Application and research of wireless laser methane sensor in drainage pipeline monitoring

Laser methane sensor has been widely promoted and successfully applied in coal mines as a new and effective technology building on the approach of laser-based absorption detection. Compared with the traditional catalytic methane sensor, the laser methane sensor discussed offers the important advantages of a long calibration period, high detection precision, the absence of zero drift and low power consumption, all of which are significant advantages for use in coal mining applications. By compensating for the temperature and pressure of the gases present, the accuracy of the methane sensor is evident across a wide range of temperatures and pressures, making it suitable for gas detection, including methane, in pipelines as well. The wireless laser approach which is incorporated into the methane sensor allows wireless transmission and data uploading to a cloud server through NB-IoT. This tackles the problem in gas pipeline monitoring of the length of many pipelines and thus the wide distribution of the sensors, avoiding complicated wiring and thus high associated cost. Further, remote data management can then be achieved, all of which greatly improves the flexibility and security of the management of the pipeline and the data generated

Assessment of satellite and aircraft multispectral scanner data for strip-mine monitoring

The application of LANDSAT multispectral scanner data to describe the mining and reclamation changes of a hilltop surface coal mine in the rugged, mountainous area of eastern Kentucky is presented. Original single band satellite imagery, computer enhanced single band imagery, and computer classified imagery are presented for four different data sets in order to demonstrate the land cover changes that can be detected. Data obtained with an 11 band multispectral scanner on board a C-47 aircraft at an altitude of 3000 meters are also presented. Comparing the satellite data with color, infrared aerial photography, and ground survey data shows that significant changes in the disrupted area can be detected from LANDSAT band 5 satellite imagery for mines with more than 100 acres of disturbed area. However, band-ratio (bands 5/6) imagery provides greater contrast than single band imagery and can provide a qualitative level 1 classification of the land cover that may be useful for monitoring either the disturbed mining area or the revegetation progress. However, if a quantitative, accurate classification of the barren or revegetated classes is required, it is necessary to perform a detailed, four band computer classification of the data

The relevance of ERTS-1 data to the state of Ohio

There are no author-identified significant results in this report

The Changing Nature of Sino-Foreign Business Relationships, 1842-1941

During the second half of the nineteenth century, foreign business enterprises relied considerably upon the service of compradors to extend their economic interests in the Chinese economy. Utilised initially to overcome the barriers presented by language difficulties, compradors were employed by western firms to undertake a variety of tasks covering both supervisory and co-ordination functions. With the growth of industrial interest by foreign businesses during the twentieth century, however, the comprador system fell into disrepute and during the 1930s was largely abandoned.This paper employs research based on primary source materials to trace this institutional transition for two specific cases. The Kailan Mining Administration (KMA), whose origins are to be found as an Anglo-Belgian free-standing company, took control of both the Kaiping and Lanchow coal mines in 1912. In order to expand its sales, the company employed the services of the comprador Liu Hongsheng who successfully built up the company’s market around Shanghai. In doing so, however, Liu became an important force in coal distribution in his own right, leading to tensions that were resolved through the creation of a joint venture operation called the Kailan Sales Administration (KSA) in 1925.British-American Tobacco (BAT) was set up in 1902 to administer the foreign markets of the American Tobacco Company and Britain’s Imperial Tobacco Company. In China, a distribution system was created using many Chinese collaborators of whom two were of particular importance. Wu Ting Seng, a member of the Chinese gentry, played a crucial intermediating role for the western company in a variety of its dealings with the Chinese. Cheang Park Chew, on the other hand, was an influential Cantonese merchant whom BAT used to distribute its goods throughout the Shanghai region. In both cases, BAT chose to alter the institutional arrangements with these collaborators from the contractual form to joint venture partnerships, unsuccessfully in the case of Wu, but with phenomenal success in the case of Cheang’s mercantile enterprise, the Wing Tai Vo Tobacco Corporation

Application of ERTS-A imagery to fracture related mine safety hazards in the coal mining industry

The author has identified the following significant results. The most important result to date is the demonstration of the special value of repetitive ERTS-1 multiband coverage for detecting previously unknown fracture lineaments despite the presence of a deep glacial overburden. The Illinois Basin is largely covered with glacial drift and few rock outcrops are present. A contribution to the geological understanding of Illinois and Indiana has been made. Analysis of ERTS-1 imagery has provided useful information to the State of Indiana concerning the surface mined lands. The contrast between healthy vegetation and bare ground as imaged by Band 7 is sharp and substantial detail can be obtained concerning the extent of disturbed lands, associated water bodies, large haul roads, and extent of mined lands revegetation. Preliminary results of analysis suggest a reasonable correlation between image-detected fractures and mine roof fall accidents for a few areas investigated. ERTS-1 applications to surface mining operations appear probable, but further investigations are required. The likelihood of applying ERTS-1 derived fracture data to improve coal mine safety in the entire Illinois Basin is suggested from studies conducted in Indiana

Baseline Scotland : groundwater chemistry of the Carboniferous sedimentary aquifers of the Midland Valley

This report describes the baseline groundwater chemistry of the sedimentary aquifers of Carboniferous age in the Midland Valley of Scotland. Groundwater is an important resource in the Midland Valley, largely for agriculture, but also for industry – including food and drink processing and mineral water bottling, and for domestic use. A large but unquantified volume of groundwater is also still pumped from former mine workings, largely coal mines, in order to maintain water levels and for quality treatment. Analyses for 62 groundwater samples were interpreted for the purposes of this study. Of these, 36 samples were collected for the Baseline Scotland project between September and December 2008. These were augmented with a further 25 samples collected during separate BGS projects since 2001. The sites were chosen largely to be representative of groundwater in the area, and sources that were very poorly constructed were avoided. A small number of samples were deliberately targeted from mines, either from adits, shafts or boreholes. The data were classed in one of five different hydrogeological units (or aquifer groups): four chronostratigraphic groups, which in decreasing order of age are the Inverclyde, Strathclyde, Clackmannan and Coal Measures groups; and a fifth group incorporating waters sampled from mine discharges. An estimate of the baseline groundwater chemistry conditions in the four chronostratigraphic hydrogeological units is presented, based on a statistical summary of the chemical data, which represents values between the 10th and 90th A summary of the conclusions arising from this study follows. percentiles of the full dataset range. This statistical approach to estimating baseline compositions was complemented by selecting 11 analyses of groundwater from sources where there is little or no indication of direct contamination, including likely impact from mining. The chemistry of these samples represents the typical groundwater conditions in the four non-mine hydrogeological units in the sedimentary Carboniferous aquifers of the Midland Valley

Institute of Northern Engineering 2006 Annual Report

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR -- OVERVIEW AND MISSION -- CENTER PROFILES -- ORGANIZATION & CENTER LEADERS -- ARCTIC ENERGY TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT LABORATORY -- ALASKA UNIVERSITY TRANSPORTATION CENTER -- MINERAL INDUSTRY RESEARCH LABORATORY -- PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT LABORATORY -- WATER & ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH CENTER -- INE GENERAL RESEARCH -- ACCOMPLISHMENTS 2006 -- GOALS 2007 -- RESOURCES, FUNDING, AND EXPENDITURE

Adapting to climate risks and extreme weather: guide for mining - minerals industry professionals

AbstractExtreme weather events in Australia over recent years have highlighted the costs for Australian mining and mineral processing operations of being under-prepared for adapting to climate risk. For example, the 2010/2011 Queensland floods closed or restricted production of about forty out of Queensland’s fifty coal mines costing more than $2 billion in lost production.Whilst mining and mineral professionals have experience with risk management and managing workplace health and safety, changes to patterns of extreme weather events and future climate impacts are unpredictable. Responding to these challenges requires planning and preparation for events that many people have never experienced before. With increasing investor and public concern for the impact of such events, this guide is aimed at assisting a wide range of mining and mineral industry professionals to incorporate planning and management of extreme weather events and impacts from climate change into pre-development, development and construction, mining and processing operations and post-mining phases. The guide should be read in conjunction with the research  final report which describes the research process for developing the guide and reflects on challenges and lessons for adaptation research from the project.The Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney (UTS) led the development of the guide with input from the Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation, University of Queensland and a Steering Committee from the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy’s Sustainability Committee and individual AusIMM members, who volunteered their time and experience. As the situation of every mining and mineral production operation is going to be different, this guide has been designed to provide general information about the nature of extreme weather events, and some specific examples of how unexpectedly severe flooding, storm, drought, high temperature and bushfire events have affected mining and mineral processing operations. A number of case studies used throughout the guide also illustrate the ways forward thinking operations have tackled dramatically changing climatic conditions.Each section of the guide outlines a range of direct and indirect impacts from a different type of extreme weather, and provides a starting point for identifying potential risks and adaptation options that can be applied in different situations. The impacts and adaptation sections provide guidance on putting the key steps into practice by detailing specific case examples of leading practice and how a risk management approach can be linked to adaptive planning. More information about specific aspects of extreme weather, planning and preparation for the risks presented by these events, and tools for undertaking climate related adaptation is provided in the ‘Additional Resources’ section

Labour Administration Reforms in China

[Excerpt] This publication provides an explanation of the comprehensive labour administration system in China, including its recent advances, with emphasis on its public services functions, such as public employment, labour inspection and social insurance services. With the recent improvements to both the legal framework and the institutions of labour administration, it is believed that these public services will play bigger and more active roles in ensuring compliance with legislation and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of employers and workers alike

Automation of the longwall mining system

Cost effective, safe, and technologically sound applications of automation technology to underground coal mining were identified. The longwall analysis commenced with a general search for government and industry experience of mining automation technology. A brief industry survey was conducted to identify longwall operational, safety, and design problems. The prime automation candidates resulting from the industry experience and survey were: (1) the shearer operation, (2) shield and conveyor pan line advance, (3) a management information system to allow improved mine logistics support, and (4) component fault isolation and diagnostics to reduce untimely maintenance delays. A system network analysis indicated that a 40% improvement in productivity was feasible if system delays associated with all of the above four areas were removed. A technology assessment and conceptual system design of each of the four automation candidate areas showed that state of the art digital computer, servomechanism, and actuator technologies could be applied to automate the longwall system