Hydraulic shield support system and pressure intensifier
AssigneeCaterpillar Global Mining Europe GmbH
InventorsOliver Dwornik, Franz-Heinrich Suilmann, Henner Rueschkamp
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a hydraulic shield support system, a plurality of pressure intensifiers are respectively provided for a plurality of hydraulic props. Each pressure intensifier is operated to increase a system pressure to an increased pressure for supplying fluid at the increased pressure to a pressure chamber of the associated hydraulic prop. The plurality of pressure sensors measure the pressures of the fluid supplied to the respective hydraulic props. A control unit sets a plurality of desired pressures for the plurality of hydraulic props, and stops operation of the respective pressure intensifiers when the set desired pressure has been reached.
Claims6
A hydraulic shield support system adapted for underground mining, the system comprising:
- a plurality of length-adjustable hydraulic props configured to support a shield;
- a hydraulic fluid supply configured to supply hydraulic fluid at a first pressure;
- a plurality of pressure intensifiers fluidly connected between the hydraulic fluid supply and each of the hydraulic props, each of the plurality of pressure intensifiers being configured to supply hydraulic fluid at an increased second pressure to the associated hydraulic prop, each of the plurality of pressure intensifiers includes a drain output configured to discharge the hydraulic fluid from the pressure intensifier, the drain output fluidly connected between the associated hydraulic prop and a pressure sink, wherein the drain output is fluidly connected downstream of hydraulic fluid discharged from the hydraulic prop;
- a plurality of control valves configured to selectively supply the hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic fluid supply to the respective pressure intensifiers to operate the same;
- a plurality of pressure sensors configured to measure the pressure of the hydraulic fluid supplied to each of the hydraulic props by the associated pressure intensifier;
- and
- a control unit configured to:
- set a plurality of desired pressures of the hydraulic fluid to be supplied to the plurality of hydraulic props, at least two of the set desired pressures being different from each other;
- receive the pressures measured by the plurality of pressure sensors;
- and
- switch the plurality of control valves to stop supplying fluid at the first pressure to each of the pressure intensifiers when the measured pressure reaches the set desired pressure for the associated hydraulic prop.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.