A coal mine located in West Virginia recently set a world record for daily low-seam coal production using a Caterpillar Automated Longwall Plow System. In a 24-hour period from August 30 to August 31, more than 29,420 t were mined from the Virginia Pocahontas No 3 Seam, in a seam height of just 1.42 m along the 294 m longwall face. The seam is in the Pinnacle mine, located near the town of Pineville and owned by Cliffs Natural Resources.
The mine operates a Cat Gleithobel GH1600 longwall plow system. The previous record was 24,400 t, established in February 2012 at Poland’s Bogdanka coal mine. Both mines used the GH1600 Automated Longwall Plow System from Caterpillar to set the new production records. “Caterpillar salutes the entire Pinnacle team for this incredible achievement,” said Chris Curfman, President of the Caterpillar Global Mining Sales and Support Division. “To safely deliver that kind of output from such a thin seam is nothing short of heroic.” Luis de Leon, President of the Caterpillar Global Mining Products Division, said, “The Cat automated longwall plow system at Pinnacle is currently the only one in the United States. We have been privileged to work alongside their team to demonstrate the capabilities of this technology.”
The longwall system at Pinnacle has 2 x 600/300 kW of installed power for the plow with two operating speeds of 2..0/1.0 m/sec and 600 kW installed power for the armoured face conveyor. Each roof support in the system has a total leg capacity of 649 t with an operating height range of 890 to 1,968 mm, and is equipped with its own PMC-R electrohydraulic roof support control. Other units from the Cat Programmable Mining Control family are used for overall face automation and visualisation as well as for drive control. The longwall is equipped with a PF4/1132 face conveyor, a PF4/1542 stageloader and a SB0815 V-belt crusher with a 225 kW motor.
Cat states: “Before investing in a new longwall system, companies typically conduct a comprehensive evaluation of their options, as did Cliffs. A fact-based cost-of-ownership comparison model was developed with safety, efficiency and sustainability as the key drivers. From a safety perspective, the Cat longwall plow holds a significant advantage. For example, the plow is operated remotely with no personnel required at the production face. As a result, there is no operator exposure to airborne dust, falling rocks or moving equipment, which is particularly important in such a limited work space. In addition to enhancing safety, the Cat longwall plow can be a more productive choice, especially in a mine that has thin-seam applications. For example, the compact design of the plow system operating at Pinnacle allows it to work efficiently in a height as low as 1.17 m. And with its high-powered drive, high-speed plow, greater advancing forces and electronically controlled cutting depths, it can extract large volumes of coal quickly and economically, regardless of seam hardness or geologic composition.”