Time-Cost, Trade-Off Analyses Of Longwall Face Transfers

Longwall face-to-face equipment transfers or moves are the largest source of nonproductive time in a long wall-mining system. Detailed planning and resourceful thinking are paramount for economical, safe and timely longwall moves. New equipment and innovative techniques are frequently tested to reduce overall more time. Determining the cost-effectiveness of these ideas is difficult since the decision is influenced by many subjective factors. A project scheduling simulation model of the longwall move process was developed to analyze and assess the economic viability of innovative transfer methods and equipment. The model provides a project-duration frequency distribution and lists of critically indexed activities and paths. It compares the monetary savings from reduced transfer time and capital costs for several ideas.