibility

5.04 2.86 Cable/hose boats used for storage of cables and/or hoses

Longwall Cable boat system provides good protection All boats to have QDS Use cable pullers on cable boats Only using basic version of boats If this was in a monorail cassette system / reeler Review Bord & Pillar Use cable boats for main service lines to the DCB (gate end box) which travels on the continuous haulage OEMS and Suppliers Can be LHD mounted or fork mounted

3.02 2.78 Battery/diesel hauler haulage system

Longwall This type of haulage gives better flexibility and is able to be used on long wheels Could be used on face road applications Battery life and DII conditions of use around charging stations need resolution OEMS and Suppliers Heat and filter life on the diesel. Battery life on bad floor conditions and battery handling infrastructure


Score No Process Element & Technology Comments from Respondents 1.07 2.77 Plough shovel loading

configuration Joy 12CM30 with plough and scrolled head currently in service and performing well. Geological conditions have not yet been

allowed the plough miner to show its true advantages Bad roof conditions may benefit with a plough ‐ not cleaning up Shovel angle on ABM25 too steep Better clean up required ‐ some mods made to shovels to try and correct Improved shovel design from a cleanup point of view would be useful Need to be developed to a point where load out rates approached spinner type loading

1.05 2.77 Rotating arm/spinner loading configuration

Longwall Better loading system on CMs – ABM25 shovel too steep Better clean up required ‐ some modifications made to shovels to try and correct Good strata supports this operation ABM access for maintenance very difficult Used on ABM's and preferred by operators due to their quicker load‐out rates System is high maintenance and if not managed well is unreliable. If the seam has stone rolls of bands these jam in the E/W

chains with regularity 1.13 2.74 Area lighting systems (on

continuous miners) Longwall Intrinsically safe LED area lighting would be worthwhile. Lights on most of our machines have been around for some time. Newer type lights have been observed but need incorporating

into Coal cutting machines Has been requested frequently Any improvement to lighting is welcomed Adequate Bord & Pillar Headlights only very basic

3.04 2.70 Breaker feeder used to size/load coal onto conveyor

Longwall Unable to tow breaker feeder with LHD's when moving from panel to panel ‐ Power tram required very slow and expensive Used solely in mains development with high proportion of stone drivage Need to match car and conveyor capacity Used as a tool to provide slower feeds onto under‐performing belts Soft coal didn't require a feeder Bord & Pillar We used a number of feeders as well as a breaker in the throat of the ABM25 continuous miner which works extremely well Stamler feeder used

1.06 2.64 East/west chain loading configuration

Longwall Closes up the bolt to face distance but struggles in anything other than clean coal This is a very poor system on Joy 12CMs. It is atrocious at loading out stowed coal and when cutting dyke material. The objective

of bolting close to the face is achieved by spinner discs much better Not effective in slurry conditions


Score No Process Element & Technology Comments from Respondents Have worked on CM's with this configuration before ‐ they were very unreliable Not best option for our current roof support however could benefit with a change in conditions Had on previous machines and further development would be required in the area of loading out wet clay based material Used on two JOY 12CM30, but CLA is preferred OEMS and Suppliers Joy offers the plough exclusively E/W no longer offered

2.05 2.60 Bolt washer dispensers Longwall If the bolting system could be fully automated to self load and drill More technology required Not included as considered to be "just something else to break" ‐ simple spike used instead Metal posts on miners used for storage Proposed to fit to new CMs Bord & Pillar Take up a lot of space in the platform area may be able to better utilise Basic peg system only

5.05 2.56 Cable/hose boats hydraulically powered as required

Longwall Cable pullers on cable boats and hydraulic cable reeler available Concept took some time to gain acceptance in operations Currently use storage boats but no hydraulic assistance Review OEMS and Suppliers Reduction in cable/ hose damage from better storage practices, improve handling risks, and all pits would use them

8.02 2.43 Approved NERZ “troop carriers” Longwall These will assist in reducing op costs but increase the electrical control systems around the mine to implement Bord & Pillar Hindrance by inspectorate preventing their use


Table 6: Key Factors Contributing to the Successful Introduction of New Technologies and Processes – Mine Responses

KEY FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE SUCCESSFUL INTRODUCTION OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND PROCESSES RANK SUCCESSFULLY INTRODUCED TECHNOLOGY &/OR PROCESS 1 2 3 4

1 Tendon installation of the front of the miners without the use of hydraulics

Operators involved in the change process

Operators understood the safety advantages of the introduction of the tendons

1 Waracar (shuttle car) Planning Training 1 Cable Winder Reduce manual handling Less cable damage More efficient ( greater

productivity

1 Robo Pods for structure Structure is preassembled ready to be hung off chains

Easy of handling Speed of erection can be loaded on surface off critical path

1 8mt Spin Bolts Gradual introduction Ongoing improvement Proven increased roof stability Workforce participation/input 1 Currently introducing racker

system (Not fully introduced but being implemented)

1

Ergonomics of shuttle car design Operator comfort

1 Autocut on ABM Reception from crews Method of introduction Key personnel 1 Two handed bolter operations on

ABM 20 miners Imperative to change clearly understood by stakeholders

Evolutionary improvement from initial concept

Ability to incorporate improvements into subsequent CM rebuilds

Technologies incorporated able to be supported at site

1 Two handed operation on drill rigs Forced into the industry 1 Onboard ventilation on Joy miner Reduced frictional ignition risk Reduction in respirable dust

samples.

1 Smaller ventilation ducting (from 720mm to 620mm)

Ease of flitting miner and no reduction in air quantity to face

1 Longwall Top Coal Caving Clear economic benefit to be gained from the introduction of the equipment

Company committment to the project

Designated team focused on the delivery of the system

1 Mesh handling system Design and planning Training package User input after implementation Design Improvements 1 Onboard tensioners Reliability Less work on men Availability 1 Continuous haulage system

(Prairie) in conjunction with ABM25

Haulage is no longer a restriction to production and men are not at risk of machines such as shuttle cars and ram‐cars coming into contact with them

All services including ventilation are carried on the machine – requires no manual handling of ventilation tubes, cables or hoses

Bretby system also reduces the need for a DCB to be handled as it is carried with flexible conveyor

1 Wide‐head continuous miner with on‐board bolting rigs

Removal of manual handling of hand held roof bolters

Control of strata with the ability to erect roof mesh to provide safe work place

Systematic mining process leading to predictable work

Risk assessments used to remove foreseen hazards prior to introduction of the equipment



1 TRS on overhauled Joy 12CM12 “Product Champion” who smooths the path for introduction, explains and persuades the workforce, then arranges training and finally sees it through to successful conclusion

Employees perceive a genuine benefit. They need to have it explained to them and ideally, feel they are “involved” in the process of introducing the technology

Management perceives a genuine benefit. Remove or restrict any resource that is required and the technology will “wither on the vine”

Legally necessary or required to keep the business operating successfully

1 Monorail cable handling Desire to reduce cable damage and back injuries

1 Multi‐bank loop Belt storage Advance and retraction rates Maintenance Flexibility 2 SIL Rated Shuttle Cars Proven equipment Use of new technology Accepted up‐grade Workforce participation/input 2 Belt structure pod system Reduce manual handling Operator acceptance high More efficient ( greater

productivity

2 Darby Pod Supplies taken to rear of machine Ease of handling Can be loaded on surface 2 Development of monorail Reception from crews Method of introduction Key personnel 2 Nitrogen Goaf Seals Clear safety benefit that was

readily demonstrated Simple concept that was logical in its application

Focused individuals working on the project

Excellent monitoring and analysis to prove the performance of the system

2 Currently introducing telemetry and visual display

2 Forward and rear facing seat configuration in SMV Driftrunner

Imperative to change clearly understood by stakeholders

Concept to implementation planning well conducted

Detailed engineering to desired specification

Prototype used to fine tune improvements

2 Supply system ‐ 24m supply cycle to miner

Crews still coming to terms with this process

2 Bulk fan duster behind the auxiliary fan

1

2 Panel ute Supply shortfalls Work Platform 2 Cameras on shuttle cars

increased vision on off side

2 Hilti bolts Positive feedback from all 2 Self drilling rib bolts Hilti One step function Quicker Less exposure to injuries 2 Mobile bolter “Product Champion” who smooths

the path for introduction, explains and persuades the workforce, then arranges training and finally sees it through to successful conclusion



Monetary gain to both the business and employees (production bonus)

2 Auto‐cut sump on CM Training package Ongoing training and technical support

User acceptance Improved results ‐ visual

2 Monorail Manual Handling Reduced cable damage Advance and retreat rates Routine ‐ regular



3 Self Drilling bolts Reception from crews Method of introduction Key personnel 3 Monorail Systems Improvement on manual handling

of cables and hoses Increased production rates Reduced injuries Workforce participation/input

3 Auto lube pod Reduce manual handling Higher staandards in panel More efficient ( greater productivity

Less wastage

3 Adopting good practise and panel standards in development

Involvement of crew and disputes Crew presentations, input and feedback

Building of team environment With every pair of hands you get a free brain approach

3 Hydraulic legs on auxiliary fan for levelling‐ hand pump to operate

2

3 Change to man baskets Ease of having two men in basket concurrently

3 Hydraulic cable boats Robust construction View of how being used by others 3 Plough apron Reduction in support to face

distance

3 Equipment designed for process increase production 3 Remotely operated outburst

mining system “Product Champion” who smooths the path for introduction, explains and persuades the workforce, then arranges training and finally sees it through to successful conclusion



Legally necessary or required to keep the business operating successfully

3 Razor dusters (Bulk) One man function Less exposure to injuries Reliability 3 Concreting travel roads Travel times Safety Standards Reduced vehicle damage 4 Continuous Miner Platform design

to compliment the bolt pods – ergonomically designed

1

4 Duck Bill Supply Pods Improvement on manual handling of dust & oil

Reduced waste Visible benefits to workforce Workforce participation/input

4 Monorail mounted services Well regarded by operators ‐ makes life easier

Simple process steps to make work

Low maintenance

4 Equipment acceptance by workforce

Workforce involvement

4 RTM monitoring Ability to compare production reports against actual machine movement

Potential process mapping and improvement tool

4 QDS boot ends Safer job procedure Less work on men Quicker process



4 Battery powered Una‐haulers “Product Champion” who smooths the path for introduction, explains and persuades the workforce, then arranges training and finally sees it through to successful conclusion



Benefit of eliminating potentially carcinogenic diesel exhaust fumes and quieter to operate than diesels

4 Ratio feeder (Joy) Increased capacity Improved technology More robust 5 Belt A frame with retarder 2 5 TRS on miners Increased safety from roof fall 5 Miner Supply Pods. Improvement on manual handling

of supplies Ongoing improvement Visible benefits to workforce Workforce participation/input

5 Control room Communication Information and reporting Mine monitoring Safety

Table 7: Key Factors Contributing to the Successful Introduction of New Technologies and Processes – Mining Contractors


1 Cassettes and racker on miner Few people pushed it 1 Simultaneous cutting/bolting Good engineering Good idea 1 Cable handlers Operator consultation and

feedback Tradesman initiative Strong skills base Management's encouragement to

increase productivity through design initiative

2 Machine mounted rib support Customer buy in Well engineered 2 Traction overloads on shuttle car Operator consultation and

feedback Tradesman initiative Strong skills base Management's encouragement to

increase productivity through design initiative

3 Lifting bracket attached to DCB Operator consultation and feedback

Tradesman initiative Strong skills base Management's encouragement to increase productivity through design initiative

3 Remote operation of miner Well engineered 4 Jig made up to remove cutter

motor on miner Operator consultation and feedback


5 Jig made up to put up 4", 6" and 12" pipes with man basket.

Operator consultation and feedback



Table 8: Key Factors Contributing to the Successful Introduction of New Technologies and Processes – OEMs and Suppliers

Key Factors Contributing to the Successful Introduction of New Technologies and Processes Rank Successfully Introduced Technology &/or Process 1 2 3 4

1 QDS Bolting Platform Practical substitute for units already in service

More user friendly Good operator acceptance Extensive paperwork packages supplied with equipment.

1 B&W tensioned TDG cable Install of the miner Paid tensioning Top down post grouting 60t capacity 1 Long Tendons Ease of instillation Cost Improved performance 1 Introduction of the Airo‐duster

trailer Equipment designed and built fit

for purpose The design criteria could be

maintained without sacrificing the fit for purpose requirements. ie

Aust standards and MDG's did not change the preferred design

Large benefits to the end user to try new technology. A borderline new technology is hard to justify

Buy in from all levels and introduction to site following site

procedures.

1 Cassettes and rackers for supplies Champion to push the innovation A product that makes it easier for personnel

1 Rapid Advance Development Monorail System

Personnel taking ownership of system

Operator Input to all design components

Operators have full understanding of system benefits

System design to specific mining conditions/parameters

1 Optidrive controls on CM Joy's test and validation process prior to going to market

Joy Flawless start process applied to all new product development or introduction into new markets

Joy's ongoing service & engineering support

Joy's parts & component repairs support

1 ToTo device ‐ Threaded cable bolt fitting tensionable by rotation off a bolting rig. Complete elimination of hydraulic tensioners off the miner, only requires a tightening spanner

Industry focus on OH&S, being prepared to spend the extra $$ on

products to reduce injuries

The product speeds installation of cables at the face. Leading to

increased use of cables at the face to control very poor roof ‐

Geotechs have always wanted but operations have fought them as it

slows them down

Price of coal is high, or else is would have been less likely for the industry to adopt a significantly

more expensive product

Product sourcing from China is becoming more accepted and can keep the cost of very complex

components low in comparison to Australian made ‐ unfortunately.

1 Monorail mounted flexible ventilation ducting

Reduced manual handling injuries Changes resupply / operational distruptions to restore air flow

Improves operational activities with increased advance speed and

lower costs

Reduced cost of operations

1 Remote controlled miners Initial installations were for place change or where machines were in

dangerous Areas

Benefits were recognised in the simplification of the control

system and better diagonostics improved machine reliability

Drivers pit area utilised for other

1 T‐REX Ease of operation Manoeuvrability/Versatility Increased worker safety 1 Tracking Systems An on‐site "champion" at the mine

that has the vision and authority to ensure the equipment is

installed and utilised.

Technology is fundamentally sound and proven in mine use

Service and support is provided by OEM and accepted from mine

Workforce training & acceptance

1 New Supamix water based resin capsule

y


Key Factors Contributing to the Successful Introduction of New Technologies and Processes Rank Successfully Introduced Technology &/or Process 1 2 3 4

2 Cable tensioning Improved Performance Operator acceptance 2 New break out fibre glass rib bolts 2 Two‐way mobile communications Ensuring the communication

backbone, often the same backbone used for tracking, is well designed, installed and maintained

An on‐site "champion" at the mine that has the vision and authority

to ensure the equipment is installed and utilised.

Service and support is provided by OEM and accepted from mine

Workforce training & acceptance

2 Monorail mounted cables and hoses and gate end box

Reduced manual handling injuries Reduced cable / hose damage or contamination

Reduced cost of operations and increased flexibility in operations

2 Long life poly‐sheathed cable in clay

HDPE Sheathing Drills for clayey ground Toe/collar grouting Tension able

2 Optidrive shuttle cars Test and validation process prior to going to market


Joy's ongoing Service & engineering support


2 Self Drilling Roof Bolt System Extremely fast bolting times Ease of operation Reduced manual handling 2 Scrubbers on miners Mine was committed to make it

work so that place change systems would workat all levels

OEM committed to improvements Mine was willing to maintain system

mine kept working to improve systems

3 Resin Technology Improved performance Cost 3 Quickduster Improved performance Ease of maintenance 3 ICM2 2 handed controls Test and validation process prior

to going to market Joy Flawless start process applied to all new product development or introduction into new markets



3 Monorail mounted pumps and equipment

Improved operational flexibility and equipment maintenance

Reduced labour needs and reduced manual handling injuries

Improved access to equipment for maintenance

4 14ED25 Test and validation process prior to going to market




4 High strength bearing plates Improved Performance Cost 5 Rapid Face bolters Test and validation process prior

to going to market Joy Flawless start process applied to all new product development or introduction into new markets



5 Cassettes/Pods Reduced handling Cost


Table 9: Barriers or Factors Impacting the Introduction of New Technologies and Processes – Mines

BARRIERS OR FACTORS IMPACTING THE INTRODUCTION OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND PROCESSES RANK

IMPACTED TECHNOLOGY AND/OR PROCESS 1 2 3 4

1 Cable Winder Cost 1 Machine system approvals around

electrical and electronic implementation

Certification and conformity approval

OEM willingness to embrace new technolgies

Mine sites and OEM ability to partnership new technologies

Operator acceptance of new systems

1 Waracar OEM going into receivership Size (getting car into our mine) Car not fully developed (traction in our road conditions)

1 Remote steering / video Cost of change across mine Workforce acceptance Need Vs practicality Operational suitability 1 Miner to surface communication OEM design 1 Continuous Haulage Cost high‐ unproven Technology Resistance to be the first to try 1 Racking system for supplies Not well suited for the mines

conditions made it difficult to use. Was not well accepted by the crews

Introduction to site did not include engagement with the workforce. Was just dumped on them.

1 Monorail mounted ventilation In pratice ventilation outcome did not reach modelled predictions

Not sufficiently robust for environment

Operational tolerance too tight wrt current operational controls

Operator acceptance undermined

1 Culture Change 1 MBE Auxiliary fan placement in gate

roads OEM contract issues

1 CM cable monorail Lack of a "Product Champion" who smooths the path for introduction and sees it through to successful conclusion

Employees do not perceive a genuine benefit

Lack of genuine management support resented by employees eg because excessively stiff hose not replaced to make the operation physically easier

1 Coal clearance Reliability Cost Geological conditions 1 Cassette rack system No OEM supprt Poor design/not suited to miner Poor quality of implements Operator acceptance due to 1,2,3 1 Wet stone dusting DPI Training Reliability 2 Automated continuous haulage

that remove operators from the cutting machine

OEMs have been approached in 2009 to work on this and it is all too hard

Corporations willingness to invest Design, lead time and risk assessments could take 5 years

Operator acceptance of new systems

2 Belt structure pod system Correct design Operator acceptance poor due to culture and lack of involvement in original design

Initial training / competency Package was not user friendly

2 Concurrent cut / bolt Cost of change across mine Has been trialled but failed System proven prior to use Operational suitability 2 Monorail mounted vent duct Small scale trial meant constantly

having to move rails. No benefit was readily apparent

No way of monitoring if there was a benefit gained from the system

commissioning issues put the crews off side, never recovered after that

2 Juggernauts Reliability and noise




2 Proven Technology 2 Monorail vent ducting Flexile tube length Timely instillation process 2 SMV Design Seat restraint Seating arrangements Safe speed 2 'TG' Bolts ‐ Secondary support Design Details Little OEM support to installers Process step issues/training 2 Self drilling bolts (roof and rib) cost 3 Monorail ducting Fitting into current process Infra structure required System proven prior to use Suitability in wet conditions 3 TG 4m cable bolts To ridgid for miner installation ‐

increased manual handling injuries

3 Fully automated bolting system Self loading cassettes Bulk of rig systems Design Operator acceptance of new systems

3 Auto lube pod MDG Guidelines Supporting services to run Storage when not in use 3 Approved Processes 3 Fully Automated Bolting on CMs Cost high ‐ unproven Technology Resistance to be the first to try 3 Mobile Boot Tracking Tensioning Control of boot end Lanyard? 3 Road base material Technology 4 MDG41 2 handed bolting

operation Increases the risk to exposure of roof fall

4 DCB onto monorail Fitting into current process DCB dimensions & weight Too many process changes Monorails to be used / installed 4 Bolt storage BDS Capacity Manual handling Design Ancillary equipment 4 Automation of machines Technology cost 5 23m/3 aux fans / slow speed Vibration /heating issues and

decreased mobility

5 6.5 – Mesh onto CM boom Low cutting height across mine in comparison to miner height. Limits number of modules on miner while cutting.

Need for new equipment Need for revised transport system Variables with roof support needs if expanding extracted roadway height.

5 CM Operation Configuration of remote controls Visibility Maintenance of roadway profile (Horizon / alignment)

Table 10: Barriers or Factors Impacting the Introduction of New Technologies and Processes – Mining Contractors



1 Flexible conveyors Cost of trials 1 Monitoring of equipment

performance The lack of an integrated system that included real time data collection and transmission to the surface reduced the effectiveness of the utilisation of the data that was collected. Lesson ‐When introducing new technology look at the complete process. The introduction of only part of the total process may result in the failure of the individual element even if the element itself was effective.

2 Self drilling bolts Lack of participants Lack of supplier support


Table 11: Barriers or Factors Impacting the Introduction of New Technologies and Processes – OEMs and Suppliers



1 People resistant to change 1 Introducing the Airo‐Dusting

process Non specific legislation/ regulations for introducing this new technology

Final approval rests with an organisation that is diffucult to engage and be proactive

Organisation of a major stake holders to invent new regulatory guidelines as a part of the research project

Risk of final approval not being granted for reasons not brought to the table during the project

1 QDS Bolting Platform MDG Compliance Acceptance of operators to two handed operation

Non uniform site requirements from site to site

1 Longwall recovery mats Reluctance to chance Poor understanding of specifications

1 Supamix water based resin capsule Only two mines adopted new water based Supamix resin system, disappointing. Despite cost saving and benefits, reluctance for mines to change, not sure why.

1 Proximity Detection Techical barriers in making a coal mine approved system. Some elements are already approved or simple to do so, but others are technically challenging

Resource limitations and other development priorities

Where interface to large equipment (e.g. c/miners) it takes time to get onto right contact within the OEM and to gain their confidence.

1 B & W tensioned cable Miner shape unsuitable Operators unwilling Operator Fitness 1 Rapid advance development

monorail system Low Roadway height Operator acceptance

1 Monorail mounted pipe installation

Operators not following instructions on operation or inadequate instruction on process

Operator attitude to different method / way of performing activity ‐ need for training and explanation on objective / reason for change

Adequate compilation and preparation of processes to be followed and training thereon

1 Self Drilling Roof Bolt System Incomplete underground testing 2 Monorails in development panels Operators see new equipment as

another activity to be perfomed, rather than being trained / educated on the benefits from using the monorail and how it reduces their personal risks and workloads

Benefits from use not explained to operators so they don't appreciate the favourable impact that monorails may deliver on their own work activities

Lack of Education on how they can utilise the monorail system to reduce their manual handling and associated risks

2 Self Drilling bolts Cost Poor understanding of process




3 Monorail in service support activities

Lack of education / information on how they can reduce their manual handling risks or improve their work enviroment

Lack of information on how monorail may improve their operational flexibility or access opportunities

Table 12: Major Barriers to the Successful Research, Development and Introduction of New Technologies – Mines

MAJOR BARRIERS TO THE SUCCESSFUL RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND INTRODUCTION OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES RANK PRIORITY RESEARCH ELEMENT 1 2 3 4

1 Self drilling bolts Cost and size 1 Timely delivery Funding OEM involvement Mine site buy in Field trails as these can develop

resistance as may impact production

1 Fit for use machinery in the development panel

Lack of commitment from the OEM's due to various reasons

1 Cable bolting Miners not designed to install long tendons.

Effective tensioning of bolts Transport of bolts around Mine

1 Self drilling bolts Cost vs. existing Operator acceptance (operators are wary of support quality of strata)

Reliability

1 Industry involvement 1 Culture of personnel on site 1 We develop our gear as required

and I work closely with Fleet Welding in the specs and manufacturing

1 Services handling Multiple variations across every mine

1 Area lighting Access points on existing machine Electrical capacity Human interaction with light directions

1 Requirement to improve onboard ventilation

Machine design

1 Self drilling bolts Current hydraulic rig compatibility Weight 1 Continuous Haulage Cost high ‐ unproven technology Resistance to be the first to try 1 All Research is too "pure" as

researchers are students or others with limited practical experience

Too difficult to obtain ACARP funding or tax concessions for R&D

1 Modular materials handling systems

Capital Availability of equipment to utilise technology

Local suppliers modularising materials



1 Material handling‐ low height Mine design Compnay openess to R&D Operator training/input Money 1 Remote control operation of CM Unplanned movement of CM 1 Bolting and support systems for

continuous miners can run 300m longwall with 1 man but still can't cut and bolt continuously without having 6 men in the face area?

Lack of research due the false economy that longwall technology makes more money so gets greater amount of reseach, development is the major cost and delay at just about all longwall mines

2 Continuous Haulage Reliability Cost 2 Continuous Haulage Expertise and allotment of

resource to successfully introduce Cost Reliability ‐ previous bad

experiences in Australia with Continuous Haulage

2 Overall effectiveness of coal haulage system

Constraints in adapting current equipment

Constraints in capital In‐disciplined action by crews Absence of system checks

2 Access to Miners No or little access to top of machine for both operational & maintenance tasks

Removing injuried person from side of machine

Re‐stocking machine with consumables.

Flitting machine

2 Face to surface communications Current technology 2 Materials handling Current materials not suitable for

a continuous process Variation in the mining environment preventing the use of robotics

2 Coal haulage ‐ investigate continuous haulage systems

Available technology best suted to individual mine requirements

2 Self drilling pre‐tensioning bolts Cost high ‐ unproven technology Resistance to be the first to try 2 Stakeholder buy in at an early

stage of project

2 Shuttle car haulage Foot switch operation 2 Need to be able to drill and bolt in

1 cycle to reduce time and manual handling, also need to come up with an effective alternative to steel mesh on roof and ribs.

3 Conveyor belt pre‐installed in LTU and extended on advance

Understanding there is a problem Achieving "acceptable level of risk" Achieving standardised work method

3 Ventilation Ergonomically designed so operators are not required to handle ventilation devices

Getting required quantites to face to allow rapid face advancement

3 Automated bolting Reliability. Proving systems prior to introduction

Operator acceptance operators wary of de‐manning panels

Cost / productivity benefit



3 Fully Automated Bolting on CMs Cost high ‐ unproven technology Resistance to be the first to try 3 Bolting interaction between the operator,

environment, materials and equipment

Cost of retrofitting the system to a current machine

3 Underground Communication Current technology 3 Continue to improve ventilation

systems to working face Investigate how other mines set

their ventilation

3 Vibration, noise, dust and communication is always an issue on continuous miners some research into new helmet designs, airstream type devices that also incorporate noise control and communication.

4 Monorail mounted ducting Sizing constraints in current environment

Robustness of construction materials availble

Number of players in holistic auxillary ventilation stream

4 Operator location identification around large equipment ‐ No Go Zones, pinch points, crush zones all a still significant hazards with no real hard barriers

Suitably accurate technology within the mine environment

Cost of retrofitting the system to a current machine

4 Online strata monitoring Current technology 4 Auto‐cut on Miners Leave good floor for later vehicle

access which will not require large quantities of later road works

Consistent & predicatable rates of advance without human intervention

5 Miner ground automation and mapping

Design and cost

5 Wireless 2 way communication for all operators

Suitably accurate technology within the mine environment

Cost of retrofitting the system to a current mine

The ability to prove the cost benefit of such a system

Table 13: Major Barriers to the Successful Research, Development and Introduction of New Technologies – Mining Contractors

MAJOR BARRIERS TO THE SUCCESSFUL RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND INTRODUCTION OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES RANK

PRIORITY RESEARCH ELEMENT 1 2 3 4

1 Maintenance accessibility OEM buy in 2 concurrent roof/rib bolting Cost of new technology Operator reluctance 3 Roadway maintenance vehicles Lack of priority from mine owner 4 Specialised pipe hanging Lack of acceptance of issue 5 Shuttle car haulage Poor engineering in this area Lack of suitable OEM's Expensive to design and trial


Table 14: Major Barriers to the Successful Research, Development and Introduction of New Technologies – OEMs and Suppliers MAJOR BARRIERS TO THE SUCCESSFUL RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND INTRODUCTION OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES RANK PRIORITY RESEARCH ELEMENT 1 2 3 4

1 Self Drilling Roof Bolt System Financial Engineering Resources Legal/Patent 1 Diesel engine system Cost FLP electronics OEM support for engines Manning 1 General Comments Resource limitations and other

development priorities Techical barriers in making a coal mine approved system.

Where interface to large equipment (e.g. c/miners) is required, the time it takes to get onto right contact within the OEM and to gain their confidence.

1 Self drilling rock bolts Bolting rig OEM's need to take on the project of rig designs to pump resin inside a hollow bolt

Onesteel (our only Australian rebar manufacturer) needs to invest in pierced billet hollow bar technology. Importing such high volumes of steel from china etc and holding 3 months stock is just not practical.

The purchasing/ contracts departments of large mining companies are attacking suppliers. The poor margins and low returns limit the potential for private investment into such an important technology

Current funding into this technology has been into professional researchers. That lives on funding rather than live on profits from inventions because they don't come up with practical solutions!

1 Pipe Monorail systems ‐ with flexible vent ducting and/or cables mounted thereon (whether or not other components are mounted)

Lack of understanding /recognition that mounting ventilation and cables onto pipe monorails materially reduces operator risks from manual handling, equipment damage from manual handling, and increases operational flexibility by reducing some resupply requirements for advancing.

Treating all monorail systems as the same when (a) material weight differences exist between pipe and I‐beam systems (strength comparable), (b) ability to corner and change heights is materially different, (c) fuctional component complexity is different.

Lack of understanding / recognition that monorail systems can leverage up manpower opportunities and flexibility

1 Drill rig controls Controls must be user friendly and easy to maintain

Controls must be able to report back to mine monitoring sytems to provide cycle and geological data

There must be systems to analyse this data

the system must make the job easier for the operator

1 Roof and Rib support surface Lack of understanding issues Cost Development time Cost of change 1 Cable testing facility Testing facility not available Mines buy cheapest cable Mines expect supplier to fund

everything Operators resistance to change

1 Continuous haulage Money Champion to run 1 SDRB 1 Airo‐Dusting Non specific legislation/

regulations for introducing this new technology

1 Underground canopies Relevant standards Regulatory constraints End user acceptance Site requirements



1 Development panel process support equipment ‐ design to align with the panel process map.

Mining Attachments designs and builds equipment based on customer specs or innovative designs from equipment in the field. Not on what a specific panel requires and or how it would be utilised

Manufacturer may only see small elements of the bigger panel picture.

Better ways to do things are rarely brought up as the key information to drive business improvement is not captured and or monitored

A process of justification, design and implementation of the new technology is time consuming for the process owner

2 Corrosion (including SCC) Lack of understanding Cost 2 CM service support activities Need to define expected cost

benefits or operational improvements from a detailed review of the types of service support activites conducted and alternative operation and technoloogies to complete them ‐ often treated as ordinary activities for existing employees

Need to define incremental benefits (& valuve $) that may be obtained from using new and existing technology for incremental process improvements

3 Braking Systems OEM Support Design for environment User friendly 3 Automation Cost OEM and Supplier Support 4 Transmissions End user perception Cost Industry History 4 Long tendon support Definition on requirements Cost 5 NVH Machine Size Constraints End user perception In service testing

Report on Roadway Development Technology Audit – May 2010 Page 56

APPENDICES

Appendix Title Page

A Roadway Development Technology Audit ‐ Mines 56

B Roadway Development Technology Audit – OEMS and Suppliers 64

C Respondents 71


APPENDIX A: ACARP ROADWAY DEVELOPMENT TECHNOLOGY SELF AUDIT – MINES Introduction The following audit has been prepared by the Roadway Development Task Group to evaluate the effectives of existing roadway development technologies and processes and to identify and prioritise areas for further research. Respondents are asked to complete the self audit and return it to Gary Gibson ([email protected]) by 25 February 2010 for reporting at the upcoming Roadway Development Workshop (16, 23 and 24 March 2010). Please note that the audit is designed to be completed electronically and respondents will be required to save their completed audit before returning the completed form by email. Individual audit responses are confidential to ACARP and any details published will be on a consolidated industry basis without detailing individual mine responses or respondent’s details.

Instructions for Completing Audit Respondents are asked to respond to four basic questions across the roadway development process, namely:

1. Is the identified technology or process employed or installed at the mine? 2. In the event that such technology or process is employed, how often is that technology utilised in day to day operations? 3. In the event that such technology or process is utilised in day to day operations, how effective is that technology or process in achieving the desired process outcomes? 4. To what extent could the technology or process benefit from further research?

To respond to the first question respondents are asked to insert either a Y or N in the grey response cell to indicate whether the technology or practice is employed or installed at the mine or not. If the answer is in the affirmative (Y), respondents should then tab to the next column and respond to the second question by inserting a number from 1 to 4, the number representing the heading descriptor which most closely corresponds to their view as to how frequently the technology element is utilised at their mine – ie; number 1 corresponds with extremely rarely whilst at the other extreme number 4 represents used almost exclusively. Respondents can then tab to the next column to similarly respond regarding the effectiveness of that technology or process, and to the fourth question to identify the extent to which such technology or process could benefit from further research (NB: if a negative response (N) is given to the first question respondents should proceed immediately to the next Technology Element or row and continue the audit as above). Respondents should then tab to the Comments column to make any relevant comments in respect to the use, effectiveness and research potential of the identified technologies and processes, eg; “... technology X previously employed and found to be ineffective due to ..............”, or “... further research warranted on technology Y to overcome issues associated with ...........” and “... poor operator acceptance of technology Z due to ............”. Provision has also been included to allow respondents to include other Technology Elements as appropriate by typing in a technology descriptor within the grey descriptor cell, and completing their assessment of that technology as above. Respondents are also invited to complete three other questions relating to the introduction of new technologies and process, namely:

Key Factors Contributing to the Successful Introduction of New Technologies and Processes – respondents are requested to identify and rank up to five (5) new technologies and processes they consider have been successfully introduced, and to identify the key factors they consider have been instrumental in the successful introduction of those technologies and processes.

Barriers to the Introduction of New Technologies and Processes – respondents are similarly requested to identify and rank barriers that have impacted the successful introduction of up to five (5) new technologies and processes.

Barriers to the Successful Research, Development and Introduction of New Technologies – respondents are asked to prioritise the top five (5) “technologies for further research” as reported in their Audit, and to identify what they consider may be major barriers in their successful research, development and introduction.

Respondents are also requested to complete the Respondent’s Details at the completion of the Audit to facilitate follow up if required. Again, it is noted that individual responses will remain confidential to ACARP.


PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU HAVE READ THE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE PROCEEDING No PROCESS ELEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY INSTALLED USED EFFECTIVENESS FURTHER RESEARCH COMMENTS

Installed an

d/or available

Not installed an

d/or available

Used rarely if ever

Used sometim

es

Used regularly

Used almost e

xclusively

Extrem

ely ineffective

Somew

hat ine

ffectiv

e

Somew

hat e

ffectiv

e

Extrem

ely effectiv

e

Extrem

ely un

likely to ben

efit

Unlikely to ben

efit

Likely to

ben

efit

Extrem

ely likely to ben

efit

Y N 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

Please include comments particularly if technology elements have previously been trialled and/or installed but are

currently not in use, eg; why technology is not in use ( operator acceptance,

safety issues, maintenance requirement, etc)

1.00 Continuous Miners 1.01 Remote control operation of CM

functions (eg; radio)

1.02 Remote steering systems employed (eg; video)

1.03 Concurrent sumping, cutting and bolting

1.04 Auto‐cut facility of sumping and cutting

action

1.05 Rotating arm/spinner loading configuration

1.06 East/west chain loading configuration

1.07 Plough shovel loading configuration

1.08 Scrolling head assisted loading

1.09 Operator display units (eg; cutting height,

loads, etc)

1.10 Machine diagnostic display units

1.11 Machine auto‐reporting systems

1.12 Automated lubrication systems

1.13 Area lighting systems

1.14 Operator access and egress

1.15 Maintenance accessibility and servicing

1.16 Overall ergonomic configuration for CM

operation

1.17

2.00 Strata Support


No PROCESS ELEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY INSTALLED USED EFFECTIVENESS FURTHER RESEARCH COMMENTS

Installed an

d/or available

Not installed an

d/or available

Used rarely if ever

Used sometim

es

Used regularly

Used almost e

xclusively

Extrem

ely ineffective

Somew

hat ine

ffectiv

e

Somew

hat e

ffectiv

e

Extrem

ely effectiv

e

Extrem

ely un

likely to ben

efit

Unlikely to ben

efit

Likely to

ben

efit

Extrem

ely likely to ben

efit

Y N 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4




2.01 Concurrent operation of roof and rib bolters

2.02 Push button controls on bolting rigs

2.03 Roof mesh racking system on CM

2.04 Bolt storage cassettes or pods

2.05 Bolt washer dispensers

2.06 On‐board tendon/cable tensioning

2.07 Manual tendon/cable tensioning

2.08 Roof fall protection devices

2.09 Rib fall protection devices

2.10 Self drilling roof or rib bolts

2.11 Overall ergonomic configuration for

strata support

2.12 Level of MDG35 compliance

2.13

3.00 Coal Haulage 3.01 Shuttle car coal haulage system

3.02 Battery/diesel hauler haulage system

3.03 Continuous haulage system

3.04 Breaker feeder used to size/load coal

onto conveyor

3.05 Mobile boot end

3.06 Pedestrian interaction measures



Installed an

d/or available

Not installed an

d/or available

Used rarely if ever

Used sometim

es

Used regularly

Used almost e

xclusively

Extrem

ely ineffective

Somew

hat ine

ffectiv

e

Somew

hat e

ffectiv

e

Extrem

ely effectiv

e

Extrem

ely un

likely to ben

efit

Unlikely to ben

efit

Likely to

ben

efit

Extrem

ely likely to ben

efit

Y N 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4




3.07 Overall effectiveness of coal haulage system (eg; matching of cutting, support and haulage cycles)

3.08

4.00 Face Ventilation 4.01 On‐board ducted ventilation system

4.02 Monorail mounted ducting

4.03 On‐board or fan mounted dust scrubbers

4.04 Auxiliary fan mounted on mobile boot

end or monorail

4.05 Overall effectiveness of ventilation system

4.06

5.00 Face Services (eg; power, water in/out,


5.01 Face services manually handled on cable rollers and other devices

5.02 Monorail mounted services

5.03 Continuous haulage mounted services

5.04 Cable/hose boats used for storage of

cables and/or hoses

5.05 Cable/hose boats hydraulically powered as required

5.06 Powered water hose reels used for storage of hoses



Installed an

d/or available

Not installed an

d/or available

Used rarely if ever

Used sometim

es

Used regularly

Used almost e

xclusively

Extrem

ely ineffective

Somew

hat ine

ffectiv

e

Somew

hat e

ffectiv

e

Extrem

ely effectiv

e

Extrem

ely un

likely to ben

efit

Unlikely to ben

efit

Likely to

ben

efit

Extrem

ely likely to ben

efit

Y N 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4




5.07 DCB mounted on mobile boot end or monorail

5.08

6.00 Materials Handling 6.01 Bolting consumables manually loaded

onto CM

6.02 Racking devices used to load bolting consumables onto CM

6.03 Boom lifting devices used to load bolting consumables onto CM

6.04 Mesh sheets manually loaded onto CM

6.05 Mesh sheets loaded onto CM with boom

or racking device

6.06 Individual pods or cassettes transported throughout mine

6.07 Trailers used to transport multiple pods or cassettes throughout mine

6.08 Bulka bags used to transport stonedust

6.09 “Wet dusting” used for face and outbye

dusting

6.10

7.00 Panel Advance 7.01 Conveyor belting pre‐installed in LTU and

extended on advance



Installed an

d/or available

Not installed an

d/or available

Used rarely if ever

Used sometim

es

Used regularly

Used almost e

xclusively

Extrem

ely ineffective

Somew

hat ine

ffectiv

e

Somew

hat e

ffectiv

e

Extrem

ely effectiv

e

Extrem

ely un

likely to ben

efit

Unlikely to ben

efit

Likely to

ben

efit

Extrem

ely likely to ben

efit

Y N 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4




7.02 Device/s used to separate upper and lower belts and facilitate installation of structure

7.03 Device/s used to install structure

7.04 Purpose designed pipe installation

equipment utilised to extend pipe ranges

705

8.00 Personnel Transport 8.01 PJB/SMV style personnel transporters

8.02 Approved NERZ “troop carriers”

8.03 Purpose designed maintenance support

vehicles

8.04


KEY FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE SUCCESSFUL INTRODUCTION OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND PROCESSES Respondents are requested to identify and rank up to five (5) new technologies and processes they consider have been successfully introduced, and to identify the key factors they consider have been instrumental in the successful introduction of those technologies and processes (respondents are asked to rank these key factors from 1 to 4, with a ranking of “1” indicating the most positive factor of those identified).

KEY FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE SUCCESSFUL INTRODUCTION OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND PROCESSES RANK SUCCESSFULLY INTRODUCED TECHNOLOGY AND/OR PROCESS 1 2 3 4

1

2

3

4

5

BARRIERS TO THE INTRODUCTION OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND PROCESSES Respondents are similarly requested to identify and rank barriers or factors that have impacted the introduction of up to five (5) new technologies and processes that they have been associated with (respondents are asked to rank these barriers or factors from 1 to 4, with a ranking of “1” indicating the barrier or factor with the most significant adverse impact of those identified). Respondents are asked to identify root causes of these barriers or impacts wherever possible – ie; rather than responding “poor operator acceptance”, the response may instead be ”poor operator acceptance due to failure to provide adequate and appropriate training”.



1

2

3

4

5

BARRIERS TO THE SUCCESSFUL RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND INTRODUCTION OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES Respondents are asked to prioritise the top five (5) technologies for further research as reported in their Audit, and to identify what they consider may be major barriers in their successful research, development and introduction.



1

2

3

4


5

Mine:

Respondent:

Position:

Tel No:

Email Address:

Thank you for completing the self audit and forwarding it to the undersigned. Regards,

Gary Gibson Project Leader ACARP Roadway Development Improvement Project


APPENDIX B: ACARP ROADWAY DEVELOPMENT OEM/SUPPLIER TECHNOLOGY SELF AUDIT – OEMs AND SUPPLIERS

Introduction The Roadway Development Task Group proposes to evaluate the effectives of existing roadway development technologies and processes and to identify and prioritise areas for further research. Separate self audits have been prepared for both mines and OEM/suppliers with OEM/supplier respondents being asked to complete the self audit and return it to Gary Gibson ([email protected]) by 24 February 2010 for reporting at the upcoming Roadway Development Workshop (16, 23 and 24 March 2010).

Please note that the audit is designed to be completed electronically and respondents will be required to save their completed audit before returning the completed form by email. Individual audit responses are confidential to ACARP and any details published will be on a consolidated industry basis without detailing individual responses or respondent’s details.

Instructions for Completing the Audit Respondents are asked to respond to four basic questions across the roadway development sector, namely:

5. Has the OEM/supplier supplied or installed the identified technology at Australian underground coal mines? 6. In the event that such technology has been supplied, how broadly has that technology been adopted at mines? 7. In the event that such technology has been supplied and is utilised in day to day operations, how effective is that technology being employed by mines – ie; are mines fully utilising

the installed capacity/capability of the technology, and/or are they realising the full potential of the technology? 8. To what extent could the technology benefit from further research?

To respond to the first question respondents are asked to insert either a Y or N in the grey response cell to indicate whether the OEM/supplier supplies the technology to the industry or not. If the answer is in the affirmative (Y), respondents should then tab to the next column and respond to the second question by inserting a number from 1 to 4, the number representing the heading descriptor which most closely corresponds to their view as to how broadly that technology is adopted at mines – ie; number 1 corresponds with extremely rarely whilst at the other extreme number 4 represents used almost exclusively. Respondents can then tab to the next column to similarly respond regarding how effectively that technology is being employed, and to the fourth question to identify the extent to which such technology could benefit from further research (NB: if a negative response (N) is given to the first question respondents should proceed immediately to the next Technology Element or row and continue the audit as above).

Respondents should then tab to the Comments column to make any relevant comments in respect to the development, introduction, and adoption, of the identified technologies, and the need for further research, eg; “... introduction and uptake of technology X was impacted by ..............”, or “... further research warranted on technology Y to overcome issues associated with ...........” and “... poor operator acceptance of technology Z due to ............”.

Provision has also been included to allow respondents to include other Technology Elements as appropriate by typing in a technology descriptor within the grey descriptor cell, and completing their assessment of that technology as above.

Respondents are also invited to complete three other questions relating to the introduction of new technologies, namely: Key Factors Contributing to the Successful Introduction of New Technologies – respondents are requested to identify and rank up to five (5) examples of where new technologies

have been successfully introduced at mines, and to identify the key factors they consider were instrumental in the successful introduction of those technologies. Barriers to the Introduction of New Technologies – respondents are similarly requested to identify and rank barriers that have impacted the successful introduction of new

technologies at mines in up to five (5) instances or examples. Barriers to the Successful Research, Development and Introduction of New Technologies – respondents are asked to prioritise the top five (5) “technologies for further research” as

reported in their Audit, and to identify what they consider may be major barriers in their successful research, development and introduction.


Respondents are also requested to complete the Respondent’s Details at the completion of the Audit to facilitate follow up if required. Again, it is noted that individual responses will remain confidential to ACARP.


PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU HAVE READ THE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE PROCEEDING

No PROCESS ELEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY SUPPLIED? EXTENT ADOPTED? EFFECTIVENESS? FURTHER RESEARCH? COMMENTS

Supp

lied an

d/or available

Not sup

plied an

d/or available

Mines use rarely or if ever

Mine use sometim

es

Mines use fa

irly exten

sively

Mines use alm

ost e

xclusively

Extrem

ely ineffective

Somew

hat ine

ffectiv

e

Somew

hat e

ffectiv

e

Extrem

ely effectiv

e

Extrem

ely un

likely to ben

efit

Unlikely to ben

efit

Likely to

ben

efit

Extrem

ely likely to ben

efit

Y N 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

Please include comments particularly if technology elements have previously been trialled and/or supplied but are

currently not adopted, eg; why technology is not in use (lack of industry support, operator acceptance, safety issues, maintenance requirement, lack

of profitability, scale of market, economies of scale or supply, lack of

OEM/supplier support, etc)

1.00 Continuous Miners 1.01 Remote control operation of CM

functions (eg; radio)

1.02 Concurrent sumping, cutting and bolting

1.03 Auto‐cut facility of sumping and cutting

action

1.04 Rotating arm/spinner loading configuration

1.05 East/west chain loading configuration

1.06 Plough shovel loading configuration

1.07 Scrolling head assisted loading

1.08 Operator display units (eg; cutting height,

loads, etc)

1.09 Machine diagnostic display units

1.10 Machine auto‐reporting systems

1.11 Automated lubrication systems

1.12 Area lighting systems

1.13 Operator access and egress

1.14 Maintenance accessibility and servicing

1.15

2.00 Strata Support 2.01 Concurrent operation of roof and rib

bolters



Supp

lied an

d/or available

Not sup

plied an

d/or available


Mine use sometim

es

Mines use fa

irly exten

sively

Mines use alm

ost e

xclusively

Extrem

ely ineffective

Somew

hat ine

ffectiv

e

Somew

hat e

ffectiv

e

Extrem

ely effectiv

e

Extrem

ely un

likely to ben

efit

Unlikely to ben

efit

Likely to

ben

efit

Extrem

ely likely to ben

efit

Y N 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4





2.02 Push button controls on bolting rigs

2.03 Automated bolting systems

2.04 Roof mesh racking system on CM

2.05 Bolt storage cassettes or pods

2.06 Tendon/cable tensioners

2.07 Roof fall protection devices

2.08 Rib fall protection devices

2.09 Chemical roof and rib bolts and/or

anchors

2.10 Self drilling roof or rib bolts

2.11 Long roof tendons/cables

2.12

3.00 Coal Haulage 3.01 Shuttle car coal haulage systems

3.02 Battery/diesel hauler haulage systems

3.03 Continuous haulage systems

3.04 Breaker feeders

3.05 Mobile boot ends

3.06

4.00 Face Ventilation 4.01 On‐board ducted ventilation systems

4.02 Monorail mounted ducting systems

4.03 On‐board or fan mounted dust scrubbers

4.04 Flexible ducting

4.05 Auxiliary fans



Supp

lied an

d/or available

Not sup

plied an

d/or available


Mine use sometim

es

Mines use fa

irly exten

sively

Mines use alm

ost e

xclusively

Extrem

ely ineffective

Somew

hat ine

ffectiv

e

Somew

hat e

ffectiv

e

Extrem

ely effectiv

e

Extrem

ely un

likely to ben

efit

Unlikely to ben

efit

Likely to

ben

efit

Extrem

ely likely to ben

efit

Y N 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4





4.06 Face monitoring systems (eg; methanometers)

4.07

5.00 Face Services (eg; power, water in/out,


5.01 Cable rollers and other devices for manual handling of cables and hoses

5.02 Monorail systems for mounting of face services

5.03 Cable/hose boats for storage of cables and/or hoses

5.04 Hydraulically powered cable reelers

5.05 Hydraulically powered hose reelers

5.06 Electrical DCB/Gate End Boxes

5.07

6.00 Materials Handling 6.01 QDS style racking devices for loading

bolting consumables onto CM

6.02 QDS style jib devices for loading bolting consumables onto CM

6.03 Boom lifting or racking devices to load mesh sheets onto CM

6.04 QDS attachments for the transport of pods or cassettes

6.05 Material trailers for the transport of multiple pods or cassettes



Supp

lied an

d/or available

Not sup

plied an

d/or available


Mine use sometim

es

Mines use fa

irly exten

sively

Mines use alm

ost e

xclusively

Extrem

ely ineffective

Somew

hat ine

ffectiv

e

Somew

hat e

ffectiv

e

Extrem

ely effectiv

e

Extrem

ely un

likely to ben

efit

Unlikely to ben

efit

Likely to

ben

efit

Extrem

ely likely to ben

efit

Y N 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4





6.06 Face stonedusting systems

6.07 Bulk stonedusting systems

6.08 “Wet dusting” systems

6.09

7.00 Panel Services 7.01 Conveyor belting reeling/handling

devices

7.02 Devices to facilitate installation of structure

7.03 Purpose designed pipe installation equipment (eg; pipe trailers, QDS attachments)

7.04 Cable reeling/ hanging devices

7.05 Electrical DCB/Gate End Boxes

7.06 Roadway maintenance

vehicles/attachments

7.07

8.00 Personnel Transport 8.01 PJB/SMV style personnel transporters

8.02 Approved NERZ “troop carriers”

8.03 Purpose designed maintenance support

vehicles

8.04

KEY FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE SUCCESSFUL INTRODUCTION OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES


Respondents are requested to identify and rank up to five (5) examples of where new technologies have been successfully introduced at mines, and to identify the key factors they consider were instrumental in the successful introduction of those technologies (respondents are asked to rank these key factors from 1 to 4, with a ranking of “1” indicating the most positive factor of those identified).

KEY FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE SUCCESSFUL INTRODUCTION OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES RANK SUCCESSFULLY INTRODUCED TECHNOLOGY 1 2 3 4

1

2

3

4

5

BARRIERS TO THE INTRODUCTION OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES Respondents are similarly requested to identify and rank barriers that have impacted the successful introduction of new technologies at mines in up to five (5) instances or examples with which they have been associated with (respondents are asked to rank these barriers or factors from 1 to 4, with a ranking of “1” indicating the barrier or factor with the most significant adverse impact of those identified). Respondents are asked to identify root causes of these barriers or impacts wherever possible – ie; rather than responding “poor operator acceptance”, the response may instead be ”poor operator acceptance due to failure to provide adequate and appropriate training”.

BARRIERS OR FACTORS IMPACTING THE INTRODUCTION OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES RANK

IMPACTED TECHNOLOGY 1 2 3 4

1

2

3

4

5

BARRIERS TO THE SUCCESSFUL RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND INTRODUCTION OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES Respondents are asked to prioritise the top five (5) technologies for further research as reported in their Audit, and to identify what they consider may be major barriers in their successful research, development and introduction.



1

2

3

4

5

Company:

Respondent:

Position:

Tel No:

Email Address:


Thank you for completing the self audit and forwarding it to the undersigned. Regards,

Gary Gibson Project Leader ACARP Roadway Development Improvement Project


APPENDIX C: RESPONDENTS TECHNOLOGY AUDIT RESPONSES ‐ MINES MINE LONGWALL BORD & PILLAR Airly Angus Place Baal Bone Blakefield South Broadmeadow Clarence Cook Cornwall Crinum Dendrobium Donaldson Integra Kestrel Mandalong Metropolitan Myuna Narrabri Newlands North North Goonyella Ravensworth Springvale Tahmoor Wambo North West Cliff West Wallsend

TECHNOLOGY AUDIT RESPONSES ‐ CONTRACTORS COMPANY CONTRACTOR Mastermyne Resco SBD Delta Sondaren UGM Walter Diversified Services TECHNOLOGY AUDIT RESPONSES – OEMS AND SUPPLIERS COMPANY MAJOR OEM MINOR OEM SUPPLIER Alfabs Alminco Bucyrus Conveyor Equipment Specialists

Dywidag Jenmar Joy Mining Machinery Macquarie Megabolt Mine Site Technologies Mining Attachments Minova OneSteel Resco Valley Longwall ‐ Diesel

report on roadway development technology audit...

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