Tag Archives: Bolter Miner

JSW launches Komatsu Bolter Miner at Budryk coal mine

Coal technology, Explosives and blasting, Mine operation news, Mine shafts and equipment, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , ,

JSW, this week, started operating its Bolter Miner 12CM30 at the Budryk coal mine, in Ornontowice, Poland, one of the deepest hard coal mines in the world.

The first bolter miner of its kind in the Polish mining industry, according to JSW, the Bolter Miner was developed by a consortium including  JSW Innowacje, JSW, the Central Mining Institute and Komatsu Mining (Joy Global).

Last year, the system successfully passed all the start-up tests and, in September, the machine was handed over to JSW. On November 12, it started drilling the “Bw –1N badawczy” exploration roadway in seam 401 at the underground mine.

Adam Domżoł, Head of Mining at the Budryk mine and Coordinator of the ‘Independent Rockbolt Support’ project, said: “We have before us nearly 2,000 m of excavation and bolting of the new roadway using the new technology and new machinery. After the research and development stage is completed, the complex will allow us to achieve a much greater progress in roadway excavation than any solutions that were previously used in the Polish mining sector.”

The Bolter Miner was purchased by JSW Innowacje, a subsidiary of Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa, in 2018 as part of the ‘Independent Rockbolt Support’ project. The miner was manufactured in the US and arrived in Poland in early August 2019.

The machine was transported to the Polish seat of Komatsu in Tychy and, there, the miner was assembled and underwent all the necessary tests. In the meantime, the crew currently operating the bolter miner was trained. Then the machine was disassembled again, transported to the Budryk mine and hoisted down to the specially-prepared assembly chamber, where the bolter miner was re-assembled and prepared for operation.

According to the manufacturer, the maximum speed of work is 27 t/min of excavated material, which translates into lower cost advances, according to JSW.

Tomasz Śledź, Vice-President of the JSW Management Board for Technical Matters, said: “The rockbolting technology has been widely used globally: in Australia, South Africa, Russia and in the Czech Republic. It is much cheaper than frame supports and equally as safe.

“The cost of preparatory works in the mines of Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa represents a significant portion of coal mining costs, so the company is seeking more efficient solutions. The use of rockbolting is an opportunity to reduce our expenditures incurred in the mining preparation process.”

Innovative roadheader to soon start up at JSW’s Budryk coal mine

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A modern roadheader system equipped with a Komatsu Mining-manufactured bolter miner has been handed over to Polish coal miner JSW during celebrations in Tychy, Silesia.

The event, which featured a demonstration of the system’s capabilities, acted as a precursor for the hardware being delivered to the Budryk mine in Ornontowice, one of the deepest hard coal mines in the world.

The coal miner said: “JSW’s decision to purchase the roadheader may mark the most significant technological breakthrough in the Polish mining industry for many years. The research and development project, entitled ‘Independent Rockbolt Support’, is an innovative technology which may change not only the roadway works performed in JSW mines, but also may provide valuable inspiration for development for the entire Polish mining industry.”

Back in January, JSW reported that SIGMA was to deliver a system normally employed for cutting longwall faces and other areas in mines for roadway excavation, employing this specialist bolter miner.

The project sought to adapt the solutions used globally in the most modern deep shaft mines in the US and Australia, among other places, JSW said.

Włodzimierz Hereźniak, President of the JSW SA Management Board, said: “This is a revolution in Polish mining. The implementation of this hardware aims primarily to increase mining and reduce its cost. All these efforts follow from our strategy providing for reducing mining costs and expediting preparatory works in JSW mines.”

The construction of the Bolter Miner 12CM30 in the US lasted one year. In May, the miner was delivered to Poland and, over the next few days, it will be disassembled and transported to Budryk.

There, it will be assembled in the “Bw –1N badawczy” roadway – a process expected to take around three weeks. The miner will start working in the pit in November. cutting longwall faces and other areas in mines to be used for roadway excavation employing a specialist bolter miner.

The roadheader will be equipped with a 5.6-m wide cylindrical cutting head, with the project involving construction of six anchors in the pit’s ceiling and three anchors in the sidewalls. According to the assumptions, the roadheader will drill 15 m/d in the pit.

The project is the company’s response to the challenges awaiting it in the years to come, one of them being the need to increase the front of preparatory works in its deep coal mines.

The modern system to be used in JSW has been developed by a consortium of cooperating entities: JSW Innowacje as the consortium leader, JSW, the Central Mining Institute and Komatsu Mining (Joy Global).