Sinking the Primsmulde return air shaft at the Ensdorf colliery of DSK by the shaft drilling method

摘要

In the middle of this decade the Ensdorf colliery will put the Primsmulde field into operation. The return air shaft required for this purpose serves not only to ventilate this field, but also improves the fresh air supply in conjunction with the already deepened North shaft in the existing Dilsburg field. The aim of the planning started in 1996 was to put the shaft into operation with the lowest possible cost, adequate return air capacity and at the earliest possible time. In a project study mechanical sinking of the shaft with a shaft drilling machine was preferred to other sinking methods for time and cost reasons. In the three construction phases of the shaft not only were new standards set in the directional, development and shaft drilling with a depth of 1,260 m, but innovative techniques not previously applied in mechanical shaft-sinking were used.