SEPTEMBER 2015 VOL. 120 NO. 9 FEATURE ARTICLES FIRE DETECTION/32 CH&S 2015 PREVIEW/34 20 Remembering Those Lost Son of a miner killed in Ohio operation follows ‘calling,’ raises thousands to commemorate state’s fallen workers 24 India Coal Logistics Perspective 31 Mining for Data Using Advanced Graphing Software to Mitigate Safety Risks 32 Where There’s Smoke… REFUGE ALTERNATIVES/40 COAL PREPARATION/48 A longtime fire technology, air sampling smoke detection, is now possible for mobile mining equipment 34 Coal Handling and Storage 2015 A new venue in St. Louis promises a diverse collection of hot topics and networking opportunities 40 Underground Mine Refuge Alternatives A look at food, water and sanitation requirements 44 On Solid Ground 34th meeting of International Conference on Ground Control in Mining spotlights research and best of the sector’s experts 48 Tracing the Best Outcomes for Dense Media Cyclones DMC monitoring and optimization based on immediate, precise partition curves from radio density tracers THIS ISSUE 54 Training and Evaluation of Coal Miners’ Self-escape Competencies This month, Coal Age offers several articles related to optimization pro- 56 Increase Fuel Choices While Maintaining a Slagging and grams for coal mining, processing and utilization. On the cover, a Fouling-free Boiler Wirtgen surface miner cuts and loads coal at New Hope’s New Acland mine in Australia. COAL IN THE NEWS 4 Court Approves Patriot Asset Sale DEPARTMENTS 4 OSM Grants Extension on SPR, Coal Operators Say 2 Editorial 4 It’s Not Enough Coal in the News 5 5 Royal Energy Picks Up Cline Reserves in Appalachia World News 10 People 6 Cordero Rojo Secures Future Reserves 12 Dateline Washington 8 Blankenship Asks for Information to be Removed 14 Calendar 12 MEC Lays Off Miners in Illinois 16 Awards 14 Sales Down for Armstrong Energy 22 Marketwatch 16 Construction Will Begin in 2016 at Buck Creek Mine 24 Transport Tips 18 Preparations Begin for Bauma 2016 in Munich 56 Operating Ideas 18 Newest IGCC Plant Records Highest Capacity Factors 58 Product News 61 Classified WORLD NEWS 64 Legally Speaking 5 Shenhua Interested in Rio Tinto’s Hunter Valley Assets 6 India’s CIL Plans to Double Capital Investments 8 Unemployment Rises in Indonesia as Coal Miners Cease Production September 2015 www.coalage.com 1 editor’s note Adding Insult to Injury www.mining-media.com ast month, Bill Raney, president of the West Virginia Coal Mining Media International Association, penned a power editorial, “Scraps from the Editorial Office L 11655 Central Parkway, Suite 306 Table: Obama’s Plan an Insult to West Virginia’s Coal Mining Jacksonville, Florida 32224 U.S.A. Families.” Coal Age readers can find it at www.wvcoal.com. Phone: +1.904.721.2925 Raney has been a fierce advocate for coal and the Mountain Fax: +1.904.721.2930 State for many years. In the piece, he admonished the Charleston Gazette, which has long taken an anti-coal stance, Editor-in-Chief—Steve Fiscor, [email protected] for suggesting that the industry thank President Barack Western Field Editor—Russ Carter, [email protected] Obama for tossing a few dollars to the American coal industry Field Editor—Donna Schmidt, [email protected] BY STEVE FISCOR European Editor—Simon Walker, [email protected] after systematically destroying it for six years. / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Latin American Editor—Oscar Martinez, [email protected] Raney is referring to the 2016 White House budget, which Assistant Editor—Jennifer Jensen, [email protected] contains the POWER+ Plan (see www.whitehouse.gov). The Obama Administration Graphic Designer—Austin St. Clair, [email protected] blames the problems in coal country on “booming natural gas production, declining costs for renewable energy, increases in energy efficiency, flattening electricity Mining Media International demand, and updated clean air standards.” These trends, according to the adminis- Corporate Office 8751 East Hampden, Suite B1 tration, are impacting workers and communities who have relied on the coal indus- Denver, Colorado 80231 U.S.A. try as a source of good jobs and economic prosperity. To help these communities Phone: +1.303.283.0640 adapt, the POWER+ Plan will invest in workers and jobs, addresses legacy costs in Fax: +1.303.283.0641 coal country, and drive development of coal technology. President/Publisher—Peter Johnson, [email protected] Raney did the math and the plan would: Vice President of Sales & Marketing—John Bold, [email protected] • Provide $200 million per year for five years to clean up abandoned mines; Midwest/Eastern U.S. & Canada, Sales—Victor Matteucci, [email protected] • Provide $5 million for “brownfields” work to clean up coal-fired power plants; Western U.S. & Canada, Sales—Mary Lu Buse, [email protected] Scandinavia, UK and European Sales—Colm Barry, [email protected] • Provide $20 million to retrain ex-miners and help them find new jobs; Germany, Austria & Switzerland Sales—Gerd Strasmann, [email protected] • Provide $25 million to the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) for Australia/Asia Sales—Lanita Idrus, [email protected] efforts to create new businesses and upgrade infrastructure; Japan Sales—Masao Ishiguro, [email protected] • Provide $6 million more for “place-based regional innovation efforts” to spur Indonesia Sales—Dimas Abdillah, [email protected] jobs in distressed coal communities; and Latin America Sales—Paulina Downey, [email protected] / Sylvia Palma, • Award $3.9 billion over a decade to shore up pensions and medical care for [email protected] retired miners. Classified Advertising—Kirk Carbo, [email protected] Making sure retirees and their surviving spouses are provided for is important, Show Manager—Tim Fearney, [email protected] Production Manager—Dan Fitts, [email protected] but as Raney explained, those pensions would likely not be in trouble today were it not for the actions of this administration. The temporary aid, which adds insult to injury, amounts to $256 million for the first year and $200 million in the subsequent four years. There are approximately 13 states in the the ARC, so each one would receive a fraction of the money. Any engi- neer would immediately recognize that $200 million, let alone $5 million, would not be enough money to accomplish a whole lot. But, what Raney wisely pointed out is that this will come from the Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) fund, which was funded Coal Age, Volume 120, Issue 9, (ISSN 1040-7820) is published monthly by Mining by coal operators. Media Inc., 10 Sedgwick Drive, Englewood, Colorado 80113 (mining-media.com). Periodicals postage paid at Englewood, CO, and additional mailing offices. Canada Prior to the “war on coal,” Raney explained that the coal industry historically pro- Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40845540. Canada return address: Station A, PO vided about $3.4 billion each year in wages in West Virginia alone, and $26 billion Box 54, Windsor ON N9A 6J5, Email: [email protected]. Current and back issues and additional resources, including subscription request forms and an each year to the gross state product. The Obama Administration has stripped the editorial calendar, are available online at www.coalage.com. Mountain State (and other coal-producing states) of a vital economic base. To SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Free and controlled circulation to qualified subscribers. appease his guilt, he is giving them a fraction of their money back. Non-qualified persons may subscribe at the following rates: USA and Canada, 1 year, $56.00, 2 year, $96.00, 3 year, $162.00, Student, $16.00, Outside the USA and Canada, 1 year, $77.00, 2 year, $137.00, 3 year, $225.00 surface mail (1 year, $145.00, 2 year, $257.00 airmail delivery). For subscriber services or to order single copies, write to Coal Age, 8751 East Hampden, Suite B1, Denver, CO 80231 USA; call +1.303.283.0640 (USA) or visit www.mining-media.com. ARCHIVES AND MICROFORM: This magazine is available for research and retrieval of select- ed archived articles from leading electronic databases and online search services, including Factiva, LexisNexis, and Proquest. For microform availability, contact ProQuest at 800-521- 0600 or +1.734.761.4700, or search the Serials in Microform listings at www.proquest.com. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Coal Age, P.O. Box 1337, Skokie, IL 60076 USA. Steve Fiscor, Coal Age Editor-in-Chief REPRINTS: Mining Media Inc, 8751 East Hampden, Suite B1, Denver, CO 80231 USA [email protected] phone: +1.303.283.0640, fax: +1.303.283.0641, www.mining-media.com PHOTOCOPIES: Authorization to photocopy articles for internal corporate, personal, or instructional use may be obtained from the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) at +1.978.750.8400. Obtain further information at www.copyright.com. COPYRIGHT 2015: Coal Age, incorporating Coal and 2 www.coalage.com Coal Mining & Processing. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE MECHANICS OF MINING MORE Tough and uncompromising, Sandvik continuous miners are built to make the most out of your mine. Thanks to a higher weight class, shear-up capability and loading and conveying modules, they improve productivity by 10 – 20% compared to other continuous miners in this range. The new range of Sandvik of continuous miners is specially designed to help you improve production in room and pillar mining of coal and industrial minerals. Built to extreme standards of ruggedness and RELIABILITY THESEMINERSODžERCUTTING LOADING ANDHAULINGEXCELLENCESOTHATYOUCANMINEMORECOAL and more minerals more often. Discover the mechanics of mining more. MINING.SANDVIK.COM news Court Approves Patriot Asset Sale A bankruptcy judge overseeing the Chapter 11 reorganization of Patriot Coal’s Appalachian Reserves Patriot Coal has reportedly cleared the coal operator to divest its (millions of tons, December 2013) remaining assets in an auction.