MECHANISED COAL
UGCS , RPMGlobal ’ s scheduling package purpose-built for underground coal operations , has recently expanded to introduce an enterprise , parametric mine scheduling solution specifically for global longwall operations
longwall automation process , according to FAMUR . The company ’ s proprietary SCADA system , SmartMine , aids this process , allowing visualisation of all system components , as well as parameter setting and control .
As part of the system installation , a surface operator station was constructed from which it is possible to control the longwall system in a manner identical to the operator ’ s cabin underground , FAMUR said .
For demonstration purposes and to highlight the onset of automation on the system at the Shigetai mine , remote control of the system via the Internet was recently presented at a mining conference more than 900 km from the mine , directly from the exhibition stand .
The company concluded : “ The MIKRUS system by FAMUR is the first in the world among its own category ( equipment intended for thin seams ) to have achieved fully automatic operation , including automatic advancement of the BSL .
“ With the use of this system , the much desired need to reduce the number of personnel at the longwall and simplify operations becomes natural , as a mere side effect of the applied mining technology .”
Software and support
Speaking of new industry benchmarks , RPMGlobal claims to have , yet again , achieved a major milestone in the mine planning software industry with the introduction of longwall support to its Underground Coal Solutions ( UGCS ) software product .
UGCS , RPMGlobal ’ s scheduling package purpose-built for underground coal operations , already supported other common mining methods such as room and pillar , but the latest release introduces an enterprise , parametric mine scheduling solution specifically for global longwall operations .
“ Parametric scheduling in mining was pioneered by RPMGlobal to automate the repetitive and time-consuming tasks that can often take a mine planner days , weeks or even