Mining systems include a continuous miner; a movable roof support; a roof bolter; and a flexible conveyor train positioned with its front end located under the roof support and extending underneath the roof bolter.

A longwall N00 mining method includes performing a no-entry excavation and non-pillar mining in N working faces of a new district, and the whole district is provided with an air-return dip, a haulage dip and a track dip, wherein the air-return dip and the track dip are located on one end of the district, and the haulage dip is connected to the other end of the district, and connected to the air-return dip. This method can not only ensure ventilation of the whole coal cutting are, but also when mining is performed in each working face in the district, entries can be automatically formed due to top-cutting pressure release by using a part of a gob area, and thereby it is not required to separately excavate any gateroad entry during mining coal nor need to retain any coal pillar, so as to save resources and improve efficiency.

An equipment system for a self-retaining mining method mainly comprises a transition support, an end support, a following support, and a fast-retracting support. Working face gateroads do not need to advance in mining, and a coal mining machine may be used to cut a neat coal wall at the end of a district. The entry rib is automatically formed after roof caving, thus forming a gateroad in a re-mining process. The coal mining machine is under digital control when its end cuts the coal, automatically enabling the end to laterally cut the coal wall to form a vertical straight line, which is used as the entry rib of the gateroad. A scrapper conveyor works in coordination with an arc-shaped coal grabbing plate of the coal mining machine to clean up float coal at the end as much as possible.

A hydraulic assembly for a mining system is disclosed. The hydraulic assembly may have at least one control valve for controlling a supply of hydraulic fluid to a hydraulic actuator of the mining system. The hydraulic assembly may also have at least one temperature sensor associated with the at least one control valve. The at least one temperature sensor may be configured to measure a temperature of the at least one control valve. In addition, the hydraulic assembly may have a control unit in communication with the at least one temperature sensor. The control unit may be configured to receive the temperature measured by the at least one temperature sensor. The control unit may also be configured to determine that a leakage has occurred in the at least one control valve based on the temperature.

A longwall mining shield base lift method. The method includes removing an old wear pad and installing a new wear pad.

A float-swing hydraulic support, including a top beam, shield beam, elevating frame, base, adjusting jack, two float hydraulic columns, base raising unit, advancing unit, face guard unit, telescopic beam unit, hydraulic control valve block, and a valve block support. The columns are between the top beam and base, with upper ends ball-hinged to the top beam and lower ends ball-hinged to the base; the telescopic beam unit is in the front end of the top beam, and the face guard unit is hinged to the beam unit; the upper end of the shield beam is hinged to the top beam, the lower end is hinged to the upper end of the frame; the upper end of the jack is hinged to the shield beam, the lower end hinged to the base; the ends of the advancing unit are hinged to a scraper conveyor and the base, respectively.

Methods and equipment have been developed that combine the use of continuous miners, flexible conveyor trains, and longwall mining techniques to provide flexible and efficient removal of resources from subterranean formations. Some systems include: a main gate; and a tailgate connected to the maingate by an active mine face; wherein the active mine face extends at an angle between 95 and 135 relative to the maingate.

A fluid spray for an underground roof support includes a first housing portion, a spray outlet, a second housing portion formed integrally with the first housing portion, and a service port. The first housing portion includes an elongated shaft having a first end, a second end, and a first fluid passage extending between the first end and the second end. The spray outlet is positioned adjacent the second end of the shaft. The second housing portion is positioned adjacent the first end of the shaft. The second housing portion includes at least one port and a second fluid passage between the at least one port and the first fluid passage. The service port is aligned with the first fluid passage, and the service port is selectively opened to provide access to the first fluid passage from the first end of the first housing portion.

A method of controlling a longwall mining system, the longwall mining system including a longwall shearer, a conveyor, and a plurality of roof supports, such that the method includes creating, by a controller, a load profile of the conveyor representing a distribution of mineral along a length of the conveyor, calculating, by the controller, a desired change in the load profile based on the load profile of the conveyor, and controlling, by the controller, the longwall mining system to adjust the distribution of mineral on the conveyor based on the desired change in load profile.

A longwall mining system includes at least one face end roof support having a longitudinal length, and at least one near end roof support adjacent the face end roof support. The near end roof support has a longitudinal length substantially shorter than the face end roof support longitudinal length. There is also at least one face roof support adjacent the near end roof support, and the face roof support has a longitudinal length substantially shorter than the near end roof support longitudinal length. There is also a forward conveyor extending forward to and attached to the face end roof support, the at least one near end roof support, and the at least one face roof support, and a rearward conveyor extending rearward of and attached to the face end roof support, the at least one near end roof support, and the at least one face roof support. This creates an effective cave line at an angle to the coal face, that helps reduce the goaf pressure on the face end, thereby increasing the stability of the main gate roof support.