2024-09-05_PERMIT FILE - C1980007 (2)

Home Browse Search

West Elk Mine 2.05-7 Rev. 11/04- PR11; 03/06- PR10; 07/15- MR413; 07/18- PR15, 01/24-TR152, 04/24-TR154 Maintenance Tender Mining Equipment Maintenance Boom Truck Utility-Supply/Maintenance Mantrip Personnel Transport Grader Roadway Maintenance Fork Truck/Hydraulic Trailer Supply Transport Utility/Maintenance Vehicles Support/Transportation Other coal beds occur in the West Elk Mine area that are generally thin, discontinuous, and of poor coal quality. The mining of these seams is not planned. These seams are, in ascending order, the A Seam, the C Seam, the D Seam, and further F Seam. The A Seam is typically less than five feet in thickness and occurs too close below the B Seam to be economically recoverable. Likewise, the C Seam is typically thin, split with rock partings or absent in the West Elk Mine coal lease area. The C Seam also lies sufficiently close to the overlying B Seam to allow recovery of both seams using longwall mining methods. Likewise, the D Seam occurs as a thin coal bed in the West Elk Mine coal lease area and occurs too close below the E Seam to be economically recoverable. Where the D Seam merges with the overlying E Seam, the upper portion of the D Seam may be mined locally, with the E Seam. Previous mining operations in the F Seam have been unsuccessful. Because of seam thinning, poor roof conditions and coal quality, attempts to recover the F Seam have historically proven to be uneconomic. Table 31 Typical Equipment Used in Longwall Mining at West Elk Mine Equipment Type Principal Use Double Ended Ranging Shearer Cuts Coal From Longwall Face 2 Leg Hydraulic Shields Roof Support Pan Line With Chain Conveyor Transports Coal To Stage Loader Hydraulic Pump Station Powers Shields & Panline Advance Power Distribution Center Provides Electric Power To Shearer Conveyor and Other Equipment Longwall Support Equipment Move Equipment From Outside and Between Panels MCC will take all reasonable actions necessary to minimize waste and damage to the remaining coal resources by appropriate mine design and extraction techniques. Operation Description The primary mine facilities and portals were developed in Section 16, T13S, R90W in 1981 and 1982 to support continuous miner room and pillar mining in the F Seam. West Elk Mine was developed using continuous miners in a series of main entries, submain entries, and gate entry development. In 1990, slopes were driven from the existing F Seam main entries in Section 21, T13S, R90W to the underlying B Seam. A similar system of main entries, submain entries, and gate entry development was continued in the northern B Seam reserves. Development of main and submain entries and longwall panels in the E Seam was initiated in June 2004 from the existing F to B Seam slopes. In late 2015, three rock slope entries were developed from the E Seam to the southern B seam reserves. MCC utilizes two methods of mining coal at West Elk Mine. They are room and pillar for development mining and a retreat longwall system for production mining. Room and pillar mining was the only method used in the F Seam. It was and will be used in the B and E Seams for development mining. Longwall mining was and will be utilized in the B Seam and is utilized in the E Seam, as well.