PERMFILE104624

• Permit No: C1981018
• IBM Index Class Name: Permit File
• Doc Date: 5/13/2002
• Section_Exhibit Name: R2P2 Revised 10/97
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

TABLE 4-3
ESTIMATED PRODUCTION RATE (1996-2018)
(TONS OF RAW COAL)
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PERIOD D SEAM B SEAM TOTAL
1997 1,445,000 57,000 1,502,000
1998 1,470,000 225,000 1,695,000
1999 1,169,000 621,000 1,790,000
2000-2004 - 7,500,000 7,500,000
2005-2009 133,000 7,367,000 7,500,000
2010-2014 1,713,000 5,787,000 7,500,000
2015-2017 750,000 2,284,000 3,034,000
TOTAL 6,680,000 23,841,000 30,521,000
4.2.7 Recovery Factors Recrovery factors vary among diNerent main and gate roads,
room-and-pillar panels and longwall panels.
Only 36 to 39 percent of coal is recovered from the main or gate roads depending upon the numbers
of entries being developed. The higher the number of entries, the lower the recovery factor will be.
A three-entry gate road renders to a 39 percent recovery factor. This factor is 36 percent for a
six-entry main road.
In the room-and-pillar panels, the final recovery, i.e. the ultimate pillar size that can be safely
extracted, depends upon the overburden thickness and the seam thickness. The recovery factor
decreases with increasing overburden and/or seam thickness. In the Deserado Mine, this factor is
estimated at 67 percent.
The new longwall equipment at the Deserado Mine has a maximum mining height of 10.5 feet and
a minimum mining height of 6 feet. The remaining D Seam coal is less than 10.5 feet thick and will
be mined essentially rock to rods. The B Seam thickness (which includes some parting) exceeds
11 feet in thickness in some areas of the Deserado Mine leases. In these areas, the net coal
thickness (mining height minus parting material thickness) will be recovered. The longwall recovers
100% of the height that is cut by the longwall shear. In some instances, not all of the coal may be
recovered due to operator error or to the need to leave a little coal to prevent soft non-coal material
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