Coal Age

JUL-AUG 2017

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July/August 2017 www.coalage.com 23 longwall mining continued ■ 6X more CM systems operating in U.S. coal mines than any other manufacturer ■ Precise location of workers maximizes safety and productivity ■ Dynamic SharpZone TM technology - maximizes mine productivity - minimizes nuisance / f alse alarms sales@matrixteam.com Mining Technology V ISIT OUR O UTDOOR DEMO ZONE Food, Beverages and Fun! Mobile Machinery Low-Light Camera System Camera Bright LED lights housed in rugged XP housing. Hi-res LCD monitor in rugged XP housing. TENT BOOTH 902 SEPT 13-15 AND user interface has to be as simple as possible. "Each operator uses the screens and camer- as differently," Colaw said. "Some prefer one visual over another. They are not forced to constantly look at all the images. The sim- plicity of the Joy system and ability to quickly look up alarms and pass that along to main- tenance has been very helpful." A shearer operator shared his thoughts on the system, saying that the remote sys- tem keeps him out of the elements, especial- ly the dust. "All around it's a fundamentally good process," he said. "We all understand the systems and it works well. We try to give feedback to engineering and maintenance. I think it has improved safety. Remote op- erations have definitely made my job better and I think it's the way of the future." Colaw also discussed possible future ad- vancements. Tunnel Ridge will work with Joy to further develop the ASA. They also plan to improve camera quality. "We are constant- ly looking at improvements such as high definition and infrared camera systems," Colaw said. He said they may integrate the Landmark system to improve alignment and gate-end steering, which will open the door for remote operations of the shields. They also want to improve horizon control. "Since startup, we have added cam- eras and graphs by request of the opera- tors," Anderson said. "They would make suggestions and requests for different views or ideas they would like to see. They are helping us engineer and decide what we need to do next. It has been a very smooth transition." This article was based on a presentation that Eric Anderson, Rob Colaw and Kyle Faykus delivered at Longwall USA 2017, which was held during June in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The original presentation can be viewed at: www.longwallusa.com. The Longwall Graph provides real-time views of the face remotely and serves as a quick reference for the operators to cut bottom and manage the rolls.

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