Bucyrus has tested an upgraded mining complex for Paskov Mine

OSTRAVA – It was a nerve-racking job, but in the end, everything was excellently completed! This brief sentence expresses the feelings of those who were assigned to deliver in time the Bucyrus mining complex, the last one under the POP 2010 Program, to the Paskov Mine. In the previous days, a compatibility test was carried out on a section of this mining complex in Bastro, a former Ostrava-based company, which is now a subsidiary company of Bucyrus.

If the test had not been successful, considerable complications would have occurred. Many large hydraulic supports, weighing a lot of tons, were lowered into the Paskov Mine. The sections were not immediately installed into the future coalface because in the mine, they had to wait for the completion of coalface conveyor installation due to delayed deliveries from Bucyrus. If the remaining sections, tested in Bastro, had not communicated with each other properly, they might have had to be pulled up to the surface for potential adjustment. However, everything has worked out well. As expected by OKD, the equipment will be started up in Coalface 063 606 in mid-September.

Capital costs halved

The tension which was hanging over the whole operation progress was not caused only by the delayed deliveries of some elements and finishing operations. We were eager to see how the new complex with 114 sections, which had already been used in one of the German mines of RAG, and which had been refurbished in Bastro, would work. During the tests, everything was working, with some small modifications, flawlessly. All heaved a sigh of relief. Thanks to the combination of the new and refurbished equipment, as well as by using some older elements of the Paskov Mine, the company has managed to cut the capital costs of the whole technology almost to a half, which is very important!

Both testing and training

The compatibility test was preceded by complex preparations. Everything started with so-called technical meetings, where the miners regularly met with the manufacturer, including subcontractors, to specify the parameters of the future mining complex, which was tailor-made for the Staříč coalface. Afterwards, Bucyrus manufactured the first prototypes, which were then tested and modified, as requested by the ordering party. After approval, other equipment, including power and peripheral hydraulic elements, started to be manufactured. And since the mining complex for the Staříč Mining Plant is actually unique in a way, it had to undergo the said compatibility test. In fact, a complete, even though shorter, coalface was made in Bastro to test whether the equipment load did not result in any collision and whether the equipment complied with the conditions set to the manufacturer.

The guys, among others, who will control the complex equipment, full of electronics, in Staříč provided their assistance during the tests. They have thus completed their first training. They could see how the equipment is assembled and disassembled, how it is controlled and how faults are identified and repaired...

Mine communication with surface through optical cabling

And through what is the Staříč mining complex so unique? Its system allows the mining to be controlled from the surface, as is the case of other similar equipment in OKD, nevertheless all the communication occurs through optical cabling: data, voice, video-camera picture transmission. It is quicker, superior and more reliable. The mining complex is expected to mine at least 1,500 tons per day and to significantly contribute to the fulfilment of this year’s Technical Plan of the Paskov Mine.

(Josef Lys)