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Longwall mining is a form of underground coal mining where a long wall of coal is mined in a single slice (typically 0.6–6.0 m (2 ft 0 in – 19 ft 8 in) thick). The section of rock that is being mined, known as the longwall panel, is typically 3–4 km (1.9–2.5 mi) long, but can be up to 7.5 km (4.7 mi) long and 250–400 m (820–1,310 ft) wide.
Longwall mining – A set of longwall mining equipment consists of a coal shearer mounted on a conveyor operating underneath a series of self-advancing hydraulic roof supports. Almost the entire process can be automated. Longwall mining machines are typically 150–250 metres in width and 1.5 to 3 metres high.
The machine works by "shearing" coal from a longwall coal face as it moved along the face. The shear drum is around 0.5 metres in diameter and the machine travels on an armoured conveyor with a prop-free front. The machine shears going one way and the coal at the front is deflected by a plough onto the conveyor.
Longwall systems have their own hydraulic roof supports which advance with the machine as mining progresses. As the longwall mining equipment moves forward, overlying rock that is no longer supported by coal is allowed to fall behind the operation in a controlled manner. The supports make possible high levels of production and safety.
In July 2011, the company acquired a 41% stake in International Mining Machinery Holdings, one of China's biggest manufacturers of long-wall mining shearers for extracting coal from underground mines, for US$585 million, [17] with plans to obtain the remaining shares of the China-based mining equipment manufacturer through a tender offer. In ...
The Meco-Moore cutter loader was an early twentieth-century British mining machine. It was invented by Mr M. Moore, and developed by the Mining Engineering Company (MECO) of Worcester . It was a heavy machine (120 hp / 89.5 kW) and was first used in a coal mine in Lancashire, England 1934. [ 1 ]