Installation of Pans from Chock #5 to Chock #70

Ensure that pans are placed in their correct order and install pans 63 to 12 and then from 64 to 68.

Chock Installation

The chocks are installed on the new face in the position that they occupied on the previous longwall. Before the chocks are installed, a stress relief heading may be driven. This is to allow for a wider installation heading for the face to be driven in the destressed rock. A wider heading is beneficial for the maneuvering and placement of all equipment on the new face.

The installation heading is in the order of 10 metres wide and the relief heading is driven 8 to 10 metres behind this heading. The heading may be induced to cave by fendering thus increasing the span. A stress relief heading is employed only if the local conditions at the colliery dictate so.

The vehicles used in the chock installation procedure include:

The advantage of using battery powered vehicles over diesels is the alleviation of diesel fumes.

The chock installation procedure is similar for most mines and involves placing the chocks from the maingate to the tailgate. In a simplified form the procedure is:

1. Chocks are dropped off by the Noyes chock transporter
2. The wagner or versa track picks up the chock using a winch attached to the vehicle and puts it on the face
3. Chocks are positioned, hosed up and set to the roof
4. The relay bars are connected to the pans

Some mines prefer to leave the installation to the first 3 chocks at the maingate until the last tailgate chocks are in place. This allows for more room to manoeuvre at the maingate.

Once the chocks are in place, the remaining equipment required on the face can be installed in this now supported heading.

Installation of the Face Hoses, Cables, etc

• Layout hoses for water, air and stone dust and then install into the pan trays
• Layout shearer water hoses and cables from the maingate to the tailgate
• Shearer bretby cable needs to be laid out from mid face to the tailgate
• Shearer cable is then connected to the shearer
• Shearer is then run into the tailgate
• Blank shearer water hoses and pressurise
• Install shearer cable and water hose into bretby and the pan trays
• Connect phones, CCU’s (Closed Circuit Units), monitoring cables, shearer cables and all the face hoses at the maingate

Installing the Pantechnicon Train

1. Position the staker chock at a cut through
2. Connect the PA sled and pull outbye
3. Pull the train outbye until positioned
4. Run out the motor and shearer cables
5. Chock hoses connected from the valve sled
6. Lay out the monitoring cables from the control sled and the water hoses from the boost pump for the shearer
7. The air hoses and the stone dust hoses from the stone dust sled

Installing the Boot and BSL

Install the AFC Chain

Install Tailgate Return End

Install BSL Chain

Installing the Shearer

1. Power up the Shearer
2. Transfer onto the shearer transporter
3. Fit the ranging arm covers and the crusher cowl
4. Turn the power off
5. Deliver the shearer to the longwall face
6. Set up the shearer and the pans ready to install
7. Power up the shearer
8. Fit the tailgate disc
9. Tram the shearer half way onto the pans
10. Fit the maingate disc and then fully tram the shearer onto the pans
11. Turn the power off
12. Install the rigger swivel to the shearer drum and then turn the power back on
13. Finally lay out the high pressure hoses and return pipe lines

Join Belt, Install Winder and Test Run

The belt road is cleaned prior to the pantechnicon train and belt installation. The belt structure is then moved from the old panel to the new and the belt reconnected and retensioned before commencing a test run.

If everything is working then the longwall changeover is completed.