Expert System for Mine Supervising Staff Fire Hazard Monitoring and Fire - Fighting

The paper presents the functions of an expert system designed for mine supervising staff responsible for fire hazard monitoring and fire-fighting. The essence of the system is to gather the complete data from hazard monitoring systems and the results of manual measurements made by ventilation staff in a common database. The database can be used for analysis and engineering calculation employed in mine ventilation supervision and also for the prevention against natural hazards, in particular fire and methane. Hardware and software tools developed within the framework of the system will also be used during rescue operation

Selection of accessing and development schemes for extracting reserves of ore body 2 in Irtysh deposit

Purpose. Justification and selection of a rational scheme for accessing the second ore body of the Irtysh deposit based on a technical and economic comparison of its adopted competitive options. Methods. The main mining, geological and engineering requirements for selecting the scheme for accessing the Irtysh field are considered to achieve the goal. Three competitive accessing options are proposed on the basis of project regulatory documents and geotechnological features of the ore body. The optimal scheme of accessing was suggested taking into account the volumes of mining and preparatory works and averaging of the metal content in the ore by the method of technical and economic comparison. Findings. Analysis of the accessing schemes was performed for deposits similar in the geological conditions and represented by fragmented ore bodies. The advantages and disadvantages of 3 competitive access options are reviewed in detail. The technological and economic feasibility of excavation of ore body 2 reserves has been substantiated, i.e. of accessing them by fringedrifts between the Irtysh and Vspomogatel’naya mines on the upper horizons of the deposit. It is established that the difference in the volume of capital works (CW) and preparatory works (PW) is 45640 m3 in favor of accessing ore body 2 by fringedrifts between the Irtysh and Vspomogatel’naya mines. At the same time, the volumes of CW and PW at the initial and final stages of development are much lower than in the case of accessing by a transport ramp from the surface. The change in the average content of copper, lead and zinc with the simultaneous development of the Osnovnaya Deposit and the South-Eastern Deposit in the lower horizons of the field has been calculated. Originality. For the conditions of ore body 2 of the Irtysh deposit, planned for development in accordance with the proposed access, it was found that despite the decrease in the copper content in the saleable ore, the lead content in the saleable ore will increase to 0.49% and zinc content, respectively, to 3.83%. Practical implications. Mining of ore body 2 according to the recommended accessing scheme with a minimum amount of mining will allow to raise the productivity of the Irtysh mine to 600 thousand tons per year during the period 2018 – 2026, as well as to increase the extraction of lead and zinc.Мета. Обґрунтування та вибір раціональної схеми розкриття другого рудного тіла Іртишського родовища на підставі техніко-економічного порівняння її прийнятих конкурентних варіантів. Методика. Для досягнення поставленої мети виділено основні гірничо-геологічні та інженерно-технічні вимоги для вибору схеми розкриття Іртишського родовища. На підставі положень проектних нормативних документів і геотехнологічних особливостей рудного тіла запропоновані 3 конкурентних варіанти розкриття. Методом техніко-економічного порівняння приймалася оптимальна схема розкриття з урахуванням об’ємів гірничо-капітальних і підготовчих робіт та усереднення вмісту металу в руді. Результати. Виконано аналіз схем розкриття, аналогічних за гірничо-геологічними умовами родовищ, представлених зближеними рудними покладами. Детально розглянуті переваги й недоліки 3 конкурентних варіантів розкриття. Обґрунтована технологічна та економічна доцільність виїмки запасів рудного тіла 2, а саме розкриття польовими штреками між шахтами “Іртишська” і “Допоміжна” на верхніх горизонтах родовища. Встановлено, що різниця в об’ємах гірничо-капітальних (ГКР) і підготовчих робіт (ГПР) становить 45640 м3 на користь варіанту розкриття рудного тіла 2 польовими штреками між шахтами “Іртишська” і “Допоміжна”, при цьому об’єми ГКР і ГПР на початковій і кінцевій стадіях відпрацювання значно нижче, ніж при варіанті розкриття транспортним ухилом з поверхні. Підрахована зміна середнього вмісту міді, свинцю і цинку з одночасним відпрацюванням Основного та Південно-Східного покладів на нижніх горизонтах родовища. Наукова новизна. Для умов рудного тіла 2 Іртишського родовища, яке планується розробляти, відповідно до запропонованого варіанту розкриття, встановлено, що, незважаючи на зниження вмісту міді у товарній руді, в цілому по руднику підвищиться вміст свинцю в товарній руді до 0.49%, а цинку – до 3.83% відповідно. Практична значимість. Введення у відпрацювання рудного тіла 2, відповідно до рекомендованої схеми розкриття з мінімальним об’ємом гірничих робіт, дозволить досягти продуктивності Іртишського рудника до 600 тис. т на рік у період 2018 – 2026 рр., а також додатково підвищити витяг свинцю і цинку.Цель. Обоснование и выбор рациональной схемы вскрытия второго рудного тела Иртышского месторождения на основании технико-экономического сравнения ее принятых конкурентных вариантов. Методика. Для достижения поставленной цели выделены основные горно-геологические и инженерно-технические требования для выбора схемы вскрытия Иртышского месторождения. На основании положений проектных нормативных документов и геотехнологических особенностей рудного тела предложены 3 конкурентных варианта вскрытия. Методом технико-экономического сравнения принималась оптимальная схема вскрытия с учетом объемов горно-капитальных и подготовительных работ и усреднения содержания металла в руде. Результаты. Выполнен анализ схем вскрытия, аналогичных по горно-геологическим условиям месторождений, представленных сближенными рудными залежами. Детально рассмотрены достоинства и недостатки 3 конкурентных вариантов вскрытия. Обоснована технологическая и экономическая целесообразность выемки запасов рудного тела 2, а именно вскрытие полевыми штреками между шахтами “Иртышская” и “Вспомогательная” на верхних горизонтах месторождения. Установлено, что разница в объемах горно-капитальных (ГКР) и подготовительных работ (ГПР) составляет 45640 м3 в пользу варианта вскрытия рудного тела 2 полевыми штреками между шахтами “Иртышская” и “Вспомогательная”, при этом объемы ГКР и ГПР на начальной и конечной стадиях отработки значительно ниже, чем при варианте вскрытия транспортным уклоном с поверхности. Подсчитано изменение среднего содержания меди, свинца и цинка с одновременной отработкой Основной и Юго-Восточной залежей на нижних горизонтах месторождения. Научная новизна. Для условий рудного тела 2 Иртышского месторождения, планируемого к разработке, согласно предложенному варианту вскрытия, установлено, что, несмотря на снижение содержание меди в товарной руде, в целом по руднику повысится содержание свинца в товарной руде до 0.49%, а цинка – до 3.83% соответственно. Практическая значимость. Ввод в отработку рудного тела 2, согласно рекомендованной схеме вскрытия с минимальным объемом горных работ, позволит достичь производительности Иртышского рудника до 600 тыс. т в год в период 2018 – 2026 гг., а также дополнительно повысить извлечение свинца и цинка.The paper did not originate under any project and no funding was raised

Assessment of mining activities with respect to the environmental protection

This paper deals with the impact of mining on the environment. Coal mining is still among the most widespread and most intense mining activity, which disturbs the landscape around us bringing regional environmental, economic and aesthetic problems. However, for many countries in the world, including the Czech Republic, deposits of raw materials play an important role, especially for purposes of producing electricity and thermal energy. At the same time, growing emphasis laid on the environmental protection can be observed worldwide. To meet the increasing ecological demands, it is reasonable to consider the most significant aspects of mining activities from the environmental point of view, as well as to consider the possibilities of the abandoned mines utilization as possible waste dumps. Parts of this problem consist in: the monitoring, environmental impacts assessment of exploration and mining activities and waste disposal mining, which may significantly contribute to the environmental protection in the future. Several parameters that can significantly affect the usability of the waste disposal mining, such as geological structure, hydro-geological conditions, material composition and physical and mechanical properties of rocks are discussed in detail in this work. The article also includes a practical example of Environmental Impact Assessment process for the particular activity of OKD stock company, which is the only producer of hard coal (bituminous coal) in the Czech Republic. Its coal is mined in the southern part of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin - in the Ostrava-Karvina coal district. KeywordsWeb of Science221937

Improving Mechanical Ventilator Clinical Decision Support Systems with A Machine Learning Classifier for Determining Ventilator Mode

Clinical decision support systems (CDSS) will play an in-creasing role in improving the quality of medical care for critically ill patients. However, due to limitations in current informatics infrastructure, CDSS do not always have com-plete information on state of supporting physiologic monitor-ing devices, which can limit the input data available to CDSS. This is especially true in the use case of mechanical ventilation (MV), where current CDSS have no knowledge of critical ventilation settings, such as ventilation mode. To enable MV CDSS to make accurate recommendations related to ventilator mode, we developed a highly performant ma-chine learning model that is able to perform per-breath clas-sification of 5 of the most widely used ventilation modes in the USA with an average F1-score of 97.52%. We also show how our approach makes methodologic improvements over previous work and that it is highly robust to missing data caused by software/sensor error

The case for developing an Australian technical specification for structural design of ventilation control devices

Ventilation management and control plays an essential part in underground coal mining. Failure of the ventilation system or failure of underground seals can lead to multiple fatalities and closure of a mine. Examples include: Moura No.2 (Qld, 1994); Sago (USA, 2006) and Pike River (NZ, 2010). Following the Moura No.2 disaster, the Qld Dept. of Mines put new regulations in place specifying pressure ratings for various classes of Ventilation Control Devices (VCDs). They also initially specified that only VCD’s that had been subject to “full scale testing” would be accepted for use in Qld mines. No guidance was provided on how the full scale test results were to be applied to the design of VCDs in the field. It is considered that an Australian Standard for VCDs should be developed to address commonly observed issues including: Factors of safety Design methodologies and designer qualifications Material properties, testing and verification Dual ratings for overpressure and water head Provision for inclusions such as access hatches, doors and pipes. Australian Standards are extensively researched, peer reviewed and subject to public comment. The entire process typically can take from two to four years. An Australian Technical Specification is a one-tier lower document than an Australian Standard, produced by an expert committee on the basis of consensus. Although peer reviewed, it is not subject to public comment and could be completed within 12 months. It is suggested in light of the critical importance of VCDs and the lack of any Governmental or Regulatory technical progress since 2001, that the Coal Mining Industry should pro-actively assemble an expert committee and prepare a business case to Standards Australia for development of an Australian Technical Specification for VCDs with a target completion date of June 2018

Improving the process of coal extraction based on the parameter optimization of mining equipment

The aim of this paper is to develop and validate methods of choosing the means of the mining face mechanization. This paper analyses existing methods of optimizing processes in mining. It was established that the effectiveness of the performance map of coal field is formed by a group of technological, operational, and economic parameters which can be represented as a vector of solutions. To find the optimal solution, it was suggested to use network models and graphs. The essence of the technique is to represent the input and output (production level, prime cost) resource flows in an organized structure. Regularities of forming technological schemes of coalfield operation with a given level of performance, taking into account the relationship between technological parameters of mining face, operational parameters of the stoping equipment, technical and economic performance are defined. We developed the system for decision- making support, which allows optimizing operational parameters, reducing the production prime cost, and selecting the structure of the mechanized complex of stoping equipment with a specified level of performance. This paper describes approaches that can be used at the design stage of mining face and in the process of operation

Applicability of siberian placer mining technology to Alaska

The result of Perestroyka and Glasnost has been an awakening of potential for cooperation between East and West. Nowhere has that been better demonstrated than between Alaska and Magadan Province, USSR. This report summarizes a one year effort financed by ASTF, with participation from several technical organizations, to establish contacts with the Siberian placer mining industry. The purpose of the project was to provide initial assessment of the Soviet technology for placer mining in permafrost. A ten day trip to Magadan province by an ASTF team and a similar length visit to Alaska by the Soviet mining group representing the All Union Scientific and Research Institute of Gold and Rare Metals, (VNII-I), Magadan are described. The report also reviews translated data on mining in permafrost and describes surface and underground placer mining technology developed by the Soviets. The report also lists relevant publications on Soviet mining research and state of the art Soviet mining technology and expertise

Method for Operative Prediction of SPONCOM Hazard in Gob Area

Expert systems for SPONCOM risk assessment ·are used for choosing suitable fire-proof mining systems and ventilation schemes. Some of them can even estimate the effectiveness of planned ventilation and specific anti-fire measures for SPONCON risk reduction as early as at the design phase. The method proposed herewith is appropriate for operative evaluation of SPONCM risk in gob areas for the following three phases during longwall development: design stope, the commencement of production, and during production. Data from mine and model experiments and statistical data for the actual coal seams serve as a basis for defining index of relative SPONCOM risk throughout gob areas. Two very important problems can be solved with this method: (1) operational - tracing of hypothetical SPONCOM zones alongside gob area when some combustive products of low oxidation are observed in the outflowing stream. Most probable SPONCOM zones are determined via streamlines of air leakage and risk distribution; (2) preventive -planning of target anti-fire measures for effective SPONCOM risk reduction in the most dangerous zones. Application of the proposed method is illustrated with real data from operating retreat longwalls. Such a system implies the greatest difficulties in tracing dangerous zones. Influence of nitrogen injection on dangerous SPONCOM zones is also shown