1、英文原文The Development and Application of Electronic Technology to Increase Health, Safety, and Productivity in the South African Coal Mining IndustryAndrC de Kock, Member, IEEE. and Jan W.OberholzerAbstract - South Africas coal mining industry is of vital economic importance. This paper describes some
2、 of the major electronic achievements within that industry over the past ten to 15 years. Basic design criteria formulated for systems to be used underground is discussed. The experience gained with the implementation of the systems, especially the human factor, is examined. Future directions to be
3、followed by some of the research programs are presented.Key words - Coal mining, health, productivity, remote control, safetyI INTRODUCTIONCoal plays a significant role in the South African economy and is second only to gold in earning foreign exchange. As a result of a lack of alternative energy so
4、urces such as oil and large scale hydroelectric power, coal is the countrys major energy source. By supplying 88% of the commercial energy requirements, coal is also, therefore, a major contributor to economic growth and industrialization. Of the 182 million tons produced in 1993, 131.9 million tons
5、 (72%) were used domestically l.Escoms coal-fired power stations, together with a few local utilities, consume more than 75 million tons annually. Sasol, the only successful commercial oil-from-coal producer in the world, consumed 39 million tons in 1988, making it the second most important domestic
6、 user. Other major users include Iscors metallurgical plants, the cement industry, and the large municipalities.Approximately 90% of the total saleable coal is produced from the Witban/Highvelt coalfields, two of South Africas 19 coalfields. In 1989, South Africas economically recoverable coal reser
7、ves, estimated at 58 billion tons, ranked South Africa second among Western nations and fourth in global terms 2. Most of South Africas coal is of a bituminous thermal grade, approximately 2.0% is anthracitic, and some 1.6% is of metallurgical quality.Over the past few years, there has been a growth
8、 in demand for steam coal coupled with a supply shortage caused by production, weather, and labor problems that affected most steam coal exporters in the late 1980s. These market conditions were beneficial to the South African coal producers. Of the 182 million tons of coal produced in 1993, about 5
9、1 million tons (28% of the annual production) were exported, earning some R4.5 billion of foreign revenue.South African mines tend to be relatively large and, consequently, have numerous underground sections. It is, therefore, not unusual for as many as ten underground sections to be served by a sin
10、gle shaft. An individual mine will usually be dedicated to supply a specific power station or private contract. These requirements, in turn, dictate the overall production rates. Under normal conditions these remain fairly static. The emphasis of a productivity increase is thus not necessarily to in
11、crease the output from the mine, but rather to decrease the resources required to extract the coal. This, in turn, leads to a decrease in the number of employees required and is, therefore, met with resistance from the work force.Another aspect of the South African mines is the diversity of mining m
12、ethods employed. Three mining methods are used in the extraction of the coal. They are bord and pillar, pillar extraction, and longwalls. With bord and pillar and pillar extraction, two mining methods are used. The first is conventional drill and blast, and the second utilizes continuous miners to e
13、xtract the coal.As can be seen from Fig. 1 3, there was a major increase in the production from the mines between 1970 and 1990. This was a direct result of a significant increase in the mechanization of the coal mines, with the introduction of continuous miners and longwalls.Although the number of
14、longwall faces increased up to 1990, the trend has been reversed in later years, with more attention being given to continuous miner stooping and rib pillar mining. The main motivation for this trend is that continuous miner sections are more flexible with regard to underground geological disturbanc
15、es in the coal seam. An added advantage is that the capital expenditure per coal production unit is significantly lower. This led the Chamber of Mines Research Organization COMRO, now Counsel for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR): Mining Technology) to focus most of its research on continuou
16、s miners.During the past few years, the incidence of labor disputes has increased considerably. This has forced management to spend a large amount of time and effort in resolving laborrelated problems. Wage demands have been the major contributor to the escalation in production costs, while increases in productivity have remained low. The work force is, however, beginning to appreciate the need for labor stability and job security.
