Ensuring working conditions along a longwall face

Abstract

A longwall installation unit is disclosed. The longwall installation unit may form a longwall installation assembly together with other longwall installation units of the same kind. The longwall installation assembly may extend along the longwall face in a longwall mine. The longwall mine may have a compressor device. The longwall installation unit may have a dilution gas nozzle configured to be fluidly connected to the compressor device.

1 . A longwall installation unit configured to form a longwall installation assembly together with a plurality of longwall installation units of the same kind to extend along the longwall face in a longwall mine having a compressor device, the longwall installation unit comprising:
 a dilution gas nozzle configured to be fluidly connected to the compressor device.   
     
     
         2 . The longwall installation unit of  claim 1 , wherein the longwall installation unit is configured as a shield support. 
     
     
         3 . The longwall installation unit of  claim 2 , wherein the shield support further comprises:
 a shield cap; and   a shield canopy connected to the shield cap, wherein the dilution gas nozzle is mounted to the shield canopy.   
     
     
         4 . The longwall installation unit of  claim 1 , wherein the longwall installation unit is configured as a face conveyor segment. 
     
     
         5 . The longwall installation unit of  claim 4 , wherein the face conveyor segment further comprises:
 a material transport strand;   a return travel strand connected to the material transport strand; and   a spill plate mounted at one side of the face conveyor segmented, wherein the dilution gas nozzle is mounted to the spill plate.   
     
     
         6 . The longwall installation unit of  claim 1 , wherein the dilution gas nozzle is configured to provide dilution gas in at least one of an adjustable direction and an adjustable amount. 
     
     
         7 . A longwall installation assembly configured to be installed along a longwall face in a longwall mine, the longwall installation assembly comprising:
 a plurality of longwall installation units configured to be arranged along the longwall face, wherein each of a sub-group of the plurality longwall installation units includes a respective dilution gas nozzle;   a compressor device fluidly connected to the respective dilution gas nozzle to provide pressurized dilution gas; and   a control unit configured to control the dilution gas flow from the compressor device to the respective dilution gas nozzle.   
     
     
         8 . The longwall installation assembly of  claim 7 , further including:
 a respective dilution gas valve associated with the dilution gas nozzle, wherein the control unit is configured to control the dilution gas flow through the dilution gas nozzle by adjusting the respective dilution gas valve.   
     
     
         9 . The longwall installation assembly of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 a plurality of methane gas sensors installed at spatially separated positions along the longwall face, each methane gas sensor being connected to the control unit,   wherein the control unit is further configured to control at least one of the respective dilution gas valve and the compressor device based on signals received from the methane gas sensors.   
     
     
         10 . The longwall installation assembly of  claim 9 , wherein the control unit is further configured to control, based on signals received from the methane gas sensors, at least one of a cutting speed of an extraction machine, a cutting depth of the extraction machine, an advancing of a plurality of shield supports, and a conveyor speed of a face conveyor. 
     
     
         11 . The longwall installation assembly of  claim 8 , wherein the sub-group includes every second longwall unit. 
     
     
         12 . A method for ensuring working conditions along a longwall face in a longwall mine, the method comprising:
 providing a mine ventilation; and   providing a dilution gas to the longwall face from at least one of a plurality of dilution gas supply units arranged at spatially separated positions along the longwall face.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 measuring a methane gas concentration at a plurality of spatially separated regions along the longwall face;   determining at least one region for which the methane gas concentration value is greater than a preset threshold value; and   providing the dilution gas from at least one of the plurality of dilution gas supply units to the at least one region for which the methane gas concentration value is greater than the preset threshold value.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 cutting material in a cutting region reciprocating along the longwall face; and   providing the dilution gas to at least one of a first region before a cutting region, a second region corresponding to the cutting region, and a third region behind the cutting region relative to a moving direction of the cutting region.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 spraying a liquid in the at least one region for which the methane gas concentration value is greater than the preset threshold value; and   reducing at least one of a cutting speed, a cutting depth, a conveyor speed, and an advancing speed if a methane gas concentration value is greater than a preset threshold value.   
     
     
         16 . The longwall installation unit of  claim 1 , further including a dilution gas valve fluidly connected to the dilution gas nozzle. 
     
     
         17 . The longwall installation unit of  claim 2 , wherein the shield support comprises:
 a shield cap; and   a shield canopy connected to the shield cap, wherein the dilution gas nozzle is mounted to the shield cap.   
     
     
         18 . The longwall installation assembly of  claim 9 , wherein a spacing between adjacent methane gas sensors ranges from 10 m to 30 m. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 12 , further including:
 generating the dilution gas using a compressor device; and   directing the dilution gas to the dilution gas supply units via a conduit connecting the compressor device and the dilution gas supply units.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 12 , further including:
 selectively adjusting a dilution gas valve disposed between the compressor device and at least one dilution gas supply unit to control an amount of dilution gas supplied by the at least one dilution gas supply unit.