Coal is one of the first fossil fuels to be used by humans. Coal is formed from particles of ancient plants that lie deep underground without access to oxygen. To date, several methods have been developed for its extraction.
Instructions
Step 1
People have been mining fossil coal since time immemorial. In Russia, a coal deposit was first discovered in 1721 near a tributary of the Kundryachya River. The formation of the coal industry of the Russian Empire falls on the first quarter of the 19th century.
Step 2
For a long time, miners extracted coal with simple shovels and picks. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, jackhammers gained universal recognition. Combines were also widely used. Currently, the mines use modern high-performance equipment.
Step 3
The two most commonly used coal mining methods are open pit and underground. Open is not only the cheapest and easiest, but also the safest. The process looks something like this: draglines (large excavators) tear off the upper rocks, blocking access to coal deposits. Then bucket wheel excavators immerse coal seams in special wagons. In this way, part of the world's coal reserves are mined.
Step 4
The second method - underground - is more laborious and, as a result, more expensive. However, due to the fact that significant coal reserves are located extremely deeply, the underground method has to be used. To obtain coal, vertical and inclined mines (up to a kilometer deep) are drilled. The coal seams are cut into panels and pulled out.
Step 5
Coal is obtained from thin seams using a screw - a special tool that looks like a meat grinder screw.
Step 6
A relatively new for the coal industry, the hydraulic method of coal mining is very promising. It was first used in the USSR in the 30s of the last century. The process is as follows: the coal seams are crushed with a powerful jet of water from a hydromonitor, and then its pieces are piped directly to the processing plant.
