On the afternoon of June 16, the trial operation ceremony was held with the first longwall equipment for a record 450 m intelligent, fully mechanised face mining face at Yubei Xiaobaodang Mining Company, part of Yubei Coal, itself owned by Shaanxi Coal & Chemical Industry Group Co Ltd (SHCC). Byron Zhang, General Manager of Komatsu Mining in China highlighted that the equipment includes a Komatsu Mining shearer and AFC and will operate with an average cutting height of 2.5 m.
Wang Xianzheng, Honorary President of the China Coal Industry Association and Director of the Fourth Coal Industry Technical Committee, attended the ceremony, along with Wang Shibin, member of CPC Committee and general manager of SHCC. Xianzheng pointed out that up to now there have been no coal enterprises in China to realise intelligent mining of a coal face of up to 450 m in the development of medium-thick coal seams. There is no mature technology and successful experience for reference in equipment selection, matching and installation. “It will promote the efficient mining of medium-thick coal seam to a higher level, and at the same time make the production organisation of the coal mine further optimise, the efficiency benefits further improve, the labour intensity further reduce, and the operation environment further improve.”
According to Shi Zengwu, Party Secretary, Board Chairman and General Manager of Yubei Coal Industry Company, a complete set of key technologies and equipment for intelligent mining of a 450 m-long fully mechanised mining face is the first of its kind in China. “It can effectively improve the coal recovery and mining efficiency, can complete a middle and thick coal seam annual output of 120 Mt, achieve green, intelligent, safe and efficient production of coal resources, and greatly promote the company’s coal mining and coal machinery equipment technology development.”
As an important unit of the national energy base in northern Shaanxi, SHCC says Yubei Coal Industry has been committed to building world-class green and efficient smart energy enterprises since its inception, especially in recent years, “in intelligent mines, intelligent mining areas, first-class enterprise construction has achieved leap-forward development. The first set of 450 m long intelligent fully mechanised mining face in China has been successfully put into operation at No 2 coal mine of Xiaobaodang Company, which belongs to SHCC. It is a bold attempt to integrate advanced equipment…and a breakthrough in intelligent mining of super long working faces of medium-thick coal seams in the coal industry.”
“This set of equipment will operate in accordance with high intelligence, can realise the normal operation with one person present during production. In the next step, we will combine the equipment for further optimisation and transformation, while constantly revising and improving the rules and regulations, operating procedures, strengthening the training of technical personnel, implementation of scientific management, to ensure the safe and efficient mining of the face,” said company Party Secretary, Chairman, & General Manager Yang Zheng.