Hon Gai Coal ensures underground transportation capacity

As an underground coal mining unit, supplying the Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group with over 2 million tons of raw coal each year, Hon Gai Coal Company - TKV always ensures to fulfill the assigned output targets. To meet production requirements, one of the solutions the unit focuses on is to ensure good maintenance of transportation capacity, serving the travel of workers as well as the transportation of coal, stone, materials, etc.

Currently, Hon Gai Coal Company is applying the technological diagram of tunneling in rock and coal by drilling and blasting method. To meet production requirements, the unit uses hydraulic drilling equipment or pneumatic drilling equipment for blasting; then scooping with small excavators and transporting by trolley or conveyor out of the furnace face. From the bottom of the furnace, soil and rock are transported to the surface by winch system, battery electric train or conveyor.

With the underground coal mining system applying the technology of supporting with hydraulic support chain link and separation support, Hon Gai Coal is extracting coal by drilling and blasting method, transporting coal in the longwall by scraper or slide. This mining method and transportation equipment is applied to the areas with seam thickness over 2.5m and slope angle less than 35 degrees.

As for mining areas applying the ZRY soft support system, the unit organizes coal extraction by drilling and blasting method, coal transportation by chute, applied to seams with thickness less than 5m and slope angle greater than 45 degrees.

According to Mr. Pham Thanh Chuong, Manager of Workshop No. 2, Giap Khau Area, Hon Gai Coal Company - TKV, although the production area faces many geological difficulties; thanks to synchronous investment in mining and transportation equipment, the unit's productivity and coal output have always been maintained as the highest or second highest in the Company for many years.

Thanks to investment in transportation, mining and tunneling units of Hon Gai Coal Company achieved high output.

For the transportation of materials down to the mine, the unit currently uses an auxiliary inclined shaft hoist system. Accordingly, at intermediate mine lines, materials and basic materials are transported by electric trains. On the upper mine lines, the unit installs material hoist systems and monorail hoists. The mine lines along the seam have also been installed with rails to transport materials to the ends of the longwalls and the excavation faces; there is no location that requires manual transportation over 30m.

Mr. Dao Cong Vinh, Deputy Director of Hon Gai Coal Company - TKV affirmed that in recent years, the unit has been constantly proactive in innovating technology, promoting and synchronizing equipment, mechanizing the stages of operation, control, and management of the winch transportation system from the mine to the surface, aiming to improve productivity, output and coal quality.

After being mined, raw coal will be transported to screening clusters on the ground by car and conveyor belt for screening and processing with dry screening technology to separate bran, large particle size, then crushed and mixed according to the prescribed ratio.

For an underground coal mine, the work of transporting people plays a very important role, largely determining the efficiency of production and ensuring labor safety. Regarding the work of transporting people, Hon Gai Coal is also a unit that has invested quite systematically in the systems of means and equipment to serve the movement of workers from the ground to the mine. Currently, from the industrial yard to the production areas in the Hon Gai Coal mine, all are carried through the winch system through the main inclined shaft. At the intermediate mines, the mine is equipped with wagons to transport people near the production areas.

Mr. Nguyen Hong Thang, Workshop No. 2, Giap Khau Area, Hon Gai Coal Company - TKV said: After 26 years of working at the Company and being one of the first miners working in this production area, I myself have clearly seen the improvement in travel and working conditions for the unit's workers. From the early days of having to walk long distances to the production area, now miners are transported to the maximum distance using different equipment systems. Thanks to that, human effort is reduced, useful time for actual labor is increased, our miners also have increased income and ensured health and safety.

The coal transportation of Hon Gai Coal Company is basically closed from the furnaces by scrapers and conveyor belts to the ground.

"Up to now, Hon Gai Coal is using 4 sets of cable cars to carry people in inclined shafts, 21 sets of cars to carry people in flat mines and 1 set of winches to support pedestrians in underground mines from -220m to -260m. Hon Gai Coal no longer has any mine routes where workers can walk more than 500m, ensuring the Group's requirements. The invested transportation system has helped shorten the travel time in the mine, to the production location; at the same time ensuring the health of workers and improving safety for Hon Gai Coal" - Mr. Dao Cong Vinh, Deputy Director of the Company further affirmed.

Determining that transportation plays a very important role in production, especially in the current deep mining conditions, in 2025, Hon Gai Coal Company will continue to invest in 2 winch lines to transport people from level +20 to -100 in Giap Khau mine and from -220 to -250 in Binh Minh mine. At the same time, the unit will continue to upgrade 6 coal conveyor lines in Giap Khau area with a total length of more than 2km to meet the transportation requirements of 700,000 tons of coal when this area reaches its design capacity.

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