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Before looking at the different methods of
production, I think that it is not wrong to take a closer look at a typical longwall mining
area first. In this one, it was situated at Prosper-Haniel colliery in
Bottrop (Germany) in a depth of about 1.000 metres, on the left the target of
all activities can be seen: The shiny hard coal seam. This picture is taken from
the space the miners are moving in. On the right you can see the pipes supplying
the mining area with different materials like compressed air, electricity, data
etc.. On the left behind the railing the coal production takes
place, but this will be explained on the next pages.
At the picture's upper end you can see the
shield supports.
They push against the roof with several tons of pressure and protect the miners
and the machinery against rocks falling down. In a usual longwall mining area
there are about 200 to 250 of these shields.
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