Operating a continuous miner
AssigneeCsir & Sasol Mining Proprietary Ltd.
InventorDesmond T. Barlow
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A continuous miner has a pivotal boom mounting a rotor carrying picks for attaching and dislodging mineral deposit in a mineral deposit seam within host rock. A thin layer of mineral deposit is left respectively against a roof and against a floor. Ultrasonic sound waves are generated and are transmitted via a jet of water directed against the roof. Reflections are transmitted back via the jet of water to a receiver. Layers of the mineral deposit and the host rock are identified in respect of presence and location, by means of logic which generates a control signal to restrict pivoting of the boom to prevent cutting into the host rock by the rotor.
Claims18
A method of mining a valuable mineral deposit present in the form of a seam within host rock by means of a continuous miner, the method including, in respect of at least one of a roof and a floor, repeatedly measuring the thickness of a relatively thin layer of valuable mineral deposit left against the host rock by means of ultrasonic sound waves, including establishing contact between an ultrasonic soundwave generator/receiver and a mining face by means of a jet of fluid, recording and extrapolating the measurements and comparing them with a predetermined thickness by means of logic, and generating a control signal by means of the logic to limit an extremity of a sweep of a rotor of the continuous miner to control the thickness of the layer of valuable mineral deposit left against the host rock.
Control means suitable for use in controlling a continuous miner to mine a valuable mineral deposit present in the form of a seam within host rock, the control means including
- a casing having mounting means for mounting it on a continuous miner to be in proximity of a cutting zone of a cutting rotor of the continuous miner;
- a transducer chamber in the casing;
- fluid jet generating means arranged in use to conduct a fluid through the transducer chamber and to direct the fluid in a fluid jet onto a mining face;
- an ultrasonic sound wave generator in the transducer chamber arranged to generate ultrasonic sound waves in the fluid jet in use;
- an ultrasonic sound wave receiver in the transducer chamber arranged to receive ultrasonic sound waves reflected in use via the fluid jet;
- transducing means for transducing the reflected sound waves into electric or electronic signals;
- and
- logic in communication with the transducing means and adapted to process the signals and to generate a control signal in response.
A continuous miner including control means mounted thereon such as to be proximate a cutting zone of a cutting rotor of the continuous miner the control means being suitable for use in controlling the continuous miner to mine a valuable mineral deposit present in the form of a seam within host rock, the control means including
- a casing having mounting means mounting it on the continuous miner;
- a transducer chamber in the casing;
- fluid jet generating means arranged in use to conduct a fluid through the transducer chamber and to direct the fluid in a fluid jet onto a mining face;
- an ultrasonic sound wave generator in the transducer chamber arranged to generate ultrasonic sound waves in the fluid jet in use;
- an ultrasonic sound wave receiver in the transducer chamber arranged to receive ultrasonic sound waves reflected in use via the fluid jet;
- transducing means for transducing the reflected sound waves into electric or electronic signals;
- and
- logic in communication with the transducing means and adapted to process the signals and to generate a control signal in response.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.