Over the past decade, the coal mining industry has faced thedifficult task of remaining profitable in the midst of declining marketprices. Historically, the industry has been quite capable of meetingthis challenge by various means. As total costs to mine and marketcoal continue to increase, new methods of tackling the problem mustbe implemented. Studies have shown that although many optionsexist to influence both inby and outby costs, the greatest potentialremains in addressing costs at the coal face. Mining operations canpositively effect a change in their profitability by either reducing costs,or by increasing production to in turn lower their net cost per manhour.Original equipment manufacturers can play a key role in bothoptions through the introduction of new technology that permits higherextraction rates, as well as other advantages leading to lower costcoal. A leading advancement over the past 30 – 40 year period hasbeen the advent of progressively higher voltages to operate themining equipment. This advance enables higher power transmissionfor a given cable size, operation at lower amperages resulting in lessvoltage fluctuation, and reduced heat on the cable and electricalcomponents.
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