The largest coal mining region. The largest coal deposits in Russia, the most significant basins for the country's economy. What are the methods of coal mining?

When I was invited to see how coal is mined in the Amur region, I did not immediately know where to fly. Moscow and the Amur region, where the coal mines of the Amur Coal company (part of the Russian Coal holding) are located, are separated by thousands of kilometers, six hours of flight and six hours of time difference. I’ll get some sleep during the flight, I thought, packed up my equipment, tightened my time zones and flew.

Today we will learn how to mine brown coal.

When I arrived at the coal deposits and said “quarry”, they immediately corrected me - not “quarry”, but “mine”. Cut because the way coal is mined is such that when the waste rock is removed, it creates long depressions in the ground that look like cuts. If you look at the North-Eastern section near the city of Raichikhinsk from space, you can see the following picture - stripes in the ground characteristic of coal mining.

Mining at the North-Eastern open-pit mine (area 500 km2) has been carried out since 1932. The Erkovetsky open-pit mine (field area 1250 km2) began supplying the country with coal in 1991. The thickness of the coal seam here is 3.5 - 5 meters.

Brown coal does not lie very deep underground, so it is mined open method, which is considered safer, more economical and faster. At first glance at a piece of coal, the question arises: “why is it brown if it is black?” But Amur Coal specialists explained to me that previously the quality of coal was determined by the trace of a line left on a porcelain plate. Amur coal, as you understand, leaves a brown trace.

Brown coal is lower in calories than hard coal and anthracite. We look at Wikipedia and find out that caloric content, that is, heat of combustion, is the amount of heat released during the complete combustion of a mass or volume unit of a substance. Coal also has other quality parameters - moisture and sulfur content, volatile substances and ash content. All this is carefully analyzed by the departments of technological control of coal quality and coal chemical laboratories.

But let's return to the process of solid fuel extraction. Everything here, at first glance, is quite simple - a giant walking dragline excavator opens the coal (removes waste rock), and a smaller excavator loads coal into cars. That's all! But if it were that simple, there would be no shortage of people wanting to mine coal. In reality, coal mining requires large investments, experience and knowledge, a team of real professionals with skills and abilities that are now rare, as well as an extensive fleet of expensive mining equipment, its own repair shops or factories, car depots, training centers... I won’t burden you with information about how geologists search for coal and how they receive a license to mine minerals, but let’s move straight to the most interesting and understandable part.

I have always associated coal mining with big, no, huge excavators. Actually, at coal mines, they immediately catch the eye because of their impressive appearance and majestic posture - the arrows proudly raised upward immediately make it clear that “black gold” is being mined somewhere here.

The name of each excavator contains abbreviations. For example, ESH 15/90 means Walking Excavator, 15 cubic meters is the volume of the bucket, and 90 meters is the length of the boom. In total, 24 such mastodons are used in the open-pit mines of Amur Coal, differing in the length of the boom and the volume of the bucket. Some buckets can easily accommodate a UAZ “loaf”, while others can accommodate a Land Cruiser SUV.

Stripping (excavation of sandstone and clay) occurs like this: the excavator operator lowers the bucket to the ground, then, using control levers, pulls it towards himself, filling it.

Then the operator, by turning the base and boom, moves the bucket towards the dumps and dumps it. In a month, the excavator crew must excavate about 300 thousand cubic meters of rock.

Where the dragline has worked, mountains of waste rock remain - dumps. Therefore, the area where coal is mined sometimes resembles lunar landscapes. But only as long as coal mining continues. After mining the site, reclamation is immediately carried out on it - the dumps are leveled, fertile layer land, trees are planted. In a few years, most people will not even notice that there used to be coal mining and walking giants working here!

In the meantime, geology can be studied from the landscape of the section.

By the way, after the dragline has reached the coal, and then the coal has been selected (that is, completely dug up in some area), the cut is backfilled with the same rock - a real waste-free production!

It was a discovery for me that walking excavators (and many other excavators too) work on electrical energy. Each mountain section of the mine receives electricity from a 35/6 kV substation.

All equipment at the open-pit mines works around the clock and seven days a week: teams work in shifts. Small relaxations in work can only be done in the event of an abnormally low temperature - when giant buckets begin to freeze tightly to the ground.

But I will tell you more about draglines later in a separate post. Stay tuned.

Coal seams lie close to groundwater, so it is necessary to constantly pump it out with pumps. Here you can clearly see which layer of rock was removed to get to the coal deposits.

Well, then everything is simple - the EKG-5A excavator picks up coal into a bucket and loads it directly into cars, which will take it in ordinary form to the consumer or to the coal sorting site.

The bucket of the EKG-5A excavator holds 5 cubic meters of coal, and in order to fill a standard wagon it is necessary to load 13-14 buckets of coal into it.

Coal is brought to sorting in order to separate it into different fractions. The local Raichikhinskaya State District Power Plant and Blagoveshchenskaya Thermal Power Plant consume fine coal, while the larger coal is used for the needs of housing and communal services, in other words, for heating.

This is what the coal sorting area looks like from the inside. If you don’t know what it is and how it works, then the next action will be a surprise, as it was for me.

This is a kind of “carousel” for carriages. An operator from the side checks that the car has entered the car dumping platform, gives a signal, and the car, which is standing on the platform, rises up and tips the contents into the receiving hopper.

After a few seconds, this huge mechanism (stationary side car dumper) returns the car to its previous position.

An impressive sight!

Then, from the receiver, the coal is sent through a complex system of conveyors through a special gallery for sorting, where it is divided into different fractions using screens and vibrating screens. Well, then into the furnace to provide electricity and heat.

That's all! Thank you for reading.

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Coal mining as an industrial sector became widespread at the beginning of the twentieth century and to this day continues to be one of the most profitable types extraction of mineral deposits. Coal is mined on an industrial scale throughout the world.

Contrary to popular belief, this fossil is used not only in the form quality fuel. In the mid-twentieth century, the coal industry gave a powerful impetus to the development of scientific research on the separation of hydrocarbons from minerals.

Where is mining taking place?

The most large countries, mining coal– China, USA, India. ranks 6th in the world ranking for its production, although it is among the top three in terms of reserves.

In Russia, brown coal, hard coal (including coking coal) and anthracite are mined. The main coal mining areas in Russia are the Kemerovo region, Krasnoyarsk region, Irkutsk region, Chita, Buryatia, Komi Republic. There is coal in the Urals, the Far East, Kamchatka, Yakutia, Tula and Kaluga regions. There are 16 coal basins in Russia. One of the largest - more than half of Russia's coal is mined there.

How is coal mined?

Depending on the depth of the coal seam, its area, shape, thickness, various geographical and environmental factors, a specific coal mining method is selected. The main methods include the following:

• mine;
• developments in a coal mine;
• hydraulic.

In addition, there is open-pit coal mining, provided that the coal seam lies at a depth of no more than one hundred meters. But this method is very similar in form to open-pit coal mining.

Mine method

This method is used at great depths and has an undeniable advantage over open coal mining methods: coal at great depths is of higher quality and practically does not contain impurities.

To access coal seams, horizontal or vertical tunnels (adits and shafts) are drilled. Known cases coal mining at a depth of up to 1500 meters (Gvardeiskaya, Shakhterskaya-Glubokaya mines).

Underground coal mining is considered one of the most difficult specializations due to a number of dangers:

1. There is a constant threat of groundwater breaking into the mine shaft.
2. There is a constant threat of associated gases breaking into the mine shaft. In addition to possible suffocation, explosions and fires are a particular danger.
3. Accidents due to high temperatures at great depths (up to 60 degrees), careless handling of equipment, etc.

Using this method, approximately 36% of the world's coal reserves are extracted from the earth's interior, which amounts to 2625.7 million tons.

Open way

Developments in a coal quarry are classified as open-pit coal mining, since they do not require drilling mines and adits to great depths.

This mining method involves blasting and removing overburden (a layer of excess rock above coal deposits) from the mining site. After this, with the help of excavators, water guns, bulldozers, crushers, draglines and conveyors, the rock is crushed and transferred further.

This method of coal mining is considered less safe than closed (mine) mining. But it also has certain risk factors associated with careless handling of equipment and large vehicles, the possibility of poisoning from exhaust gases and substances accompanying machine activity.

A significant disadvantage of this method is that it causes great harm environment due to the removal of a large area of ​​the earth layer and accompanying natural elements.

The open-pit method is considered one of the most widespread in the world - it is used to extract more than 55% of coal per year, which amounts to 4102.1 million tons.

It was first used in the Soviet Union in the 30s of the twentieth century. It involves mining coal in deep mines, while transporting coal rock to the surface using energized water jets. This method allowed us to use the disadvantage of underground coal mining - groundwater - for our benefit.

Recently, hydraulic coal mining has been considered one of the most respectable methods. It can replace the labor-intensive and dangerous process of coal mining by miners, instead of which water will act as a destructive and lifting force.

The disadvantages of this method of coal mining include the following:

• constant contact of working tools and mechanisms with water and rock;
• certain difficulties when replacing or repairing work equipment;
• the dependence of the coal mining process on the thickness, angle of inclination and hardness of the rock.

Approximately 7.5% of coal is produced annually using this method, which amounts to 545.5 million tons.

Low cost and abundant reserves are the main factors driving the increase in the number of uses of brown coal. This type of fossil solid fuel, the earliest type of coal, has been mined by humans for hundreds of years. Brown coal is a product of peat metamorphism, in a stage between lignite and hard coal. Compared to the latter, this type of fuel is less popular, however, due to its low cost, it is quite widely used for the production of electricity, heating and other types of fuel.

Structure

Brown coal is a dense, earthy or fibrous carbonaceous mass of brown or pitch-black color with a high content of volatile bituminous substances. As a rule, the plant structure, conchoidal fractures, and woody masses are well preserved in it. It burns easily, the flame is smoky, and a peculiar unpleasant burning smell is released. Reacting with potassium hydroxide, it forms a dark brown liquid. When dry distilled, brown coal forms ammonia with acetic acid. Chemical composition (on average), excluding ash: carbon - 63%, oxygen - 32%, hydrogen 3-5%, nitrogen 0-2%.

Origin

Brown coal is formed by layers of sedimentary rock deposits - flanges, often of great thickness and extent. The materials for the formation of brown coal are various kinds of hoops, conifers, trees and peat plants. Deposits of these substances gradually decompose without access to air, under water, under a cap of a mixture of clay and sand. The smoldering process is accompanied by the constant release of volatile substances and gradually leads to the enrichment of plant residues with carbon. Brown coal is one of the first stages of metamorphism of such plant deposits, after peat. Further stages are coal, anthracite, graphite. The longer the process, the closer the state is to pure carbon-graphite. Thus, graphite belongs to the Azoic group, coal - to the Paleozoic, brown coal - mainly to the Mesozoic and Cenozoic.

Hard and brown coal: differences

As you can see from the name itself, brown coal differs from stone coal in color (lighter or darker). There are also black varieties, but in powder form the shade of such coal is still brown. The color of stone and anthracite always remains black. The characteristic properties of brown coal are a higher carbon content compared to hard coals and a lower content of bituminous substances. This explains why brown coal burns more easily and produces a lot of smoke. The high carbon content also explains the mentioned reaction with potassium hydroxide and the peculiar unpleasant odor during combustion. The nitrogen content, compared to hard coals, is also significantly lower. When exposed to air for a long time, brown coal rapidly loses moisture, crumbling into powder.

Varieties

There are quite a lot of varieties and varieties of brown coal, among which there are several main ones:

1. Regular brown coal, dense consistency, matte brown color.
2. Brown coal of earthy fracture, easily ground into powder.
3. Resinous, very dense, dark brown, sometimes even bluish-black. When broken, it resembles resin.
4. Lignite, or bituminous wood. Coal with a well-preserved plant structure. Sometimes it is even found in the form of entire tree trunks with roots.
5. Disodil is brown paper coal in the form of decayed thin-layered plant mass. Easily divided into thin sheets.
6. Brown peat coal. Peat-like, with big amount foreign impurities, sometimes resembling earth.

The percentage of ash and combustible elements in various types brown coal varies widely, which determines the merits of a particular type of combustible material.

Production

The methods for extracting brown coal are similar for all fossil coals. There are open (career) and closed. The oldest method of closed mining is adits, inclined wells to a coal seam of small thickness and shallow occurrence. It is used in case of financial inefficiency of quarry construction.

A mine is a vertical or inclined hole in the rock from the surface to the coal seam. This method is used in deep coal-bearing seams. It is characterized by the high cost of extracted resources and a high accident rate.

Open pit mining is carried out at a relatively shallow (up to 100 m) depth of the coal seam. Open pit or open pit mining is the most economical; today approximately 65% ​​of all coal is mined this way. The main disadvantage of quarrying is the great damage to the environment. Brown coal is mainly mined using open-pit mining due to its shallow depth. Initially, the overburden (the layer of rock above the coal seam) is removed. After this, the coal is broken down using the drilling and blasting method and transported by specialized (quarry) vehicles from the mining site. Stripping operations, depending on the size and composition of the layer, can be carried out by bulldozers (for a loose layer of insignificant thickness) or rotary excavators and draglines (for a thicker and denser layer of rock).

Application

Brown coal is used much less frequently as fuel than hard coal. It is used for heating private houses and small power plants. By the so-called Dry distillation of brown coal produces rock wax for the woodworking, paper and textile industries, creosote, carbolic acid and other similar products. It is also processed into liquid hydrocarbon fuel. Humic acids in brown coal make it possible to use it in agriculture as a fertilizer.

Modern technologies make it possible to produce synthetic gas from brown coal, which is an analogue of natural gas. To do this, the coal is heated to 1000 degrees Celsius, resulting in gas formation. In practice it is used quite effective method: through a drilled well, high temperature is supplied to brown coal deposits through a pipe, and finished gas, a product of underground processing, comes out through another pipe.

Coal is a sedimentary rock that forms in the earth's formation. Coal is an excellent fuel. It is believed that this is the most ancient type of fuel that our distant ancestors used.

How is coal formed?

To form coal, a huge amount of plant matter is needed. And it is better if the plants accumulate in one place and do not have time to decompose completely. The ideal place for this is swamps. The water in them is poor in oxygen, which prevents the life of bacteria.

Plant matter accumulates in swamps. Without having time to completely rot, it is compressed by subsequent soil deposits. This is how peat is obtained - the source material for coal. The following layers of soil seem to seal the peat in the ground. As a result, it is completely deprived of oxygen and water and turns into a coal seam. This process is long. Thus, most of the modern reserves of coal were formed in the Paleozoic era, i.e. more than 300 million years ago.

Characteristics and types of coal

(Brown coal)

The chemical composition of coal depends on its age.

The youngest species is brown coal. It lies at a depth of about 1 km. There is still a lot of water in it - about 43%. Contains a large amount of volatile substances. It ignites and burns well, but produces little heat.

Hard coal is a sort of “middle peasant” in this classification. It lies at depths of up to 3 km. Since the pressure of the upper layers is greater, the water content in coal is less - about 12%, volatile substances - up to 32%, but carbon contains from 75% to 95%. It is also flammable, but burns better. And due to the small amount of moisture it gives more heat.

Anthracite- an older breed. It lies at depths of about 5 km. It contains more carbon and virtually no moisture. Anthracite is a solid fuel and does not ignite well, but the specific heat of combustion is the highest - up to 7400 kcal/kg.

(Anthracite coal)

However, anthracite is not the final stage of transformation of organic matter. When exposed to more severe conditions, coal transforms into shuntite. At higher temperatures, graphite is obtained. And under ultra-high pressure, coal turns into diamond. All these substances - from plants to diamonds - are made of carbon, only the molecular structure is different.

In addition to the main “ingredients,” coal often includes various “rocks.” These are impurities that do not burn, but form slag. Coal also contains sulfur, and its content is determined by the place where coal is formed. When burned, it reacts with oxygen and forms sulfuric acid. The less impurities in the composition of coal, the higher its grade is valued.

Coal deposit

The location of hard coal is called a coal basin. There are over 3.6 thousand coal basins known in the world. Their area occupies about 15% of the earth's land area. The largest percentage of the world's coal reserves is in the United States - 23%. In second place is Russia, 13%. China closes the top three countries with 11%. The largest coal deposits in the world are located in the USA. This is the Appalachian coal basin, whose reserves exceed 1,600 billion tons.

The largest in Russia coal basin- Kuznetsky, in the Kemerovo region. Kuzbass reserves amount to 640 billion tons.

The development of deposits in Yakutia (Elginskoye) and Tyva (Elegestskoye) is promising.

Coal mining

Depending on the depth of coal occurrence, either closed or open mining methods are used.

Closed or underground mining method. For this method, mine shafts and adits are built. Mine shafts are built if the depth of coal is 45 meters or higher. A horizontal tunnel leads from it - an adit.

There are 2 closed mining systems: room and pillar mining and longwall mining. The first system is less economical. It is used only in cases where the discovered layers are thick. The second system is much safer and more practical. It allows you to extract up to 80% of the rock and evenly deliver coal to the surface.

The open method is used when the coal lies shallow. To begin with, they analyze the hardness of the soil, determine the degree of weathering of the soil and the layering of the covering layer. If the soil above the coal seams is soft, the use of bulldozers and scrapers is sufficient. If the upper layer is thick, then excavators and draglines are brought in. The thick layer of hard rock lying above the coal is blasted.

Application of coal

The area of ​​use of coal is simply enormous.

Sulfur, vanadium, germanium, zinc, and lead are extracted from coal.

Coal itself is an excellent fuel.

Used in metallurgy for iron smelting, in the production of cast iron and steel.

The ash obtained after burning coal is used in the production of building materials.

From coal, after special processing, benzene and xylene are obtained, which are used in the production of varnishes, paints, solvents, and linoleum.

By liquefying coal, first-class liquid fuel is obtained.

Coal is the raw material for the production of graphite. As well as naphthalene and a number of other aromatic compounds.

As a result of chemical processing of coal, over 400 types of industrial products are currently obtained.