Mining Applications

• Drum mounted real-time seam boundary detection
• Maintain thin uncut coal layer under paleochannel
• Selective mining to improve Run-of-Mine coal quality
• Uncut coal layer thickness control: 2-24 in +/- 1 in
• Minimize rock cut for machine clearance
• Prevents cutting into boundary sedimentary rock and sandstone-bit face ignitions
• Drum -3 phase power generation
• Data transmission between rotating drum and machine
• Automated boom and ranging arm control
• Minimize silicon in dust plume
• Improves yield

Look Ahead Radar (LAR) and the Horizon Sensor are navigation tools mounted on the cutting drum of an underground continuous miner. Safe and efficient coal and methane extraction requires advanced radar subsystems that can be mounted on cutting drums of coal mining machines and the bottom hole assembly of segmented or coiled-tubing systems. LAR and the Horizon Sensor are able to detect voids that may be ahead of the machine, preventing the machine from drilling into water-filled voids, or oil and gas casings. LAR and the Horizon Sensor incorporate a graphical user interface that transmits information in real time.

LAR solves the radio geophysics problem of transmitting an electromagnetic (EM) wave through at least 20 feet of coal to detect air or water filled voids. The reflected EM wave from the void or boundary rock must be processed in real time to determine the physical distance to the void or coal bed boundary. The distance determinate requires the in situ measurement of the coal electrical conductivity or relative dielectric constant.

Up or down, the Horizon Sensor enables selective cutting near the undulating sedimentary rock boundaries of the coal bed to address coal quality and ground control issues. Bottom hole assembly sensing determines the horizontal borehole orientation so that it remains a specified distance from the boundary rock.

* LAR Winner of the 2007 R&D 100 Award
* HS Winner of the 2002 R&D 100 Award