ACARP Australian Coal Association Research Program Australian Roadway

ACARP Australian Coal Association Research Program Australian Roadway Development Improvement Project OPERATORS’ WORKSHOPS March 2007 ACARP Project C 15005

SAFETY ASPECTS OF VENUE § As advised by venue ACARP Project C 15005 2

OBJECTIVE AND FORMAT Provide a forum for roadway development operators to: § Learn of emerging best practice and roadway development initiatives § Learn of developments in equipment and technology § Network with peers, and share their experience and learnings (and not just their successes) § Identify areas for targeted research ACARP Project C 15005 3

FORMAT § Five presentations by best practice operators, together with a number of research and technology updates by researchers and OEMs § The five operators’ presentations each comprise a 20 -25 minute presentation and a 15 -20 minute open forum for discussion and sharing of experiences and learnings § The research and technology updates are each about 20 minutes, and presenters will be available during breaks and at the end of the workshop if you want to follow up on any of the developments § Workshop barriers to improved roadway development performance and develop potential solutions, which may then become the subject of future research § Conclude with a Workshop review to: § Capture key findings § Identify opportunities to improve the workshop process § Identify other issues for future workshops § Workshop report with copies of presentations to be provided to all participants ACARP Project C 15005 4

INTRODUCTION Prerequisites for attendance: § A passion for roadway development, and § A willingness to participate in discussions and share experiences ACARP Project C 15005 5

INTRODUCTION § Audio and visual recording of presentations and discussions § Plan to have presentation posted on “undergroundcoal. com. au”, an underground operators’ website being developed by UOW on behalf of ACARP and the RDTG ACARP Project C 15005 6

ACARP Australian Coal Association Research Program ROADWAY DEVELOPMENT TASK GROUP Current Strategies – Improving Roadway Development Glen Lewis, Xstrata Coal Bob Miller, Centennial Coal Greg Nieuwenhuis, Rio Tinto Coal ACARP Project C 15005

A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSORS ACARP Australian Coal Association Research Program ACARP Project C 15005 8

ACARP Australian Coal Association Research Program • Funded by all Australian black coal producers • 5 cents per tonne of coal production • No government involvement • Major themes § Sustainable production; safety, environment § Sustainable use; emissions reduction, CO 2 ACARP Project C 15005

HISTORY 1978 NERDDP • Australian Government • Coal & Energy Research 1992 2005 ACARP • Coal Research • Industry Funds ERDC • Energy Research • Government Funds ACARP Funding Committed to June 2010 ACARP Project C 15005 10

ACARP COMMITTEE STRUCTURE ACARP Board • Broad strategic direction • Final funding approval Research Committee • Program overview • Major projects Technical Committees • • • Underground Open Cut Coal Preparation Technical Market Support Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Low Emission Coal Use ACARP Project C 15005 • Project selection • Project management 11

ACARP FUNDING – $13 M PER ANNUM ACARP Project C 15005 12

CURRENT PROJECTS • • 180 current projects Subcontracted to universities, CSIRO and mines $50, 000 $5, 000 ACARP funding 3 months 3 years term ACARP Project C 15005 13

PROJECT SELECTION May June July Oct Nov Dec Researchers submit short proposals Technical committees select short proposals Researchers submit full proposals Technical committees recommend proposals for funding Research committee reviews funding recommendations Board approves funding ACARP Project C 15005 14

SIGNIFICANT CHANGES Developing major projects • Longwall automation Importance of local community relations • Noise, dust and water • Introduction of social sciences Importance of global community relations • Investment in major research centres • Establishment of Low Emission Coal Use Committee ACARP Project C 15005 15

ROADWAY DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGE § What challenge? § Significant improvements in longwall production and productivity are continuing to be made. § Improvements in roadway development are generally failing to keep abreast of longwall improvements. § Higher capacity, new generation mines are being planned –later today we will learn about the L 15 Project which is attempting to identify issues associated with such high capacity, new generation mines. § Older mines are still struggling to survive as becoming more difficult to find solutions and successfully apply them. § Unlikely that they will be realised if current roadway development activities and trends are remain unchanged. ACARP Project C 15005 16

ROADWAY DEVELOPMENT TASK GROUP § RDTG formed to develop and direct a roadmap for targeted R&D to improve roadway development. § Previous attempts as ‘one off ‘ Company initiatives have failed, eg poor problem scope, planning & organisation, lack of Mine involvement and commitment, poor execution and patience § Industry wide problem so lets give it a ‘go’ at joint problem solving where we share successes and failures! § Initial members were Anglo, BHPB, BMA, Centennial, Rio Tinto, Thiess, and Xstrata (and recently joined by Austar). § What have we got to lose, even if we compete in similar market places! Answer: We all lose!! ACARP Project C 15005 17

CURRENT DIRECTIONS § Review of Australian Roadway Development – Current Status 2005 § Roadway Development Operators’ Workshops – 6 monthly basis culminating in an Operators’ Conference Sept 08 § Roadway Development Benchmarking Study – 6 monthly basis § Civil Tunnelling and Metalliferous Review – findings are out now! § “undergroundcoal. com. au” –an Underground Coal Operators’ website to develop a body of knowledge on roadway development, and to provide an online research capability and communications network for underground operators. § Alternative Skin Reinforcement Techniques – being funded by member companies. § Future Directions Research and Development Strategy – more later. ACARP Project C 15005 18

ACARP Australian Coal Association Research Program IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ULTIMINE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS CONTROL SYSTEM AT UNITED COLLIERY Jim Richardson, United Matt Ryan, Ultimate Mining ACARP Project C 15005

ACARP Australian Coal Association Research Program ROOF AND RIB SUPPORT PRACTICES UNDER ADVERSE GROUND CONDITIONS – ANGUS PLACE COLLIERY Kyle Egan, Angus Place ACARP Project C 15005

ACARP Australian Coal Association Research Program SELF DRILLING BOLT UPDATE Peter Gray, Ground Support Services ACARP Project C 15005

ACARP Australian Coal Association Research Program MORNING TEA ACARP Project C 15005

ACARP Australian Coal Association Research Program DENDROBIUM MINE DEVELOPMENT – OPERATING WITHIN CONSTRAINTS Troy Mc. Donald, David Oliver, Dendrobium ACARP Project C 15005

ACARP Australian Coal Association Research Program LONGWALL 15 UPDATE David Reece, Patrick Humphries, QCAT (CSIRO) ACARP Project C 15005

ACARP Australian Coal Association Research Program CIVIL TUNNELLING AND UNDERGROUND METALLIFEROUS REVIEW – KEY FINDINGS Gary Gibson, ACARP Project C 15005

ACARP Australian Coal Association Research Program LUNCH ACARP Project C 15005

ACARP Australian Coal Association Research Program DEVELOPMENT OF THE ABM 25 – POST CRINUM Paul Gill, Xstrata ACARP Project C 15005

ACARP Australian Coal Association Research Program THE NEW JOY ROADWAY DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM Brant Wright, Joy Mining Machinery ACARP Project C 15005

ACARP Australian Coal Association Research Program KEY FINDINGS - DECEMBER 2006 BENCHMARKING STUDY Gary Gibson, ACARP Project C 15005

ACARP Australian Coal Association Research Program AFTERNOON TEA ACARP Project C 15005

ACARP Australian Coal Association Research Program 3 HEADING GATEROAD DEVELOPMENT SYSTEMS AT GRASSTREE - THE WHY AND HOW Peter Shephard, Grasstree ACARP Project C 15005

ACARP Australian Coal Association Research Program ROADWAY DEVELOPMENT TASK GROUP Future Directions in Roadway Development Research Glen Lewis, Xstrata Coal Bob Miller, Centennial Coal Greg Nieuwenhuis, Rio Tinto Coal ACARP Project C 15005

FUTURE DIRECTIONS IN ROADWAY DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH § RDTG proposes to develop a roadway development R&D strategy built on removing barriers to improved roadway development performance. § We anticipate that the R&D strategy will have both an immediate short term and longer term focus, to enhance the current development systems and processes (short term) and develop new generation roadway development systems (long term). § Following the workshops we intend to use your contributions to develop that strategy, and to then circulate it to industry for review and comment. ACARP Project C 15005 33

BARRIERS TO IMPROVED ROADWAY DEVELOPMENT PERFORMANCE § § § To ensure that the R&D strategy is properly targeted and meets your needs, we would like you to identify what you consider, as operators, are the barriers to improved roadway development performance. Please rank the following potential barriers by allocating a total 100 points across the 20 items identified. You may additional items to the list, however with each additional item you have a further 5 points to allocate (eg; 22 items =110 points). The highest number of points should be allocated to biggest or most significant barrier. If you consider that one or more of the identified item is not a barrier at your mine, assign no points to that item or items, and deduct 5 points from your overall allocation for each “non-item”. ACARP Project C 15005 34

BARRIERS TO IMPROVED ROADWAY DEVELOPMENT PERFORMANCE Cutting and loading capacity of continuous miners, and its overall fitness for purpose Availability of continuous miner Speed and ease of operation of on-board bolting rigs Number and/or availability of on-board bolting rigs Extending the auxiliary ventilation system Capacity of shuttle car, diesel or battery hauler coal clearance system Availability of shuttle cars, diesel or battery haulers Shuttle car, diesel or battery hauler wheeling conditions Capacity and/or effectiveness of breaker feeders Delays in panel and outbye conveyor systems Ability to supply and maintain adequate ground support materials Environmental conditions in the immediate work area eg; noise, heat, humidity, dust, vibration, water make, floor conditions, etc Maintaining incombustible dust standards (stonedusting) Shift duration or roster conditions Ability to get on the job quickly Skill levels of operators and trades Manning levels and/or absenteeism Face supervision Planning and coordination Process monitoring and control ACARP Project C 15005 35

RANKING OF BARRIERS Cutting and loading capacity of continuous miners, and its overall fitness for purpose Availability of continuous miner Speed and ease of operation of on-board bolting rigs Number and/or availability of on-board bolting rigs Extending the auxiliary ventilation system Capacity of shuttle car, diesel or battery hauler coal clearance system Availability of shuttle cars, diesel or battery haulers Shuttle car, diesel or battery hauler wheeling conditions Capacity and/or effectiveness of breaker feeders Delays in panel and outbye conveyor systems Ability to supply and maintain adequate ground support materials Environmental conditions in the immediate work area eg; noise, heat, humidity, dust, vibration, water make, floor conditions, etc Maintaining incombustible dust standards (stonedusting) Shift duration or roster system Ability to get on the job quickly Skill levels of operators and trades Manning levels and/or absenteeism Face supervision Planning and coordination Process monitoring and control ACARP Project C 15005 36

WHAT’S TO BE DONE? § Having identified and ranked the barriers to improved roadway development performance we need to identify likely solutions. § Syndicates are requested to workshop and develop potential solutions to the top 10 barriers. § Multiple solutions to any barrier are permitted. § Syndicates are also asked to commit R&D funds to progress their identified solutions by allocating a total of $1, 000 across the top 10 barriers and solutions ACARP Project C 15005 37

ROADWAY DEVELOPMENT R&D FUNDING PRIORITIES Barrier ACARP Project C 15005 Solution Ability to Develop Impact of Solution Value Factor R&D Expend 38

WORKSHOP CRITIQUE § What improvements could we make to the structure and format of the Workshop: § No of presentations? § Presentation/open forum structure? § Balance of presentations from operators, researchers and OEMs? § Future strategies workshop? § § Suitability of location, venue and facilities? Cost Timing (eg; day of week, and actual times) What issues should be the subject of future workshops? § Any volunteer presenters? § Anything else? ACARP Project C 15005 39

WORKSHOP FEEDBACK - POKOLBIN § Opportunities for future workshops § Special interest workshops § Case study on developments in supervision, training and development § Update on developments in roof support techniques and practices § Guest speaker and “special interest” meeting on evening prior to workshop § Workshop critique § Insufficient time to complete productivity barriers workshop § Other opportunities § Establish “peer groups” or special interest groups on website (undergroundcoal. com. au) ACARP Project C 15005 40

WORKSHOP FEEDBACK - PENRITH § Opportunities for future workshops § § § § Special interest workshops eg; panel moves, maintenance Involvement of and presentations by mining contractors Update on developments in leadership training Preventative maintenance versus breakdown maintenance Monitoring and control – good decisions require good data Update on developments in ergonomics Legislation and litigation – impact on the supervisors’ role § Workshop critique § More open discussion from floor § More involvement of operators and trades personnel in workshop ACARP Project C 15005 41

WORKSHOP FEEDBACK - MACKAY § Opportunities for future workshops § Update on benchmarking study § Update on developments in supervision, training and development § Update on development of the ABM 25 post Crinum § Fear of decision making – the effects of legislative changes § Workshop critique § Maintain a regional focus ACARP Project C 15005 42

END OF WORKSHOP Thank you! Please join us for some for refreshments and further networking! ACARP Project C 15005 43