Recovering conveyor systems and continuous miners from mined plunge tunnels in underground mines
AssigneeUnderground Extraction Technologies Pty LTD
InventorsMichael Mapp, Brian MacDonald
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a system for recovering a continuous miner arrangement from a tunnel. The system includes a coupler for coupling the continuous miner arrangement to a pulling apparatus. The pulling apparatus pulls the continuous miner arrangement from the tunnel. Advantageously, the pulling apparatus may pull the continuous miner arrangement from the tunnel, either fully or partially until the continuous miner arrangement may once again retract from the tunnel under its own power.
Claims17
A system for recovering a stuck continuous miner arrangement from an elongate plunge tunnel extending in a first direction, the plunge tunnel formed from a gate road extending in a second direction, the continuous miner arrangement including a continuous miner and a flexible conveyor system with articulating conveyor modules coupled to the continuous miner, the articulating conveyor modules extending in the first direction and the second direction when forming the plunge tunnel, the system including:
- a coupler for coupling the stuck continuous miner arrangement to a pulling apparatus;
- and
- the pulling apparatus for retracting to pull the flexible conveyor system of the stuck continuous miner arrangement from the plunge tunnel, either fully or partially, until the continuous miner arrangement can once again retract from the plunge tunnel under its own power, the pulling apparatus including at least one ram coupled to a wall of the gate road and which retracts to recover the stuck continuous miner arrangement.
A method for recovering a stuck continuous miner arrangement from a plunge tunnel extending in a first direction, the plunge tunnel formed from a gate road extending in a second direction, the continuous miner arrangement including a continuous miner and a flexible conveyor system with articulating conveyor modules coupled to the continuous miner, the articulating conveyor modules extending in the first and second directions when forming the plunge tunnel, the method involving:
- assembling a support assembly outside the plunge tunnel in the gate road for supporting a pulling apparatus;
- coupling the stuck continuous miner arrangement to the pulling apparatus;
- and
- pulling, by retracting the pulling apparatus, the flexible conveyor system of the stuck continuous miner arrangement from the plunge tunnel, either fully or partially, until the continuous miner arrangement can once again retract from the plunge tunnel under its own power.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.