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May 2017 www.coalage.com 39 plow mining continued ters shows the strong correlation between the theoretical calculation and the num- bers from the quoted longwalls. Nowadays economic factors play a more and more important role in deci- sions about the type and dimension of extraction technology applied in a mine. Because of low coal prices many operators worldwide look for longwall systems with lower investment. In general terms, midtier longwall sys- tems are roughly 60% to 75% less expen- sive than the high performance longwall systems. But the initial investment magni- tude should not be the decisive factor for a purchase of quoted equipment. High per- formance extraction systems (also plow systems) are more expensive but they can deliver much higher performance and stay operational for much longer periods. Summarizing the abovestated facts, it can be stated that a high-performance plow system is able to reach definitely lower Total Cost of Ownership. It means that a skillful mine operator, while con- sidering the mine operations from all nec- essary (technical, procedural, economic and safety) points of view for more than one decade, will sooner or later come to the point that high quality and high per- formance plow systems are definitely more affordable. Further development of future plow systems will be orientated on the following general directions: • Additional performance increase; • Reduction of number of necessary miners working in a plow face; and • Improvement of safety in plow longwalls. The main driver to reach the above stated goals is the automation. The latest developments in this area enable a signifi- cant improvement in following areas: • Communication—The digital copper cable, fiber optic and wireless base communication allows a fast and ex- tensive transfer of data for short and long distances; • Visual surveillance—Modern digital cameras allow a remote control of processes in underground mines; • Measurement of different physical values—The implementation of new sensors, in many cases diverse types of sensors measuring different physi- cal parameters working as a sensor fusion to increase the detection of dif- ficult to detect determinants; and • Full automation of processes— Through the consolidation of all three above-stated technical directions in conjunction with the available, very capable computer technology, many subprocesses or even main processes can be operated in the full-automa- tion modus. Full automation refers to the auto- nomous control of different machines of a longwall system. Modern plow systems are already now very strong- ly automated. Further automation of plow systems will take place in the next few years. Author Information Michael Myszkowski, plow systems man- ager for Caterpillar, worked as a scientist developing longwall technology early in his career. He can be reached at myszkow- ski_michael@cat.com.