China begins trial exploration of first offshore coal mine in E. China

People's Daily ^ | 06/19/05

[TigerLikesRooster]

China begins trial exploration of first offshore coal mine in E. China

Energy-thirsty China Saturday started exploration of its first offshore coal mine, in eastern Shandong Province.

Experts with the Shandong Longkuang Group said the underwater coal mine, located about five kilometers away from the coast of Longkou city in eastern Shandong, has a proven reserve of 1.29 billion tons of coal.

It is the first offshore coal mine in China. According to the company, the first phrase of digging will be done at the field 350 meters below sea level, stretching 150 meters. The deposit there is expected to turn out 89,200 tons of coal.

Representatives from the company said they had set up a sophisticated safety surveillance system and acquired the technology to prevent sea water flooding. It is said most domestic companies fail to meet the strict safety requirement for such exploitation.

Earlier discovery data released from Longkou marine research team showed the deposit is part of the coal-bearing basin formed in the Cenozoic Era with six coal layers available for mining.

It covers an area of 150 square kilometers, and is between 67 meters and 278 meters thick with geological reserves, the data said.

Poor safety measures and the country's energy pressure make China's land coal mines an extremely dangerous place to work. State work safety authorities reported a total of 3,639 fatal coal mine accidents last year, killing 6,027 coal mine workers.

Source: Xinhua

[TigerLikesRooster]

Hmm... this is the first time I heard about digging out coals underwater. Has it been done elsewhere?

[TigerLikesRooster]

Ping!

[Tennessee_Bob]

Maybe the logic is that it will reduce the issues they've been having with mine fires.

Now all they need is miners with gills.

[Lonely NY Conservative]

Considering China's safety record for land-based coal mining, I don't know that I'd be first in line for an underwater mining job.

[fireforeffect]

England

[Blood of Tyrants]

The deposit there is expected to turn out 89,200 tons of coal.

Excuse me, but isn't this just about a dozen trainloads? This makes ZERO economic sense.

[Frank_Lee_Speaking]

Does Greenpeace know about this?

I suggest they be notified so they can surround the mining site with their inflatable rafts and dissuade the Chinese from polluting the ocean and harming sealife.(tongue planted firmly in cheek)

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Nova Scotia has under-sea coal mines. WW II Japan had one or two under-sea mines.

[Servant of the 9]

Isn't coal mining risky enough ONSHORE?

So9

[1rudeboy]

No doubt.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I'm sure there are a few zeros dropped off this published figure. In most seams, coal can be estimated at about 1500 tons per square acre/foot. IE: Three feet of coal on ten acres would be about 45,000 tons. Since this is underground, figure about 60 percent recovery.

[stuartcr]

Keeps the ust down too.

[stuartcr]

Supposed to be dust...

[G Larry]

My thoughts exactly.
And I've invested and followed the energy sector for years.

Also:
>Poor safety measures and the country's energy pressure make China's land coal mines an extremely dangerous place to work.<

Makes you want to rush to work in an underwater coal mine!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

A friend of mine delivered a portable coal washing plant to one of the Nova Scotia mines and helped set it up to separate the rock and shale from the coal. He went down into the mine and said you could hear water rolling around overhead.

[norraad]

I'm sure someones working on an unmanned underwater robot mining machine.

That capability, technically, is due.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I think the NS mines are long wall, which are essentially robots.

[azhenfud]

"Representatives from the company said they had set up a sophisticated safety surveillance system and acquired the technology to prevent sea water flooding. It is said most domestic companies fail to meet the strict safety requirement for such exploitation."

LAUGHING!

"Trust me, just trust me..."

[Rumplemeyer]

The mining that is referred to here is mined from tunnels driven in the rock UNDER the Ocean.

On shore a shaft is sunk to the level of the coal deposit and development tunnels are driven to the coal seam.

There are a few problems with this location:
1) Faults in the cover rock could lead to the ocean floor and allow a sudden inflow flooding the mine.

2) All underground mines are subsidence mines, that is when the coal is gone the roof support is gone and the ground settles down into the mined out area, see No. 1 above.

3) Coal is softer than the surrounding rock, therefor you cannot easily support the roof on the coal below, shores tend to dig into it and you loose the roof support.

This is the reason Anthracite Coal in Eastern PA is strip mined, the Monmouth Vanes are up to 170 feet thick and cannot support the roof, what was mine was the "Pitch Coal" along the plane where the coal meets the rock.

4) The safety record of the Chinese Coal Industry is worse in 2005 than the US Coal Industry was in 1845.

The Chinese Government has ZERO concern for the miners, if one is killed in an accident, no big deal, they feel they have plenty of people to replace them.

One good explosion will result in No. 1 above.