2011
INTERNATIONAL MINING FORUM 2011
40
Session: Plow technology
and its perspectives
Uli Paschedag, Director Product Segment Underground – Caterpillar Global Mining, Germany
Plow Technology – History and Today‘s State-of-the-ArT
Plowing is a long-known coal mining method invented in the early 1940s. Many different plow models were designed and
trialed underground until in the mid-1990s only two models remained: the Reisshakenhobel® or base plate plow and the
Gleithobel® or gliding plow. Horsepower and plow speed have increased steadily over time; however it wasn’t until 1989
when the biggest weakness of plow systems was overcome: automated plowing, using electrohydraulic controls, with
defined cutting depths finally allowed plowing to become the most productive mining method for seams below 1.8 m
seam thickness. This technology step like the most inventions in plowing came from Caterpillars predecessor Westfalia
Lünen. Another milestone was yet another invention by Westfalia as the world’s first and only really mine-worthy and rug-
ged control system PM 4 was introduced in 1993. Today, three standard plow systems are offered by Caterpillar together
with tailor-made plow shields and the currently most advanced electronic shield control system, the PMC®-R. Installed
cutting power of up to 2 x 800 kW, coupled with a blazing plow speed of up to 3.6 m/s and world-leading automation
capabilities leads to an integrated longwall mining system for medium and thin seams which produces more clean coal
at lower cost than any shearer can.
Zbigniew Stopa – Lubelski Węgiel Bogdanka S.A., Poland
Plough Technique at LW Bogdanka S.A. – Present State and Prospects of Development
The article discusses the experiences which the Bogdanka mine has gathered to date in the field of implementation of
the plough technique. It presents technical specifications of the first mechanical plough system purchased by Lubelski
Węgiel Bogdanka S.A. as well as the location, the geological and mining conditions, and the full production output re-
ached by the research wall 1/VI in deposit 385/2 which was equipped with that system in 2010. The article discusses
the second wall 7/VII/385, equipped with that system, launched at the end of September/beginning of October 2011
in the Stefanów field. It presents changes which were implemented in that system and in the technology of mining the
second wall as well as the plans of the mine to purchase a second system, the delivery of which is forecast to take place
in 2012.
David Xianguang Tang – Caterpillar Global Mining, China
Operational Experiences of Automated Plow Systems in Tiefa, China
There are eleven Cat (former Bucyrus/DBT) automated plow systems in China. Tiefa Coal Mining (Group) Co., Ltd. is not
only the first end user but also has the largest fleet of the Cat automated plow system. Over the past decade it employed
this fleet to effectively recover its valuable low seam reserves, which extended the service life of its old mines that other-
wise could have been closed and resulted in the unemployment of thousands of miners. Meanwhile Tiefa gained a lot of
successful experiences in using the automated plow systems and shared them with other Chinese coal producers. This
paper will describe how the problems were approached and successfully resolved by the Tiefa and will reflect China’s
approach to effective resolution of thin seam coal extraction.
Andrzej Tor – Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa S.A., Poland
Past experience and further expectations with regard to application of plow
technology at Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa S.A.
The paper presents benefits that result from application of plow technology to extraction of thin seams as compared to
conventional extraction with use of longwall shearers. The up-to-date experience and scope of further plans associated
with coal extraction with use of plow systems at JSW plc are outlined with practical outcome acquired during past ope-
rations. Application of the plow technology with continuous improvements on the background of gained expertise and
consequential innovative solutions are crucial for JSW plc due to substantial portion of thin seams in overall resources
of comprised coal mines.
Abstracts of the conference papers