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West Elk Mine <br />(6) Overburden <br />Because West Elk Mine is an underground mine and not a surface mine, no overburden is removed, <br />handled, or stored. Spoil from developing underground workings is handled as coal mine waste. <br />Therefore, the discussion of refuse disposal in Section 2.05.3(8) also applies to all spoil generated <br />during these developmental activifies. <br />(7) Coal Handline Structures <br />At West Elk Mine, coal handling structures consist of belt conveyors, three run-of--mine stacking <br />tubes with an underground conveyor reclaim system, adouble-roller crusher, screening plant, <br />rotary breaker, two silos, a crushed coal stack-tube with an underground conveyor reclaim <br />system, a proposed dozer trap reclaim system, and a railroad loadout facility. Map 53 shows the <br />locations of these coal handling structures. Each facility or group of facilities is described <br />below. <br />Run-of--mine coal is transported from the longwall production and continuous miner <br />development sections to the various surface facilities by a system of belt conveyors. A 60-inch <br />mine conveyor carries coal from the mine portal to the stacking tubes. At a speed of 900 feet per <br />minute, the capacity of this conveyor is approximately 3,500 tons per hour. The conveyor <br />belting is covered by a semi-circulaz corrugated galvanized metal cover. Primary and secondary <br />walkways were constructed along the conveyor. The conveyor structure is steel. A reclaim <br />feeder was installed on the run of mine belt neaz the portals in 1987. <br />From the stacking tubes, the 54-inch underground conveyor reclaim system transports the coal to <br />adouble-roller crusher. This conveyor has a capacity of 1,500 tons per hour and will travel at <br />550 feet per minute. The crushed coal is transported to the screening plant on a 60-inch high- <br />angle conveyor belt with a capacity of 1,500 tons per hour. Product-sized coal that passes <br />through the screens is transported to the silo conveyor belt (S-1) on a 48-inch, 1,500 tons per <br />hour conveyor belt. Over-sized material is transported to the rotary breaker on a 48-inch high- <br />angle conveyor with a capacity of 300 tons per hour. Product-sized material that passes through <br />the rotary breaker is transported to the silos on conveyor S-1, and oversized material is dropped <br />into the reject bin. <br />The S-1 conveyor belt to storage Silo No. 1 and Silo No. 2 has been upgraded from a 42-inch to <br />48-inch width belt. The conveyor belting is covered by a semi-circulaz corrugated galvanized <br />metal cover. Primary and secondary walkways were constructed along the conveyor. The <br />conveyor structures are steel. <br />Anew crushed coal stack-tube and storage area will be fed by 48-inch conveyor from the top of Silo <br />No. 2 to the top of the ST-3 stack-tube. The conveyor belt has a capacity of 1,500 tons per hour. A <br />72-inch underground reclaim conveyor will have the capacity to carry coal from the storage area to <br />the train loadout belt at a rate of 6,000 tons per hour. A dozer trap and 48-inch reclaim conveyor to <br />be located west of the silos, will have the capacity to reclaim coal from the silo pad of 1,500 tons <br />per hour. <br />2.05-37 Revised November 2004 PRIG <br />