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Chapter II <br />Mining is underground, and coal is transported from the faces to the surface <br />through the Adit/Rock Tunnel. (Or through the #3,#4 and #5 Main Entries, pending <br />• completion of the Adit/Rock Tunnel lateral extensions). Underground support <br />activities include ventilation, roof control, rock dusting and maintenance. <br />Surface activities include transport of the coal to raw coal storage, storage, <br />transport to the wash plant for processing, processing, clean coal storage, blending <br />and loading of the coal for transport; transport of the coal to the load-out facility, <br />loading of the coal for transport to the customer; and, at the processing stage, <br />transport and disposal of coal refuse, disposal of non-coal waste, maintenance of <br />surface facilities, and environmental programs to minimize the effect of operations <br />on the affected land, air and water resources of the area. <br />In addition, surface activity includes the movement of men and materiel as <br />necessary for mining, transport of the coal, disposal of refuse, etc. <br />a. Production Methods. <br />(1) Longwall Mining. <br />The longwall method mines a block of coal up to 900 feet wide, and 2,000 to 6,000 <br />feet long. The coal is cut along the entire width of the face by a shearer. The coal <br />fails onto an armored chain conveyor that carries it to the headgate and then <br />• discharges it to a stageloader. The stageloader feeds the coal onto a conveyor belt <br />to be carried out of the mine to the surface coal handling facilities. <br />The roof along the face of the longwall is supported by shields which advance as <br />the face advances. The roof caves behind the shields. <br />(2) Room and Pillar Mining. <br />Mid-Continent uses a standard room-and-pillar mining system, although with <br />necessary innovations dictated by the particular properties and geology of the coal <br />beds in Coal Basin. The coal is mined by driving sets of entries in the seam on an <br />established pattern. The number of entries in a set is determined by the <br />requirements of law, ventilation, haulage corridors, roadways, escapeways, power <br />requirements and water drainage. <br />A set of main entries or headings (usually 5 to 7) are driven from the outcrop to <br />provide for adequate, long term mine ventilation requirements. The pillars or blocks <br />of coal formed by the entries must be of sufficient size to support the weight of the <br />overburden. <br />The entry work is done by a continuous mining machine, which cuts the coal and <br />loads it into shuttle cars. The shuttle cars haul the coal to the feederbreaker, which <br />~' ~ in turn sizes the coal and feeds it onto a conveyor belt to be carried out of the mine. <br />9 <br />