Dust Control – Soil Stabilization – Erosion Control

Archive for the ‘haul road dust control’ Category

Sydney based road tanker manufacturer and rental business, Water Trucks Direct, have made a decision to standardise on Aussie Quik Prime pumps from Australian Pump Industries ’ product range. The company, operating from a facility at McGraths Hill in Sydney make a complete range of water tankers equipped for both dust suppression and water transport.

“We chose the Aussie pumps high pressure pumps because of their big flow, high pressure performance and overall reliability” said Water Trucks Direct Managing Director, Brenden Bastian. “The 5 year warranty offered by Australian Pump is a tremendous bonus” he said.

Water Trucks use both high volume transfer pumps for fast filling in 3”, 4” and 5” sizes. The big volume pumps are either PTO or hydraulic drive with diesel options being available. Smaller tankers in the 10,000 litre range use Aussie 3” self priming gushers that produce flows of up to 1,500 litres per minute. Genuine Japanese Honda petrol engines, one of the major features offered by Australian Pump and Yanmar diesel drives are both used depending on the application and customer’s requirements.

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The dust from a mine is significantly different from the dust you find in your home. Dust in your home primarily consists of dead skin while mine dust is almost exclusively a mineral in a fine powder form.

Most written definitions of mine dust include the following: dust from drilling, blasting, smashing or handling of rock. The majority of the dust created by one of these activities are too large to stay in the air for an extended period of time and account for about 40 percent of all dust created at a mine site. The remainder is less than 10 micrometers in size. The majority of these particles is less than 2.5 micrometers and come from the exhaust of equipment used on the mining site.

The smallest size particle is what is most hazardous to the population’s health. The larger dust particles are an eye sore and are cost a lot to clean up, but are less hazardous to one’s health.

The smaller particles do make certain health hazards that include respiratory problems due to the fact that they are in the air that is breathed in to the lungs. This can be minimized if mining personnel were to wear masks designed to filter out the dust.

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[Transportation of,moving ,transporting,hauling] the mined ore in any mining [operation,business,company,venture,undertaking] is one [area,part] that gives [several,more than a few,a number of,numerous] opportunities for [cost,expenditure,expense] savings. Maintaining a [dust free,dustless,clear] haul road is [just,only,merely] one [method,technique,practice] by which a mining [operation,business,company,venture] can [start,begin,set out] to [reduce,decrease,lessen,trim down,shrink,lower] operating [costs,expenses].

One [may,might,could] think of a haul road as [just,only,merely] a [dusty,dirty,filthy] [road,path] that [only,merely,simply,just] serves one [purpose,objective,end], and that is to [move,transfer,relocate,transfer,transport,redistribute] the mined ore from one [location,site] to [another,a new]. But that [dusty,filthy,dirty] road is the artery of the [entire,whole,total] operation. [Without,Devoid of,Lacking] that dusty haul road a mining [operation,business,company,venture] would [soon,almost immediately,quickly] [die,expire,pass away,pass on,crash]. To [care for,properly maintain] the road is [essentially,basically,in essence,in effect] the same as [caring for,taking care of] one’s [own,personal,individual] [health,physical condition].

We [know,understand,appreciate,realize,recognize] what [happens,occurs] when our arteries stop [working,operating] [properly,correctly], but what [happens,occurs] when a [haul,haulage] road is [not,no longer] maintained [properly,correctly,appropriately,as it should be].

On a [typical,normal,standard,average] [haul,haulage] road you [will,may] have [haul,haulage] trucks [traveling,roaming] day and night. [Some,Several,Various,Certain,Particular] [haul,haulage] roads have as many as 500 trucks [per,for each,for every] day. [While,At the same time] others [may,might,can,could] have [fewer,less] trucks but the trucks they do [have,possess,own,control] are many times [larger,bigger] [and,as well as] heavier. [Again,Once more] many of the operations are [24,twenty-four] hours [each,every,all] day [every,each] day with no [time,occasion] for stopping and [starting,re-starting].

[When,While] you have [continuous,nonstop,constant,uninterrupted] traffic on these [roads,haul roads,haulage roads] you [must,have to,have got to,should] do something to [eliminate,get rid of,do away with,eradicate,reduce] the dust. [Many,A lot of,Several] of these [haul,haulage] roads are [over,in excess of,more than,greater than] 5 miles long and [typically,normally,usually,on average,in general,more often than not] 50 feet wide. [Each,Every] one of these roads [will,may] [require,need] [approximately,about,around,roughly,more or less] one gallon per square yard [each,every] day to keep the dust [down,abated]. If [you were,one was] to [calculate,work out,compute,analyze,evaluate] these [figures,numbers] you [will,may] [find,discover] that a [typical,normal] haul road dust control [program,plan] will [require,need,necessitate] millions of gallons of water [every,each] week. In [some,a number of] [places,locations] water is a [very,extremely,incredibly] [valued,treasured] commodity that [should,ought to] be [conserved,preserved] [whenever,when] [possible,feasible] not only for the availability [but,yet] also for the [cost,expense,expenditure] of [acquisition,attainment,acquirement]. [What would,Just ask yourself, what would,imagine, what would,Think about it, what would] your water [bill,statement] be like if you [used,consumed] [over,in excess of,more than] a million gallons [each,every,each and every] week?

[As,Since,When] the [Haul,Haulage] road is watered to [maintain,keep,sustain,keep up] [manageable,controllable] levels of fugitive dust, the road [will,may] [start,begin] to [erode,wear away]. This erosion will [cause,bring about,produce,set off] pot holes and [other,further,new] imperfections [which,that] over time [will,may] cause the road to [become,be,turn out to be] un-drivable. Not only will this [become,turn out to be,turn into] a [terribly,awfully,dreadfully,horribly] [rough,uneven,bumpy,irregular] road, but those [conditions,circumstances] will [also,as well,in addition,furthermore] cause [premature,early,untimely] failure to the [haul,haulage] trucks.

[Furthermore,Also,In addition,Still,Additionally,Moreover,What's more], the [cost,price,expense] of maintaining [haul,haulage] trucks increases [dramatically,radically,noticeably,considerably] when they [must,have to] [operate,function,work,run] in a dusty [environment,location]. There are [many,a lot of,lots of,numerous,countless] parts on a truck that [fail,stop working,break down] [faster,sooner,quicker] when they are [surrounded,encircled,bounded] by dust. The engine will [ingest,consume] dust from the [haul,haulage] road which will [inevitably,unavoidably,predictably] end up in the engine oil, [thus,therefore,consequently,as a result] causing a [premature,early,untimely] [failure,breakdown] of the truck and thousands of dollars in [repairs,maintenance,upkeep].

[Working on,Maintaining] a [haul,haulage] truck is not a [simple,easy,uncomplicated] [task,job,duty,commission]. You [could,might,can] [imagine,picture,envision] having to [change,replace] a tire that is 10 feet [tall,high]. The [yearly,annual,year on year] [cost,expense] to [operate,run] these behemoths is [more,greater] than most American families [make,earn,take home,get paid,receive] in five years. If you can [lower,lessen,reduce,bring down] that [cost,expense] you will be saving the [company,corporation,business] [vast,huge,enormous,immense] amounts of [money,cash,capital] that [could,might,possibly will,may well] be directed at something more [beneficial,helpful,useful,valuable,positive,constructive].

Alleviating these [costs,expenses] is [rather,quite,very] [simple,easy,straightforward,uncomplicated]. One [only,simply,merely,just] needs to [employ,use,utilize,make use of] a [modernized,efficient] road dust control [program,plan] that not only [controls,regulates] the dust [but,yet] will [also,in addition] add a [high,elevated] level of erosion control. The more successful programs [will,may] [actually,in fact] [transform,change,convert] the old dusty dirt road into a [solid,hard,rock-solid,unyielding] stabilized driving surface [comparable,similar,akin] to many asphalt roads. This in turn will [eliminate,get rid of,do away with,eradicate,abolish,reduce] the need for water as a dust control agent and will deliver a [very,extremely,exceptionally] [smooth,level] dust free driving surface that [lowers,will lower] the [cost,expense] of operating the million dollar trucks.

[Adding,Tallying,Totaling] all these savings [together,at once] will [easily,without difficulty,effortlessly,without doubt] help a mining operation [lower,reduce] their [operating,working] [costs,expenses] to the point where the dust control program has paid for itself [within,inside] a year’s time and the [funds,money,resources,cash] from such can [then,after that,subsequently] be added to the bottom line.   

U.S. Department of Labor
Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA)

Respirable coal mine dust can cause lung diseases such as coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP), emphysema, silicosis, and bronchitis—known collectively as black lung. Black lung can lead to lung impairment, permanent disability, and even death. While there is no cure for black lung, there are important and potentially life-saving measures that MSHA requires to be undertaken to reduce exposure to respirable coal mine dust and prevent disease. Even though these measures have been required for many years, new cases of black lung disease continue to occur among the nation’s coal miners, even in younger miners.

Recently, MSHA conducted a targeted enforcement initiative that focused on miners’ exposures to respirable coal mine dust at selected underground coal mines. As a result of the lessons MSHA learned during this initiative, the agency requests that underground coal mine operators conduct audits of their respirable dust monitoring and control programs and address any deficiencies.

Dust sampling programs did not adequately address proper maintenance of sampling equipment or ensure that samples are collected at the required times (either on shifts or days).

Many mining operations implement a haul road dust control program in order to decrease the level of fugitive dust in the work area. 

Full story here

Haul Road Dust Control  is a fundamental element to the efficient venture of a mining company. Not only with regards to security but as well to the employees wellbeing.  Surface mining operations use huge off-road haul trucks extensively to move material at mining properties. Historical research, using the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) emissions factors for unpaved haul roads, has revealed that haul trucks produce the bulk of dust emissions from surface mining sites, accounting for approximately 78%-97% of total dust emissions. This is even greater with a low value haul road dust control  program.

Observations of dust emissions from haul trucks prove that if the dust emissions are unrestrained, they can be a safety danger by means of impairing the operator’s visibility. This increases the likelihood for haul truck accidents. Yet, the greatest long-term health risk of dust generated from hauling operations is due to breathing of the respirable dust [median diameter <4 micrometers (μm)] and thoracic dust, which is equivalent to the EPA’s definition of PM10 [particulate matter with a median diameter <10 μm]. Exposure to respirable dust has always been considered a health hazard on surface mining operations, particularly if silica dust is there.

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The design of the latest Cat mining trucks exceeds its predecessors and offers the ultimate in productivity, durability and low cost of operation even in the most challenging mining operations.

97F Cat® Mining Truck
The 797F, with 4,000-horsepower (2983 kW) and rated payload capacities to 363 tonnes, combines the strengths of its predecessors with a new engine, redesigned operator station and custom body systems to deliver even lower costs per tonne – with less environmental impact.

The 797F also offers easier maintenance and enhanced safety provisions. Ground level service points ease access, and 1,000-hour hydraulic filter service intervals reduce required maintenance. Safety enhancements include wider walkways, a rear access ladder and a bumper-mounted, three-way, lock-out tag-out box.

The 20-cylinder, 4,000-gross-horsepower Cat C175-20 ACERT engine has a single engine block and is the heart of the new truck. The engine has accumulated more than a quarter-million hours of field testing in mining trucks and power-generating systems. The C175 displaces 5.3 litres (323 in³) per cylinder – for a total displacement of 106 litres (6,458 in³). The 797F develops 450 horsepower more than its predecessor, the 797B, which used a 24-cylinder Cat 3524B engine displacing 117 litres (7,143 in³).

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Stark County Commission members’ Tuesday vote gives GTL Energy USA Ltd. the go ahead to operate a coal beneficiation plant near South Heart during their Tuesday meeting.

The commissioners decided during their meeting to change the land from agricultural to industrial.

Mary Hodell, who spoke on behalf of Neighbors United at the meeting, is against the zoning change.

“Why does it have to be right in the middle of agricultural land?” Hodell asked.

Chairman Duane “Bucky” Wolf said accessibility to the railroad and Interstate 94 makes it a good place.

Hodell also wants the commission to set strict rules for the trucks going to and from the plant, saying she’s already seen trucks breaking from suggested routes.

“If you’ve got road agreements, what’s the consequence when they don’t follow this? And they haven’t been,” Hodell said.

Commissioner Russ Hoff said the road agreement between GTL and Stark County covers “anywhere from dust control to different roads that they’re taking, signage on roads, weight permits — it pretty much covers it all.”

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Rising Chinese interest in buying US steel-making coal is stirring the US markets. In addition to Consol Energy Inc confirming a sale recently, several ships have been hired to haul US coal to China. Analysts cite demand in China, steel mill restarts and Australian struggles to fill orders for a metallurgical coal price rise to $160 a metric tonne from less than $100 a few months ago.

"They’re actually soliciting for qualities available and having samples sent for testing," Frank Kolojeski of New Jersey-based TransGlobal Ventures Corp told Reuters. "I understand there are people out looking for freight from the US to China. That’s a good indication," he said.

Even Morgan Stanley analysts Mark Liinamaa and Wes Sconce wrote there is spot price "momentum" toward $175 a tonne. Part of the reason for demand pressuring supply is port congestion in Australia, a major supplier to China, where coal can be mined faster than it can be exported, Kolojeski said. "This has created opportunities for US met coal producers." the Morgan Stanley analysts said.

US producers welcome the business, but to compete with Australia they must absorb the additional $40 to $45 cost of a longer haul from North America to China, Coal & Energy said. The real hope of US miners is for continued tightness in the market coupled with additional demand from Europe and Brazil, Coal & Energy’s Jim Thompson said. The haul from the United States to Europe and Brazil is much shorter and more profitable for US producers, he said.

Queensland closes door

No new coal-fired power stations will be built in Queensland unless they use the world’s best emissions technology and are ready to store and capture carbon, the state government has said.

Parliament was told the new plan contained $87.2 million in funding for new climate change initiatives. This includes $60 million for transport initiatives, as more than 10 per cent of the state’s emissions come from transport and congested traffic produces up to 30 per cent more emissions than free-flowing roads.

Support in Appalachai

The Federation for American Coal, Energy and Security, known as FACES, has launched a campaign to promote the economic benefits of coal in Appalachia. The purpose for the new organization was outlined during a news conference in Charleston Wednesday afternoon.

FACES represents an alliance of people from all walks of life who have joined forces to educate lawmakers and the public about the importance of coal. Coordinator Bryan Brown says the campaign launched in Charleston Wednesday, and will launch in Kentucky and Verginia over the next several weeks. They hope to take the initiative nationwide.

Company news

Exxaro Resources Ltd, the South African producer of coal and zinc, reported a 12 per cent gain in first-half profit after selling more fuel to state utility Eskom Holdings Ltd. and overseas.

Net income rose to 1.39 billion rand ($174 million), from 1.24 billion rand a year earlier, the Pretoria, South Africa- based company said in a statement today. Sales gained 23 per cent to 7.1 billion rand. Profit was curbed by lower international prices for thermal coal, fewer domestic sales and higher costs. Second-half domestic prices for thermal and coking coal will decline because of contractual agreements, the company said.

Coal mining group Energybuild has secured a funding deal worth more than £2m with its major shareholder, it announced yesterday. The loan worth £2.5m will be used to fund ongoing working capital and development expenditures at Energybuild’s mining facility in the Neath Valley.

The Aberpergwm-based firm, which is listed on the Alternative Investment Market, last month reported that sales of its anthracite increased by more than 150 per cent in the past year.

Canadian mining operation Western Canadian Coal, which has a 50.6 per cent stake in Energybuild, is providing the loan – which is repayable 45 days after receipt of a demand notice, which may not be served before January 6, 2010, and which expires on August 18, 2012.

Rhidian Davies, managing director at Aberpergwm-based Energybuild, said: "The funds will assist the company with the ongoing development of its coal assets in South Wales."

In its latest trading update, Energybuild said its revenue was up 149 per cent – providing a 75 per cent increase in pre-tax profit over the 12-month period to the end of June 2009. The group said its Neath Valley mining operation was maintaining its target of producing 640,000 tonnes a year of saleable production from Aberpergwm by the end of 2011.

Turnover for the year to June stood at £16m, compared to £6.5m over the same period the year before. Profit before tax this year stands at £2.2m, up from last year’s figure of £1.25m. Energybuild said it committed £7m to capital expenditure over the period, as it continued with its objective of developing its underground operation.

Meanwhile, Western Canadian Coal Corp’s second quarter revenue was down by 41 per cent, along with a dramatic decline in profitability from the same time last year. The B.C.-based company’s revenue fell to $75.7-million from $130.4-million in the second quarter of 2008, as tonnage sold fell to 435,000 from 583,000 and average prices fell to $174 from $224 a tonne.

The coal company’s profit was $3.4-million or 2 cents per share in the three months ended June 30. A year earlier, profit was $59.7-million or 27 cents per diluted share, boosted by a $22.8-million tax recovery. The company ceased coal extraction and hauling at its Brule mine in mid-March because of a buildup of inventory, resulting in a 227,000-tonne production reduction. WTN (TSX) closed at $3.25, down 12 cents.

Hunter-based miner Centennial Coal expects to be exporting from its Mandalong mine through the Port of Newcastle early next year.

Centennial yesterday reported an annual profit after tax of $71 million, $217 million below last year’s figure. But the company says it is pleased with the latest result, given the 2008 figure was artificially inflated through the sale of assets.

Managing director Bob Cameron says Mandalong is performing well and will do even better when a new haul road is completed. "Mandalong had a record year, 4.9 million tonnes, it will do better again this year," he said.

The importance of Coal Dust Control – Coal dust control, can, if not handled carefully, result in serious health issues, chiefly high concentrations of breathable coal dust which can lead to pneumoconiosis – or ‘black lung disease’ – and silicosis from mining material with a high quartz content.

There are measures that mines can take such as ensuring workers wear masks and introducing engineering controls including ventilation dilution, water infusion, wet-cutting, water sprays, wetting agents and foam, and coal dust control collectors such as dust scrubbers.

Better-than-expected results from recent tests of a dust scrubber at BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance’s mine at Broadmeadow in Queensland’s Bowen Basin give hope for healthier mine environments.

Scrubber systems have been tested before but success was limited by a lack of understanding of the dust and airflow patterns around the sites for coal dust control.

With the support of the Australian Coal Association Research Program (ACARP), CSIRO has taken on several research projects based on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling to improve the understanding of dust flow patterns around the longwall shearer and walkway under different operating conditions.

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