Published in the May 2009 Coal USA Magazine
The vast Rockspring Development Camp Creek operation, tucked into the Appalachian valley near the town of East Lynn, initially commenced production in 1981 after being constructed in the late 1970s by the Monterey Coal Company, a division of Exxon Coal USA. Just two years after opening, the mine went dark – though no one knew at the time that the operation would remain mothballed for almost 10 years.
In 1992, AGIP Coal purchased the property, brought back production, and operated a five-block contract mine along with the complex’s preparation facility. Though the mine has changed hands additional times in the interim, the current organizational structure has Rockspring operating as an affiliate of Riverton Coal Production, the West Virginia business unit of Foundation Coal Holdings.
Foundation Coal was formed in 2004 by a group of investors for the purpose of acquiring the United States coal properties owned by RAG American Coal Holding. The rebuilding of Rockspring’s Camp Creek complex was already underway by the time Foundation Coal was formed, but there is no doubt that the tight ship run at the mine now is attributable to Foundation’s standing commitment to safety, efficiency and technological innovation, which all its mines share.
At the time of Foundation Coal’s formation, the mine had four active sections in the Coalburg seam, but it now boasts four very active supersections and one walk-between section.
The trip to the closest active face takes about 30 minutes via one of the mine’s personnel transport fleet units, which are either Brookville or Damascus battery-powered mantrips. For the region, the mine’s average seam and cutting height range of 7-12 feet is respectable (some areas of bench mining have historically been performed up to 16ft), and the overburden at Rockspring is on the shallower end for the region at 200-500ft.
With overlay interchanging between shale and sandstone, securing the immediate roof is one of the operation’s most significant challenges. The roof support plan uses a 4ft by 4ft pattern of Jennmar torque tension bolts 5-6ft long, supplemented with 12ft cable bolts as needed.
Additionally, its typical pillar dimensions underground are 80ft by 60ft with entries and crosscuts measuring 20ft.
Rockspring has a collection of efficient development equipment. Two of the mine’s sections utilize Joy 12CM12 miners, Joy 10SC32B shuttle cars, Fletcher walk-through roof bolters and Bucyrus feeders, and the remaining three sections operate Joy 14CM15 miners, Joy 10SC32A shuttle cars, Fletcher bolters and Bucyrus feeders.
Equipment rebuilds, management noted, are usually on a three-year cycle, “typically completed to OEM specs either through the original vendor or rebuild shops,” with equipment availability above 95%.
With such a strong production force, the mine naturally has a healthy level of output. On average, about 3200ft of advancement is achieved per day to produce 28,750 raw tons daily.
The mine’s ventilation system is understandably robust given its size. According to the mine’s officials, all five sections are on split ventilation with the intake up the middle and returns down both sides. There is a blowing fan at the Ben Haley portal and an exhausting fan at the Camp Creek portal; crews typically mine a total of nine to 10 headings.
One member of management pointed out that methane was not a major concern at Rockspring. “It is something to stay aware of, but not a primary concern,” he said.
Rockspring Development president Jeff Ellis added: “The ventilation system at the mine is important to all of us, and we are fortunate that our workforce is involved in keeping it maintained and in improving it.
“One of our Barrier Removal Teams, a mine employee problem-solving effort, recently addressed issues in switching out units two and five on the North side. Their work met schedules, came in under budget and improved the operation of the system.”
Another issue the mine does consider a notable challenge stems from the mine’s sheer size. The maintenance of the mine’s extensive outby areas requires constant monitoring.
Maintenance of the mine, from equipment to the overall property, is a core value of its processes. Rockspring is dedicated to its corporate GEM program, or the General Equipment Management planning, scheduling and tracking program.
“The program has a formalized management structure with computer-based assistance for tracking the efficiency and availability as well as preventive maintenance scheduling,” management noted. Under the extensive oversight of maintenance chiefs, the crew consists of two electricians per operating section per shift plus a three-man staff and greaser on the mine’s owl shift.
While the mine does coordinate with OEMs for rebuilds, its own rigorous standards for maintenance keep its equipment fleet moving consistently and efficiently. “Rockspring is an extremely productive mine and that comes through an excellent maintenance program,” one official said.
Once coal is cut and pulled away from the active faces, it is loaded onto another robust infrastructure – Rockspring’s conveyor system, which features Continental structure, Fenner Dunlop belt and AMS drives. Section belts measure 42in and dump onto 60in mainline belts, which then discharge onto a 54in-wide slope belt rated at 3200t per hour.
The system ensures that obstacles, such as bottlenecks, to production capacity are non-existent.
Once at the surface, coal follows overland belt to the Camp Creek plant, which utilizes HM vessels, cyclones and spirals for preparation. The facility runs on two separate circuits, one at 1200tph and one at 600tph for a total of 1800tph with a 40% yield on average.
The Rockspring active safety program has been extremely successful at the preparation plant. The plant most recently won the Joseph A. Holmes Safety Association safety award for 2008, having previously won the same award in 2001, 2003 and 2004.
The plant also has won the Mountaineer Guardian award and the Sentinels of Safety Certificate of Achievement multiple times in the past several years.
Norfolk Southern is the primary partner for the transport and delivery of Rockspring’s coal from its unit train loadout.
Primary customers are national and regional electricity generators, who make efficient use of the product that features 8.0 moisture, 10 ash, an SO2 level of 1.60 and BTU rating of 12,300.
It is not surprising that, with such an extensive mine, staffing numbers would be large – 304 hourly and 68 salaried workers enter the portals, facilities and active sections each day. The plant adds another 36 hourly and five salaried crew members, for a grand total payroll list of 432.
However, every staff member works hard to produce all tonnage safely, management noted. The mine won the 2007 Joseph A. Holmes Safety Association safety award for its overall outstanding safety performance. Ask any worker and they’ll confirm that Rockspring, despite being an older mine, has some of the best factors going for it: a long life ahead, estimated at 20 years with a remaining reserve block of 60Mt clean; an enviable safety track record that includes state and national awards; a very dedicated staff of southern West Virginians and Eastern Kentuckians; and a balanced bottom line.
“Rockspring is a high-volume producer with a good cost structure that should allow it to remain competitive in future years,” officials said.
