Shoal Creek Mine extracts coal from the Mary Lee and Blue Creek coal seams at depths of 1,000 to 1,300 feet.
The mining method best suited for this underground mine is the longwall mining method which has a relatively high recovery rate. The mains and gate roads are required to be developed with the continuous miner prior to the longwall mining. Since the beginning of production at Shoal Creek, this method appears to be relatively safer and more efficient compared to other available methods. Both the Mary Lee and Blue Creek coal seams are economic when they can be extracted together. Due to the parting between the two seams and the out of seam dilution, the operation utilizes a washing plant to process the ROM coal to meet coal quality specifications. For this underground operation, the key consideration includes roof control, subsidence, ventilation, dewatering, mine planning and production schedules, etc.
Mine Design
The operation follows the approved Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) roof control plan to address potential geotechnical issues encountered under current geological and mining conditions, such as mining depth, mining height, and entry widths, etc. The depth in the LOM plan area ranges from 1,000 to 1,300 feet. The typical roof controls are mainly described here for the development section (i.e., mains and gate roads) and the longwall mining system.
For mains development with a six to seven entry system, the t ........
