A collection of experts from the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the National Mining Association, the United Mine Workers of America and industry each took the stage on the general topic of ventilation as well as the differences in ventilation management in longwalls of the eastern and western United States as well as room and pillar operations.
“Bleeder systems have been a taboo subject,” said MSHA acting administrator for coal Kevin Stricklin, and encouraged all operations and industry to look further, and “see what’s going on and make changes”
Part of that change, at least from a legislative aspect, includes the understanding of a Program Policy Letter (P06-V-3) that was released last May on methane limit determinations for bleeder splits and gobs. According to the agency’s Mike Kalich, the face of mining in this regard has changed because, as recently as the 1970s and 1980s, gobs were not sealed.
The PPL was the first issued since 1992, and was needed because of increasing methane levels in bleeders over recent years. The question now has become, he said, how to keep the levels away from a hazardous threshold.
Some operations have responded well, according to Kalich, with “plans of attack” such as degasification, larger fans, gob fans and additional ventilation. However, more research and work is needed, thus the establishment of the PPL that may help the industry establish a frame of reference; it is up on the MSHA website for public comment right now.
MSHA’s John Urosek discussed bleeder system design on Wednesday in front of the 300-plus crowd. In addition to illustrating the purpose of a bleeder for any operation, he also detailed the design considerations that go into effective, efficient systems.
Again, the face of the industry has changed with the progression of mining, longer faces and larger operations. This has resulted in a change of ventilation requirements, larger bleeder systems, and long-time considerations such as ground control and methane drainage issues.
Because ventilation capacities have not always kept pace with this, he noted, new issues have arisen such as travel and access, evaluation and effectiveness. Basically, although not required, he said that the agency recommends a designated individual(s) to travel into the area to evaluate it, and to look for typical indicators such as ground control when conducting any examination.
Another MSHA team – made up of Danny Beiter, Richard Stoltz and Bill Francart – wrapped up the morning schedule with presentations on internal air flow paths, bleeder system evaluation and spontaneous combustion issues – all reiterating the need for proactive ventilation practices at mines and the establishment of an action plan at each mine to manage the issues.
Consol Energy’s Lou Barletta, Peabody Enegy’s Link Derick and Massey Energy’s Elizabeth Chamberlin took the stage in the afternoon to offer their expertise and experiences from their own operations in the longwalls of the eastern and western US as well as the nation’s pillar mines, respectively. Keep watching International Longwall News for details about their input on increasing panel geometry, current issues, goals for seal construction and future direction.
Closing up Wednesday’s roundtable was a trio of representatives from eastern mines to give an operational perspective to the discussion. Cumberland Coal’s Tim Hroblak, Emerald Resources’ Floyd Campbell, Larry Milhoan of Ohio Valley Coal and John Bolaz of Emerald Resources all provided anecdotal illustrations of methods used at their mines and where they feel the industry must go to further improve ventilation.
“What we have, I hope, is the start of communication between [different sectors of] the industry,” said Chamberlin.
“We’re in a time of transition right now – none of us can afford a hiccup, no matter how big.
“We need to get back to that process of … education and mentoring.”
For coverage from Thursday’s summit discussions, which focused on seals and seal technology, keep watching International Longwall News.
