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The Coal Industry
and Technology
The coal miner
of 50 years ago would not recognize today's coal mine or its workers.
Manual labor has largely been replaced by large and complex computerized
machinery. Technology and training have increased productivity and
improved miner health and safety. And, at an average salary of $50,000
per year, coal miners are among the highest paid industrial workers
in America. Technological advances in mining and preparation mean
improved air quality before coal ever leaves the mine. And the coal
industry is working in tandem with electric utilities and railroads
to facilitate efficient transportation. The end result is cleaner,
less expensive electricity generation.
Coal exploration
and production have dramatically improved thanks to new technologies.
- State-of-the-art
continuous mining machines, automated roof supports, long wall
systems, and high capacity conveyors, trucks and draglines mean
that today's miners can produce an average of nearly 52 tons
of coal in an eight hour shift, a three-fold increase from nearly
30 years ago (1970 - 2000).
| Source:
EIA, Annual Energy Review 2001, T.7.6 |
Coal Production, 1980-2001 |
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Source: EIA, Annual Energy Review 2001,
T.7.1
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- The quality
of reserves and the surrounding geological conditions are
determined before exploration. Space technology, such as satellites
and Global Positioning Systems (GPS), originally designed
for military navigation, is utilized in the science of coal
surveying and mapping. This helps reduce mining costs by eliminating
the need for difficult overland survey work.
- Machines
have become nearly fully automated and some can be run by
remote control, and robotics, lasers and computer-controlled
equipment are the staples of today's mining industry. All
of these technological advances have led to gains in productivity.
Together,
the coal industry and electric utilities have created a system
that produces coal that is cleaner and blended in accordance with
boiler specifications in order to meet complex regulatory standards.
- Many companies
have built modern, computerized coal preparation plants at their
mines that can remove more than one-third of the impurities
from raw coal.
- New equipment
also allows coal producers to analyze and blend different coals
to meet a utility's specific boiler specifications. A better
product from the mine makes it easier for power companies to
meet the strict requirements of the Clean Air Act.
- New technologies
remove pollutants during the combustion process.
- Technology
can convert coal into a cleaner burning gas or liquid.
- Scrubbers
reduce pollution in flue gases after combustion.
- From
start to finish, coal is cleaner than ever before thanks to
new technologies.
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