Horizon Sensor-Look Ahead Radar 

(see brochure...pdf)

In the US, coal companies produce over 1 billion tons per year, about half from underground mines at an average value of $20 per ton.  The Horizon Sensor is a breakthrough technology that provides valuable, real-time sensing of the coal seam horizon and the potential to reduce cost by $1 per ton.  The sensor is mounted directly onto the cutter drum of a coal mining machine and “sees” what is ahead of the mining machine moves along the wall.  These are some of the benefits it provides to the mine operators and the miners:

• Detects-in real time-air-filled or water-filled abandoned mine entries
• Measures rock cut thickness for clearance
• Improves roof control by leaving consistent thickness
• Prevents machine breakthrough by ensuring a consistent thickness of floor coal
• Allows more accurate cutting of only coal, reducing waste and fines and improving production yield and run-of-mine coal quality
• Reduces bit cost and silica dust generation
• Enables automation of sump-cut-cycle
• Determines mining height
• Is a training aid for operators

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Horizon Sensor improves yield, which increases the efficiency of mining and improves the quality of the coal.  Because it improves the coal quality, the Horizon Sensor  is considered a clean-coal technology providing benefits to the environment.  It also provides meaningful benefits to the utilities and other end users of coal because higher quality coal burns cleaner, reducing the amount of coal needed, reducing waste products, and reducing emissions.

In addition, the Horizon Sensor is a critical “enabling” technology required for full automation and agile mining