COAL RECOVERY PUSHBEAM SYSTEM

The highwall mining pushbeam system is productive, durable, cost effective, and capable of extremely clean coal recovery..

The loader operator runs a small front-end fork loader to handle the pushbeams either by taking them from the storage location and loading them onto the Pushbeam Transfer Mechanism (PTM) during the mining process or removing them from the PTM during retraction and placing them in nearby storage.

A typical cycle includes sumping (pushing forward) and shearing (raising or lowering the cutterhead boom to cut the entire height of the coal seam).  As the coal recovery cycle continues, the cutterhead is progressively pushed into the coal seam for 20 feet. Then, the hydraulically powered mechanical table or Pushbeam Transfer Mechanism (PTM) automatically inserts a 20-foot long rectangular pushbeam into the center section of the machine between the powerhead and the cutterhead.

Inside the full length of the pushbeam is a pair of 18-inch diameter augers that are coupled at the rear to the powerhead and at the front to the cutterhead when the powerhead is moved forward. The augers are completely enclosed resulting in cleaner coal recovery. The mining cycle continues for an additional 20 feet with the powerhead pushing the most recently inserted pushbeam while the cutterhead alternately sumps and shears as it advances into the coal seam. At each 20-foot interval, a new pushbeam is automatically inserted and mining continues to maximum penetration.

Coal is then transported from the cutterhead through the pushbeam and into the powerhead and vertical auger for discharge from the belt conveyor. At maximum penetration, the process is reversed as the powerhead is retracted pulling the string of pushbeams and cutterhead out of the mined hole. Pushbeams are removed at 20-foot intervals and can be stacked to minimize site requirements.

The Terex SHM coal mining process leaves a series of rectangular shaped holes up to 12 feet wide and as high as the coal seam and up to 1,000 feet deep.