Coal Age

JUN 2016

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June 2016 www.coalage.com 33 longwall mining continued tor. Hauler No. 2 is an auxiliary hauler that may be additionally connected to the ma- neuvering tractor to increase the pulling force when more demanding mining con- ditions and transport requirements occur. Typical electric cable length is 320 m, but it can be customized upon request. The trailer (flatcar) is intended to transport equipment and materials on floor-mounted systems. The maximum payload (utility weight) is 320 kN (it is pos- sible to apply a smaller trailer of 60, 120 or 220 kN). The FPR-900 railroad is com- posed of repetitive sections of straight and curved rails 900 mm wide, adapted to the route. The radius of curvature is 4,500 mm on a horizontal plane and 10,200 mm on a vertical plane. The revolving platform (turntable, rotary unit) is integrated with other system components; it is installed at the route end of the longwall face and is intended for unloading the powered roof support shields of the transport platform (trailer), turning and installing/position- ing precisely in the face. After each in- stallation of successive roof supports, the route is shortened by one or two sections (segments), and the revolving platform is placed into a new position. Similarly, when roof supports are being disassembled/re- moved from the face, the revolving plat- form enables turning and loading of the shields to the FRTS-900 system transport platform (flatcar). A completely assembled system was tested at the Famur plant in Katowice, Po- land, and successfully certified. The FRTS- 900 is certified for all coal mines (including high-methane and high-dust mines). It can work in temperatures of 5°-35° C (41°- 95° F) and air humidity of up to 95%. In November 2015, Famur delivered the system to ArcelorMittal in Kazakhstan. This January, the entire system was assem- bled in one of Arcelor's plants in Karaganda for testing and crew training. The assem- bly process was carried out by Kazakh coal miners under Famur's supervision as a part of an on-the-job training agreement. Famur recommended the training for the Arcelor miners, as the new system was a completely new solution for them. During the FRTS-900 evaluation in Karaganda, the system was presented to and accepted by Arcelor's management. As far as the Ka- zakh coal miners were concerned, all the initially proposed goals were achieved: • The system is safer than previous solu- tions, as all miners are above the plat- form in a safe area; • The new system is cheaper than com- parable ones, though those are not as comprehensive solutions; and • The system enables longwall assembly to be much more effective. Presently, the FRTS-900 is successfully working in an ArcelorMittal underground coal mine in Kazakhstan. A shop technician (visible in the background) loads a shield onto the FRTS-900 revolving platform. The turntables allow miners to manipulate the shields during the loading and unloading process. Assembled here on undulating terrain, the FRTS-900 allows miners to recover, move and assemble longwalls in pitching seams.

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