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West Elk Mine <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 <br />per minute, the capacity of this conveyor is approximately 3,500 tons per hour. The conveyor <br />belting is covered by asemi-circular corrugated galvanized metal cover. Primary and <br />secondary walkways were constructed along the conveyor. The conveyor structure is steel. A <br />reclaim feeder was installed on the run of mine belt near the portals in 1987. <br />From the stacking tubes, the 54-inch underground conveyor reclaim system transports the coal <br />to adouble-roller crusher. This conveyor has a capacity of 1,500 tons per hour and will travel <br />at 550 feet per minute. The crushed coal is transported to the screening plant on a 60-inch <br />high-angle conveyor belt with a capacity of 1,500 tons per hour. Product-sized coal that <br />passes through the screens is transported to the silo conveyor belt (S-1) on a 48-inch, 1,500 <br />tons per hour conveyor belt. Over-sized material is transported to the rotary breaker on a 48- <br />inch high-angle conveyor with a capacity of 300 tons per hour. Product-sized material that <br />passes through the rotary breaker is transported to the silos on conveyor S-1, and oversized <br />material is dropped 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 <br />to 48-inch width belt. The conveyor belting is covered by asemi-circular corrugated <br />galvanized metal cover. Primary and secondary walkways were constructed along the <br />conveyor. The conveyor structures are steel. <br />A new crushed coal stack-tube and storage area will be fed by 48-inch conveyor from the top of <br />Silo No. 2 to the top of the ST-3 stack-tube. The conveyor belt has a capacity of 1,500 tons per <br />hour. A 72-inch underground reclaim conveyor will have the capacity to carry coal from the <br />storage area to the train loadout belt at a rate of 6,000 tons per hour. A dozer trap and 48-inch <br />reclaim conveyor to be located west of the silos, will have the capacity to reclaim coal from the <br />silo pad of 1,500 tons per hour. <br />A 72-inch belt conveyor carries coal from the storage silos to the over-the-track loadout. This <br />conveyor has a capacity of 6,000 tons per hour and runs at a speed of 850 feet per minute. <br />Total length is approximately 600 feet. The conveyor is covered by asemi-circular corrugated <br />galvanized metal cover. The portion of the conveyor that crosses the North Fork of the <br />Gunnison River is completely enclosed. Primary and secondary walkways were constructed <br />along the conveyor. The conveyor structure is steel. <br />Stacking Tubes, Underground Conveyor Reclaim System, and Crushers <br />Construction of three stacking tubes and an underground conveyor reclaim system was begun <br />during 1991 and became operational in July of 1992. The approximately 100,000 to 120,000 <br />tons of run-of--mine coal storage provided by these tubes is needed to handle the higher <br />longwall production volumes. The storage area will be expanded by moving a portion of the <br />main topsoil stockpile to the south, creating an additional 60,000 to 88,000 tons of coal <br />2.05-42 Revised November 2004 PR10; Rev. March 2006; Rev. Apri12006 PR10; Rev. May 2006 PR10; Rev. January 2009 MR-350 <br />