Application of highwall mining system in weak geological condition

Abstract

Almost all the coal is produced from open cut mines in Indonesia. As a consequence of open cut mine application, a great deal of coal is left out in the highwalls of the mined-out pits. Highwall mining systems can be used to recover this coal. The use of highwall mining systems has increasingly come into play in the US and Australia. However, it is not common in Indonesia. Moreover, Indonesia coal measure is categorized as weak geological condition. Some problems are likely to arise during the application of the highwall mining system for example instability of openings and highwalls due to the roof and pillar failures. Therefore, study of highwall mining system application in Indonesia is needed in order to increase the recovery rate of coal mining in Indonesia. This paper described the characteristics of the highwall mining system and discussed the appropriate highwall mining system application in weak geological condition, Indonesia. From the results of a series of laboratory tests and numerical analyses, it can be concluded that the stability of pillars and mine openings in auger mining systems is much higher than that in CHM and an auger mining system is suitable for such as very weak/poor strata conditions. Moreover, the application of backfilling system is very effective for improvement of the stability of pillar and openings.