Air diversion and dust control system for longwall shearers
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Interior
InventorsFred N. Kissell, Terry L. Muldoon, William E. Schroeder, Jr., Carl R. Peterson
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Abstract
An air diversion and dust control system for primary use on longwall shearer mining machinery, consisting of directional fluid sprays and passive curtain barriers. The air moving characteristics of fluid sprays are combined with the splitting and blocking characteristics of passive curtain barriers in order to produce an air stream splitting and diversion system which acts to keep dust away from the breathing zone of the machine operator and contained in the area of the coal face until beyond the mining machine. The fluid sprays have a double function in that they both divert and suppress the dust generated during the cutting operation.
Claims6
In combination with a longwall mining machine having a main frame and a plurality of cutting heads extending laterally to one side of said main frame to engage the longwall of a mine and remove coal therefrom, said cutters located adjacent to the fore and aft portions of said main frame, the improvement comprising an air flow and dust suppressant system including:
- (a) a first air flow control means mounted on said main frame and projecting beyond the forward portion thereof, and
- (b) a second ambient air flow control means dispersed across the top of said main frame, said second means discharging a dust-suppressing fluid into the air in a direction toward the longwall surface and toward the aft portion of said machine,
- whereby causing the ambient air to flow in generally parallel paths to either side of said machine and then on past said machine;
- with the path of flow adjacent the mine wall carrying a concentration of the dust and machine gas generated during the mining operation, while the second parallel air flow path remaining virtually free of dust.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.