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tinuous miners in room and pillar mining and self-advancing support <br />• in long-wall mining. However, in hydraulic mining, the changes are <br />going to be much greater because of the unsophisticated mining <br />technology and the simple philosophy regarding its application. <br />Hydraulic mines in the foreseeable future could be operated <br />completely by remote control Lrom the surface. The control process <br />would involve the utilization of computers and television and <br />result in further reduction in manpower. <br />4.2.1.2 Equipment <br />Hydraulic mining is rather unique in that it does not require a <br />large amount of costly equipment in the main coal production areas <br />of the mine. The combined monitor and feeder-breaker are the main <br />production unit and cost less than $300,000 complete. It is <br />necessary to install more than one monitor-feeder-breaker unit to <br />provide continuous production. One unit will have to be serviced <br />and one will be 'worked-out' or have mined all the coal in its <br />• specific mining block and will have to be moved back to a new <br />position. One production section consists of three units, one <br />mining coal, one being moved back, and one waiting to operate and <br />on standby. It is better to have additional units installed so <br />t}~at a reasonable break line (Figure 9.2-2) can be maintained <br />against the 'gob' by synchronizing the multiple working faces and <br />to provide additional in-place spares to further protect against <br />production interruptions. A total capital expenditure of con- <br />siderably less than $1,000,000 is normally sufficient to purchase <br />the required number of monitor-feeder-breaker units and a reason- <br />able supply of spares. The total cost for developing a hydraulic <br />mine are commonly 60 ~ of costs for conventional coal mining at the <br />same production rates. <br />9.2.1.2.1 Hydraulic Monitor <br />This is usually a very heavy duty water cannon designed for sim- <br />. NCIG - Coal Ridge #1 4-5 ABC/1145/910509 <br />7n -~ <br />