Mining
Life sustainability of underground refuge bays of South African collieries
2023
An industry database of South African refuge bay designs set beside practice in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, prompted by recent underground emergencies.
What this report foundNo single global standard governs refuge bay design, and the collieries surveyed differ widely in construction, location, equipment and operating practice...
Mapping of Old Bords and Pillars Revisited
2019
Desktop review of recent unmanned aerial and underwater vehicle systems and how they compare with borehole scanning, for engineers assessing the stability of old underground workings.
What this report foundMapping abandoned, inaccessible bord and pillar workings comes down to two options: borehole deployed laser or sonar scanning, or sensors carried in by...
More Effective Use of Disposable Dust masks
Underground field trials, laboratory seal tests and operator questionnaires at two collieries, covering mask selection, fit, issue records and service time. For ventilation and occupational hygiene staff.
What this report foundDust masks worn by load haul dump operators passed 200 mg of filter loading in an average of 1.7 hours, and continuous miner, shuttle car and roofbolt...
Multi-client Aeromagnetic Data Merge & Interpretation – Witbank Coalfield
2005
Merged magnetic coverage and dyke interpretation across most Witbank mining and exploration ground, delivered as maps and GIS files for geologists planning around intrusions.
What this report foundGovernment and industry aeromagnetic data over the Witbank Coalfield were merged into one set of maps and GIS compatible files, and roughly 1200 dyke traces...
Participative Management Employee Participation in the Wealth of Mining Companies, an Employee Share Ownership Participation Scheme Focus
2004
Postgraduate dissertation on share ownership in South African mining, drawing on British and American precedent and a worker attitude survey. For human resources and empowerment planners.
What this report foundEmployee share ownership participation schemes are presented as a route to spreading mining wealth more widely after apartheid.
Petrochemical Characterization of Dolerites and Their Influence on Coal in the Witbank Highveld Coalfield, South Arica
2008
Masters study of dyke and sill intrusions at collieries in the Witbank and Highveld coalfields, using thin section petrography and X-ray fluorescence, for exploration geologists.
What this report foundDolerites in the study area differ in mineral content, geometry, thickness, grain size and degree of alteration.
Project 2.9.6 Preventing Cutting Head Methane Emissions On Continuous Miners
2020
Simulation work on face ventilation in mechanised coal sections, with methane sources modelled from the cut face, gathering arms, conveyors and shuttle cars. For ventilation engineers and equipment manufacturers.
What this report foundComputational fluid dynamics, checked against underground measurements, mapped ventilation flow and methane concentration around continuous miner headings for...
Review of Current and Expected Underground Coal Mining Methods and an Evaluation of the Best Practices Associated with These
2010
Review of underground coal production systems in South Africa set against practice in Australia, China and the United States, with guidance on equipment choice and section planning.
What this report foundSouth African underground sections average about 60 000 t a month, against 130 000 to 160 000 t for single pass bolter miner units on continuous haulage, while...
Simulation of Regional Collapses in Bord & Pillar Workings
2018
Three dimensional modelling of a documented subsidence event in the Witbank coalfield, aimed at reserves in the seam above old workings that current pillar strength formulae sterilise.
What this report foundFinite element simulation reproduced the rapid collapse of bord and pillar workings in the 2 Seam at a Witbank colliery, showing that progressive pillar...
Small Scale Coal Mining Guidelines
Plain language manual for newcomers to the coal industry, written for historically disadvantaged entrants with limited technical background and no route into the ownership and permitting process.
What this report foundSets out the steps to establish a small scale coal mine in South Africa, from mineral rights and regulatory approvals through finance, mining and processing...
Spontaneous Combustion of Coal and Coal-shales
2018
Laboratory testing of samples from South African collieries using two Wits self-heating indices alongside proximate and ultimate analysis, for ventilation and safety engineers assessing burning shale risk.
What this report foundTesting of 28 coal and coal-shale samples showed the coals to be more liable to spontaneous combustion than the shales, though reactive coal-shales still...