Comprehensive assessment of the mined coal quality and mining conditions in the Western Donbas mines

The presented work reveals the problem of worsening the quality of mined coal in the Western Donbas mines. The main indicators of the stope faces performance in the context of the produced thermal coal quality are analyzed. The tendencies have been set of changes in the operational and parent ash content of coal, the number of longwall faces working with out-of-seam dilution and the production output of raw coal in the Western Donbass mines. Using the example of the “Named after Heroiv Kosmosu” mine, the coal-bearing rocks of the mined seams have been analyzed in detail, as well as the operational ash content of the produced coal has been predicted. Within the contoured reserves boundaries of the new longwall faces extraction panels, the following characteristics are analyzed: geological thickness of coal seams mg, height of out-of-seam dilution of side rocks hr; coal cutting resistance Ар; physical and mechanical properties of rocks in the roof and bottom of the seams. Based on the studied mining-and-geological characteristics of the stope faces under consideration, the possibility of using selective mining technology is assessed. Graphs of changes in the predicted operational ash content of mined coal are plotted depending on the possible schemes of the seams mining and the size of out-of-seam dilution of rocks. The research results can be used when planning the selective mining technology aimed at improving the efficiency and environmental friendliness of mining operations