Recently, the 52310 longwall mining face at the Yujialiang Coal Mine of Shendong Coal successfully applied the “passageway without crib support” technology, marking the first time in the company that crib supports were eliminated, thereby achieving a safe and efficient mining face. This milestone represents a critical step forward for Shendong Coal’s retreat process towards simple and intelligent operation.
On the day of the breakthrough, only one explosion-proof loader was deployed in the withdrawal passageway. Within a five-meter-wide passage, it took just one hour to complete the cleaning of all loose coal. In contrast to the intense scenes typical of traditional operations involving multiple trades and teams working in parallel, this breakthrough operation proceeded in a single, seamless sequence, yielding substantial gains in operational efficiency and safety while significantly reducing worker labor intensity. Through scientifically reinforced support and meticulous production organization, the roof support safety of the passage was reliably ensured, leaving the passage and working face in an ideal pressure-free state after the breakthrough. To maintain full control over roof management throughout the process, stress sensors were installed on anchor cables in the passage support, and roadway subsidence displacement observation points were established to monitor anchor cable stress and roof dynamic changes in real time, thus providing robust data support for the subsequent optimization of support parameters.
According to preliminary estimates, the adoption of the new technology has resulted in cumulative savings of RMB 2.55 million in retreat costs. Furthermore, it offers a replicable and scalable technical solution for mines across the industry operating under similar mining conditions.
