Last year, it successfully passed all the start-up tests and today it started drilling the Bw-1n exploration roadway in seam 401.
- We have before us nearly two thousand meters of excavation and bolting of the new roadway using the new technology and new machinery. After the research and development stage is completed, the complex will allow us to achieve a much greater progress in roadway excavation than any solutions that were previously used in the Polish mining sector – said Adam Domżoł, head of mining work at the Budryk mine and coordinator of the “Independent Rockbolt Support” project.
The Bolter Miner has been purchased by JSW Innowacje, a subsidiary of Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa in 2018 as part of the “Independent Rockbolt Support” project. The miner was manufactured in the United States and arrived in Poland in early August 2019. The machine was transported to the Polish seat of Komatsu in Tychy. There, the miner was assembled and underwent all the necessary tests. In the meantime, the crew that currently operates the bolter miner was trained. Then the machine was disassembled again, transported to the Budryk mine and hoisted down to the specially-prepared assembly-chamber, where the bolter miner was assembled again and prepared for operation. Today, the machine started excavating a roadway using the bolting technology.
The bolter miner is extremely efficient. According to the manufacturer, the maximum speed of work is 27 tons of excavated material per minute, which translates into saved costs. - The rockbolting technology has been widely used globally: in Australia, South Africa, Russia and in the Czech Republic. It is much cheaper than frame supports and equally as safe. The cost of preparatory works in the mines of Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa represents a significant portion of coal mining costs, so the company is seeking more efficient solutions. The use of rockbolting is an opportunity to reduce our expenditures incurred in the mining preparation process – says Tomasz Śledź, Vice-President of the JSW Management Board for Technical Matters.
You are welcome to take a virtual tour around our bolter miner below.
