Journal articles on the topic 'Coal handling machinery industry'

This article highlights that the creation of efficient electric appliances using cheap electricity has enabled us to enjoy healthier and more bountiful lives. Since electric power results from the conversion of energy resources in an electric power generating plant, those resources must be adequate and available at low cost at the plant site. Mechanical engineers developed the machinery for coal mining, for coal transportation, and for bulk coal handling. GE and Westinghouse made early contributions starting in electric generator and electric motor development. The US electric utility industry has been mandated by several states to sell all or a large portion of its generating plants. Independent power generators are building new combined-cycle units in selected market regions. Mergers and acquisitions of electric utilities are continuing to increase the size of parent company operations. Mechanical engineers have developed relatively low-cost electric power generation technology through the 20th century, enabling the United States to maintain its world economic leadership and standard of living.

Predictive maintenance is the way to improve asset management in every manufacturing industry. While handling advance costlier machinery in the industry, the predictive maintenance knowledge will be essential to protect the machinery before gets degradation performance. Recently, the emergence of business in manufacturing industry deals with good systems, regular intervals maintenance process, predictive maintenance (PdM), machine learning (ML) approaches are extensively applied for handling the health standing of business instrumentation. Now the digital transformation towards I4.0, data techniques, processed management and communication networks; it’s doable to gather huge amounts of operational and processes conditions information generated type many items of kit and harvest information for creating an automatic fault detection and diagnosing with the aim to attenuate period of time and increase utilization rate of the parts and increase their remaining helpful lives. The predictive maintenance is inevitable for property good producing in I40. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of the recent advancements of metric capacity unit techniques wide applied to PdM for good producing in I4.0 by classifying the analysis consistent with metric capacity unit algorithms, ML class, machinery and instrumentation used device employed in information acquisition, classification of knowledge size and kind, and highlight the key contributions of the researchers and so offers pointers and foundation for additional analysis. In this research paper we constructed a Random Forest model to predict the failure of the various machine in manufacturing industry. It compares the prediction result with Decision Tree (DT) algorithm and proves its superiority in accuracy and precision.

With the rapid development of Chinese economy, the thermal power requirement is increasing not only in industry but also for the civil use in recent years. In China, the main fuel of thermal power is coal. Coal handling system places the consequence in the whole generate electricity system and has significant meaning to the power plant operation. The coal handling system of the thermal power plants has many types of equipment. The environment is vile with complicated control. If we control this system through manual mode, there will appear the imponderable questions. This article through the research of the coal handling system by the management of PLC can determine the long-term safe operation and reduce a mass of human power and material resources. It has the fundamental practical meaning and research value.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a recent study conducted with the objective of addressing the problem of failure of baggage carts in the high-speed baggage tunnel at Heathrow Terminal 5 by the development of an innovative condition-based maintenance system designed to meet the requirements of twenty-first century airport systems and Industry 4.0. Design/methodology/approach An empirical experimental approach to this action research was taken to install a vibration condition monitoring pilot test in the north tunnel at Terminal 5. Vibration data were collected over a 6-month period and analysed to find the threshold of good quality tires and those with worn bearings that needed replacement. The results were compared with existing measures to demonstrate that vibration monitoring could be used as a predictive model for condition-based maintenance. Findings The findings demonstrated a clear trend of increasing vibration velocity with age and use of the baggage cart wheels caused by wheel mass unbalanced inertia that was transmitted to the tracks as vibration. As a result, preventative maintenance is essential to ensure the smooth running of airport baggage. This research demonstrates that a healthy wheel produces vibration of under 60 mm/s whereas a damaged wheel measures up to 100 mm/s peak-to-peak velocity and this can be used in real-time condition monitoring to prevent baggage cart failure. It can also run as an autonomous system linked to AI and Industry 4.0 airport logic. Originality/value Whilst vibration monitoring has been used to measure movement in static structures such as bridges and used in rotating machinery such as railway wheels (Tondon and Choudhury, 1999) this is unique as it is the first time it has been applied on a stationary structure (tracks) carrying high-speed rotating machinery (baggage cart wheels). This technique has been patented and proven in the pilot study and is in the process of being rolled out to all Heathrow terminal connection tunnels. It has implications for all other airports world-wide and, with new economic sensors, to other applications that rely on moving conveyor belts.

It is believed that renewable energy may become a dominant energy in the future. However, whether renewable energy can promote industry development like the use of fossil energy is still unknown. This paper uses social accounting matrix (SAM) multiplier model to analyze the economic effects of renewable and coal energy in China. The transmission mechanisms of renewable and coal energy on production factors are also compared from the perspective of sector industry chain based on the structural path analysis (SPA) analysis method. We found that; renewable energy plays a stronger role in promoting the national economy than coal energy. Meanwhile, renewable energy can better promote the upgrading of the industrial structure compared with coal energy. Additionally, renewable energy affects economic development, mainly through the intermediate industries such as electrical machinery manufacturing and transportation, warehousing and service industries. These findings provide further insights into the influence path of renewable energy, which yields important implications for reasonably designing and choosing new energy development planning.

Abstract During mechanical disintegration of the rock, for mining works are used also roadheaders. Roadheaders, in comparison with disintegration by blasting operations can without interuption, and works changes with one machine, dissolve, load and at the same time mine disintegrated rock. These electro-hydraulic machines cause no harmful vibrations and are ideal for mining coal and other soft rock minerals. Mechanical mining is safer, protects the rock environment, allows mining without further breaks, allows you to achieve a higher level of daily progress and also saves work. The analysis of occupational accidents in the Slovak Republic shows that it is necessary require from employees increased attention in any work activity and attention in the work performed (mainly work in handling material, objects and burdens). In the underground coal mines further attention needs to be paid to securing hazardous areas, it is necessary to proceed in such a way as to prevent as much as possible the fall of rock as much as possible Underground roads require modification and equipment in accordance with regulations. It is necessary to follow health and safety instructions mentioned in operating and maintenance documentation. Correction of some deficiencies is ordered by a decision of the Mining Office. Most measures are aimed at adhering to technological discipline, to complement operating documentation, to prevent rock falls, to equip some machinery and transport equipment, to work procedures for handling loads, to maintenance of mining works and for explosion and anti-vapor prevention. In this article, we assess the safety risks of two roadheaders for coal mining works in Slovak conditions. Pairwise comparisons of the criteria of selected roadheaders were used to determine the safety risks, as well as taking into account the risks and safety measures according to the mixed methods following to the standard.

In any power plant coal obtained from the open pit mines should be transported to the plant for the production of power. Many means of transportations are available like truck, railways pipelines, Conveyor belts etc. For Industrial purpose material handling equipment are designed in a way such that material handling is easy, fast, less maintenance cost for the equipment, efficient, safe etc. This paper discusses how conveyor belt is a better mode of transportation in power plants than any other modes available. Provided with brief Discussion various parts of the conveyor belt, and also about some types of conveyor belts used in Power plants. There are many types of conveyer belts present that can be used as per the need of different power plants. Also provided with a proper safety design values for the safe and efficient working of the belt.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a recent study conducted with the objective of addressing the problem of failure of baggage carts in the high-speed baggage tunnel at Heathrow Terminal 5 by the development of an innovative condition-based maintenance (CBM) system designed to meet the requirements of 21st century airport systems and Industry 4.0.Design/methodology/approachAn empirical experimental approach to this action research was taken to install a vibration condition monitoring pilot test in the north tunnel at Terminal 5. Vibration data were collected over a 6-month period and analysed to find the threshold of good quality tyres and those with worn bearings that needed replacement. The results were compared with existing measures to demonstrate that vibration monitoring could be used as a predictive model for CBM.FindingsThe findings demonstrated a clear trend of increasing vibration velocity with age and use of the baggage cart wheels caused by wheel mass unbalanced inertia that was transmitted to the tracks as vibration. As a result, preventative maintenance is essential to ensure the smooth running of airport baggage. This research demonstrates that a healthy wheel produces vibration of under 60 mm/s whereas a damaged wheel measures up to 100 mm/s peak to peak velocity and this can be used in real-time condition monitoring to prevent baggage cart failure. It can also run as an autonomous system linked to AI and Industry 4.0 airport logic.Originality/valueWhilst vibration monitoring has been used to measure movement in static structures such as bridges and used in rotating machinery such as railway wheels (Tondon and Choudhury, 1999); this is unique as it is the first time it has been applied on a stationary structure (tracks) carrying high-speed rotating machinery (baggage cart wheels). This technique has been patented and proven in the pilot study and is in the process of being rolled out to all Heathrow terminal connection tunnels. It has implications for all other airports worldwide and, with new economic sensors, to other applications that rely on moving conveyor belts.

Abstractthe paper deals with problematic of machining lines of machine components for the automotive industry. There is a current issue of increasing labor productivity and economic efficiency of production with full safety of production and environmental protection. Therefore, for a specific practical assignment, the replacement of existing machinery using manual workpiece handling is performed by a fully automated safety-accessible one. For this purpose, an analysis of the technical and operating parameters of the proposed NC machines has been prepared. Attention is paid to optimization of material flow and arrangement of individual workplaces of production machines including handling and transfer of material between individual workplaces. Particular attention is paid to the safety of workers and improves the environmental conditions of the production plant. Finally, the overall efficiency of the proposed solution is evaluated in detail compared to the current solution.

The coal mining industry in Poland belongs to the branches of industry currently breaking down. It is expressed by the liquidation of mines, whose number in 1989 equalled 70, while in 2010 – only 29; it is also visible in the steady decrease of coal extraction, from 177 million tonnes in 1989 to 77 million tonnes in 2009, whereas employment dropped from 415.7 thousand to 112 thousand, respectively. The decrease in extraction is connected with the process of transformation of the Polish economy and the necessity to adapt to the requirements imposed by the European Union, which required Poland to limit its production of electrical energy from coal. In this context, the situation of the coal mining industry is especially difficult. A question arises, what activities the department of mining has been undertaking in order to cope with these challenges. The article concentrates on innovative activities conducted by the mining industry. They have been presented in their organizational and technological spheres, including the main businesses functioning in the trade, namely Kompania Węglowa, consisting of 15 mines, Katowicki Holding Węglowy, comprising 4 mines, and Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa, which consists of 5 mines, as well as the remaining mines functioning independently or within structures of other concerns. Innovative activities in the scope of branch management and organization of sales are described. Innovation in terms of technology consists in the introduction of new products, implementation of modern machinery and equipment for exploitation, as well as the monitoring of coal extraction and minimizing the negative impact on the environment.

High speed machinery has played and continues to play a vital role in the manufacture and production of consumer goods. In the design of high speed systems there are two key considerations: power transmission and motion control. Although there is considerable computer-based support for the design of systems to achieve requirements of power transmission, there is only limited support for the design of systems to deliver complex motion control. This is particularly the case where mechanism and linkage systems are considered in order to achieve large displacements and intricate paths involving reentrant and reciprocating components. One explanation for this relative lack of supportive tools is the underlying reasoning and analysis techniques implemented within many commercial and research software environments. To overcome these limitations a constraint-based approach has been employed to provide the fundamental elements of a design environment for mechanisms and machine systems. The design environment provides support for the transition from concept to embodiment stages of the design process and the subsequent stages of detailed design and optimization. In contrast to many research approaches the design environment presented in this paper has been created and developed through close collaboration with industry and through extensive application to real design scenarios. First, the underlying representations and methods are presented. The fundamental elements of the design environment are then described and its capabilities discussed with particular reference to the use of constraints in design.

Abstract. The tubular belt conveyor system is one of the most widely-used deferent manners in bulk material. It is a relatively important continuous deferent manners in modern intensive production, widely applied in metallurgy, coal, building materials and other different industries. The belt conveyor has advantages in long distance convey, large conveying volume, high efficiency, with simple structure. Now with the development of the machinery manufacturing technology, rubber industry and the requirements of the environmental aspects, the new type tubular belt type conveyor has obtained unanimous approval, and possessed vast vista in application and use value

Recently, with the emergence of Industry 4.0 (I4.0), smart systems, machine learning (ML) within artificial intelligence (AI), predictive maintenance (PdM) approaches have been extensively applied in industries for handling the health status of industrial equipment. Due to digital transformation towards I4.0, information techniques, computerized control, and communication networks, it is possible to collect massive amounts of operational and processes conditions data generated form several pieces of equipment and harvest data for making an automated fault detection and diagnosis with the aim to minimize downtime and increase utilization rate of the components and increase their remaining useful lives. PdM is inevitable for sustainable smart manufacturing in I4.0. Machine learning (ML) techniques have emerged as a promising tool in PdM applications for smart manufacturing in I4.0, thus it has increased attraction of authors during recent years. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of the recent advancements of ML techniques widely applied to PdM for smart manufacturing in I4.0 by classifying the research according to the ML algorithms, ML category, machinery, and equipment used, device used in data acquisition, classification of data, size and type, and highlight the key contributions of the researchers, and thus offers guidelines and foundation for further research.

AS belt feeder is widely used in various material handling industry ,the existing belt feeder belts often torn belt deviation and many other disadvantages , and in view of research status at home and abroad , this paper uses three-dimensional software Solid Works on tape feeder three-dimensional analog design , and through the ANSYS finite element analysis on the drum , the existing coal feeder belt is significant improvement , and can effectively reduce the cost of manufacturing and testing , as for on-site production and technical personnel to provide research references.

Automatic" and "less people" in fully mechanized working face is the target of China's coal industry development, and the key to achieve this goal is the automation of coal mining. According to the previous technology of memory cutting cannot adapt to the complicated geological condition in China, this paper proposed the technology of shearer self-adaptive memory cutting based on fuzzy control theory, the shearer positioning system and fuzzy control system of self-adaptive cutting. These systems can get the message of shearer's position and attitude at any point, trace the memorial cutting path automatically, judge whether the shearer cuts rocks based on fuzzy control theory and find the optimal scheme when it works. The authors make the experiments of path tracing in laboratory and the experiment of shelf-adaptive adjust in Xi'an Coal Mining Machinery. All the experimental results show that this technology not only can realize the shearer memory cutting, but also can discriminate the abnormal state of shearer cutting rocks, then adjust the drawing speed and drum height automatically.

The application of automation to industries brings revolution for manufacturing techniques and allows more sophisticated, flexible, reliable, and cost-effective manufacturing process control. Automation is to use control system to reduce human labor intervention during manufacturing processes and production. It plays very important role and puts strong impact in industries. Automation is not only significantly increasing the production speed but also more accurately controlling product quality. The automated manufacturing can maintain consistent quality, shorten lead time, simplify material handling, optimize work flow, and meet the product demand for flexibility and convertibility in production. The current economic globalization requires significant labor cost reduction through industry automation, better machine tools, and efficient production process. This paper is to design and develop a new automated and high speed machinery system for filling high viscous liquids. It includes the design of automated and high speed machinery, computer aided modeling and simulation of automated mechanical system, and prototype testing. The major advantages of this new automated and high speed liquid filling system include reliable function, high volume filling rates, good sealing capacity, and cost-effective manufacturing process. This new automated and high speed manufacturing systems has been analyzed by computer aided modeling and simulation, and verified through prototype testing. Both results indicate that this automated and high speed manufacturing systems can keep high product quantity and reliable product quality.

It has become the main way for heavy industry enterprises to decrease the cost to excavate “logistics resources” according to the Systematic Layout Planning (SLP). Taking the new tool shaft machining workshop of Luoyang yituo zhongcheng machinery co., LTD. as an example, through the method of field investigation and visit, we get the data of the process flow, material handling, the relationship between each process and the general situation of the new workshop. The SLP method is used to divide the work units in the workshop, analyze the relationship between logistics and non-logistics among each work unit, determine the comprehensive relationship between each operation unit, and make the position correlation diagram. Besides, we also combine the current situation of the workshop to sort out the layout scheme to reduce the production costs of the workshop.

This research is to describe the recent development of a new automated and high-speed gas filling system in industrial applications. It aims at the introduction, study, and analysis of automated and high-speed gas filling mechanisms in industry. Automation is not only significantly increasing the production speed but also more accurately controlling product quality. Automated mechanical system can maintain consistent quality, shorten lead time, simplify material handling, optimize work flow, and meet the product demand for flexibility and convertibility in production. Computer-aided engineering design can quickly model automated machinery systems, shorten the product development cycles, and improve engineering integral processes of product design, development, engineering analysis, and production. This paper introduces a newly developed automated and high-speed gas filling system and focuses on computer-aided design, modeling, and simulation of this new mechanism. Compared with the current conventional systems, this new automated gas filling system has more reliable sealing function and higher production rates. The prototype of this automated machinery system has also been tested for functional verification. Both computer-aided analysis and prototype testing results indicate that this automated and high-speed gas filling mechanical system works well with high production quantity and reliable product quality.

The article deals with the development of coal industry of the Donetsk basin and technical support of mineral fuel production in the mines of the region in the late XIX - early XX centuries. The last decade of the XIX century. characterized by the concentration of coal enterprises, which led to the widespread implementation of steam lifting, drainage and ventilation devices, the use of dynamite instead of gunpowder in the conduct of underground mining; construction of better equipped and capital super-mine technological complexes. It is noted that the coal mining enterprises of Donbass in 1914, although technically lagging behind the leading capitalist countries, were relatively modernized and showed positive tendencies to their further improvement.One of the major drawbacks of the beginning of the development of the Donbass coal industry was the lack of advanced machinery. By the middle of 1914 at least 12 types of felling machines were already actively used in the mines of the Donetsk basin, moreover, the supply of disk and rod machines was carried out by British factories, chain - American, shock - British, American, and German. Cutting machines belonged to the heavy type and cost several times more than percussion. Cutting machines were driven by pneumatic or electropneumatic engines. It was emphasized that miners in search of maximum optimization and productivity of coal mining were increasingly concerned about the technical improvement of their enterprises, as the introduction of appropriate innovations could significantly affect the economic feasibility and profitability of enterprises. This was required by the technological necessity in connection with the expansion of production and the constant shortage of labor. Foreign owners and shareholders who tried to introduce advanced technologies of their countries played an important role in the implementation of innovations. In addition, technical improvements in mining processes not only brought economic benefits to their owners, but sometimes indirectly improved working conditions and safety at mining facilities.

Production is the main thing in a manufacturing industry. Production activity would work well if the flow pattern of the material in the production floor smoothly. Better transfer of material will speed up the completion of a product. Intense competition in the manufacturing industry forced the industry to make the material flow to be short. This can be done by resetting the engine layout in such a way. Industry Furniture X as one of the furniture industry in the city of Palembang that manufacture products based on the make to order. The product has so many variations of high material flow and higher material handling costs. The distance between the machines far enough too play a role in the cost of material handling.The layout of the fractal method can produce a short distance between the machine and more flexible to address the varying conditions of the product. This method will form fractals that have the same ability to make the production process, in which fractal is formed of two pieces, each of which consists of 9 pieces of machinery . In the proposed layout is formed , the machines were experiencing engine displacement is 1A , 1B , 1C , 2B , 3B , 4 , 5 , 6A , 6B , 7 ,8A, 8B, 10A, and 10B. This method was successful in reducing the material displacement distance during research periode of 58,125 meter or 6.251% and the cost of material movement during research periode Rp 27.971,9375 and during one year Rp 559.438,75 or 3,066 %.

For the rigid automatic line, although its production efficiency is high, but the flexible is less in the machining process, the machine and the assembly line need be shut down to adjust or replace for machine tools, jigs, tools, and tooling equipment, etc. When the work pieces for the machining is changed. It caused a heavy workload, wasting a lot of time. Flexible Manufacturing Systems consisted of unified control system, material handling system and a set of digital control processing equipment; it is the automation machinery manufacturing system to adapt the processing object transform. It has become one of the important means of manufacturing industry to obtain the advantages of market competitiveness. This paper gives the composition, algorithm and application of learning system concept, composition, and classification, characteristics of the flexible manufacturing system, the development overview and its application are induced in this paper.

Mine fire occurrence, continues to be one of the most enduring problems faced by the mining industry. The purpose of this study is to assess strategies for detecting the most important ingredient in the coal mine gas explosion-proof monitoring-oxygen content, so as to make the best foresee and prediction to the mine fire. The oxygen concentration within atmosphere located in the area of the seal gas explosion hazard safety zone should be less than 8%. In accordance with the national standard, the mine requires oxygen detection accuracy of 1%. The performances of an oxygen content monitoring system is influenced by such four elements as gas line, sensor, signal conditioning and processing as well as terminal handling system, etc.. In this work, through the use of computer-controlled technology, the oxygen content monitoring system was first made a linear open-loop calibration based on hardware, then made a linear closed loop calibration based on software programming, and at last, the famous OriginPRO data analysis system was used to analyze and interpret the sampling data, a programmed planning and real-time information correction of linear closed-loop calibration based on software was achieved, so that an oxygen content monitoring sensitivity limit of less than 0.36% was obtained in the system.

Improved hydraulic fracturing models can better inform operational decisions regarding production from low-permeability coals and ultimately convert currently classified contingent resources to reserves. Improving current modelling approaches requires identification and investigation of the challenges involved in modelling hydraulic fracture stimulation in complex eastern Australian cases where permeability systems and stress regimes can vary significantly. This study investigated differences among existing and emerging advanced hydraulic fracture models and codes including numerical methods used to model fluid and rock behaviours during treatments; the ability to contextualise structure, behaviour and interaction of natural fractures with the propagating hydraulic fracture (e.g. cleat or natural fracture fabric, discrete fracture networks and pressure-dependent leak-off); and their capabilities in handling simultaneously growing or complex fracture development. One finding is that the new generation of models or codes that fully or partially use particle-based numerical methods are more capable in handling complexities associated with hydraulic stimulation of naturally fractured reservoirs. However, the computational cost and time for these models may cause concerns, particularly when modelling large reservoirs and treatments. Based on these limitations, many of the advanced, industry preferred, commercial hydraulic fracture simulators still choose to incorporate limited complexities with regard to natural fractures or represent them mathematically or implicitly. This investigation also indicates that most emerging models provide better representation of natural fractures, visualisation and integration into workflows for completion or stimulation design.

In this paper, a portable three-dimensional (3D) scanning system for the accurate characterization of large raw material (e.g., cereal grain, coal, etc.) stockpiles is presented. The system comprises an array of high resolution millimeter-wave radars and a cm-level accuracy positioning system to accurately characterize large stockpiles by means of a high-resolution 3D map, making it suitable for automation purposes. A control unit manages the data received by the sensors, which are sent to a computer system for processing. As a proof of concept, the entire sensor system is evaluated in a real environment for electromagnetically scan a scaled stockpile of coal, used in the industry for handling raw materials. In addition, a highly efficient processing adaptive algorithm that may reconstruct the scanned structure in real-time has been introduced, enabling continuous dynamic updating of the information. Results are compared with those from a photogrammetry-like technique, revealing an excellent agreement.

Subject area The subject areas are strategic management, international marketing business-to-business marketing. Study level/applicability The study is applicable to undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Case overview Dalmec Industries Manipulators India Pvt. Ltd. was incorporated in 2011 as a private limited company under the Companies Act, 1956. The company was formed to carry on importing machinery and distributing it to the clients. This case focuses on the dilemma faced by the company: whether it should establish a manufacturing unit in India or continue with the current operation procedures. Dalmec has faced various problems in India regarding local players, low-cost material handling equipment and the nascent stage of material handling industry. In Europe and the Middle East, the industries are more focused on safety standards and provide high quality material handling products to their workers, compared to the Indian industries. As local players in material handling sectors price their product very low, to compete with them with quality products is a major challenge for foreign companies. The company needed to build a strong and unique brand for non-European markets. In India, the material handling equipment market is crowded with local players. So, Dalmec needs to establish its reputation as a reliable partner and create a distinct identity. It has to create brand awareness among Indian companies and influence the decision makers of the corporates. The case discusses the impact of Make in India campaign on Dalmec and examines whether the Make in India initiative will prove helpful to Dalmec. Expected learning outcomes This study enables to familiarize students with the expansion strategy of a company; help students understand the international market entry strategies frequently used by multinationals to expand their business.; examine the feasibility of entering into emerging markets like India; and make students understand the relevance of the Make in India campaign for foreign corporate players. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes. Subject code CSS 11: Strategy.

The degree of utilisation of machinery and equipment is an important factor influencing the volume of daily output of an underground hard coal mine. Consequently, it also affects the efficiency and economic performance of an underground mining plant. The main task of a new pumping station is to ensure safety and continuity of the operation process in both active and new longwalls in the future. The article presents a modern and innovative pumping station that meets the assumptions of Industry 4.0. The power units supplying a longwall complex included in the central pumping station were selected so as to minimise the number of failures. The interruptions in the technological process of coal mining related to the lack or insufficient pressure of the working medium in the supply bus of the powered roof support are caused by inadequate type of hydraulic pumps. The paper presents a developed concept of an innovative central hydraulic pumping station feeding a longwall complex based on a powered roof support. The presented implementation—starting from the concept through design and implementation—has contributed to the improvement of working conditions and safety.

Gasifier system is one of the important components of coal gasification device. The technical characteristics of this system mainly lie in the following facts as huge technical scale and high complexity, and there is a dynamic correlation between the failure modes of gasification equipment. Traditional safety analysis methods such as fault tree and bow-tie diagram suffer from drawbacks as being static and ineffective in handling uncertainty, which hamper their application to risk analysis of process systems. This paper presents a newly developed model based on Dynamic Bow-Tie (DBT) and Dynamic Bayesian network (DBN) for quantitative dynamic risk assessment of gasifier system. In the meantime, in order to cope with the uncertainty of the failure data, fuzzy numbers and the defuzzification method are used to transform the experts' language into the failure rates. The results showed that dynamic risk assessment can solve the difficulties dealing with complex dynamic systems which have process variables and characteristics such as multiple, failure correlations, and noncoherence. And it also has important theoretical significance and application value for coal chemical industry to improve the scientificity of risk assessment.

Growing concern from labor unions, regulatory agencies, and industry about the safety of a prevalent underground coal mining method which utilizes remote control has prompted human factors field evaluation of mining activities. Remote control operations were implemented with little consideration given to human-system interactions. Ideally, collecting and analyzing information prior to implementing new technology would have helped to address potential problems. One such problem that operators and other mine personnel are faced with is the question of where they should safely position themselves to avoid injury while remotely operating machinery. To determine work methods employed by machine operators before and after implementation of the new method, work sampling techniques have been used to provide data about positioning of face crew members at different points in the mining cycle. This data provides information for optimal positioning, leading to safer operating procedures and identifying training shortfalls.

Background: Tannery is one of the key export-oriented sectors in Bangladesh and plays an important role in the country's economy. But the manufacturing process in the tannery industry is hazardous for both workers, and the environment. This study was carried out to assess the perception and understanding of the tannery workers about the hazards in their workplace and related health problems suffered by them. Methods: lt was a cross-sectional study carried out in 25 tannery industries. A total of 200 workers who had at least one-year working experience in the studied tannery industries were included as the respondent of the study. Interviewer semi-structured questionnaire and hazard assessment checklist was used for data collection Results: Of the total participants' majority (74%) were male and the mean age was 31.1±11.57 years. Most of the workers did not get any training related to their job and safety measures. The common hazards mentioned by the respondents were unsafe handling of chemicals (45.5%), unsafe machinery (37.0%), tanning process (24.5%), handling of machines /mater ials (23.5%) and poor housekeeping (25.5%). Other hazards as perceived by the participants were inadequate lighting , dust, noise , improper ventilation system, he at, slippery floor and inappropriate use of PPE. A majority (68.0%) of the respondents mentioned that they suffered from illnesses which were related to their work. The illnesses were skin problems (49.0%), respiratory problems (36.5%), musc uloskeletal dis orders (32.5%), eye problems (18.5%) and gastrointestinal problems ( 17.5%). The participant workers also mentio ned the lack of first aid and treatment facilities, no canteen and child's room and limited welfare facilities in their industry. Conclusion: The workplace hazards perceived by the tannery workers revealed the real situation of the work process and the work environment, and did not differ much with the findings of the walk-through survey. The tannery workers also reported being suffered from several general and work-related diseases. JOPSOM 2020; 39(1): 31-42

Coal mining and washing activities in South Africa often lead to the generation of fine and ultra-fine coal which is in most cases discarded due to high handling and transportation costs. Studies conducted revealed that a large quantity of these fines have market acceptable calorific values and lower ash contents. In order to reduce fines discarded, processes have been developed to re-mine and process the fine coal discards with the aim of improving the calorific value, adding them to coarse washed coal to increase the yield as well as pelletizing the fines so as to meet the market specifications in terms of size. The goal of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of fine coal washing using gravity separation methods and comparing the products thereof to the market specifications with regards to the calorific value and the ash content. Coal fines from the No.4 lower seam of the Witbank coalfield in South Africa resulting from a dry coal sorting plant were subjected to a double-stage spiral test work, heavy liquid separation and reflux classifier test work respectively. The reflux classifier achieved products with low ash content and an increased calorific value, at high mass yields. At higher fluidization water flowrate, the reflux classifier performance was superior to that of the spirals with products of lower ash content and higher calorific value. At low cut point densities, heavy liquid separation yielded the cleanest products with very low ash content but at much lower mass yields. As the density increased, the mass yields increased with the ash content while the calorific value decreased. Most of the products from the different processes met most of the local industries’ specifications but none of them met the export market as well as the gold and uranium industry specifications due to the high ash content.

Climate change is one of the world’s problems that must be dealt; the failure in tackling climate change will impact on increasing the earth temperature and endanger the archipelago countries including Indonesia. Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is one of the Kyoto Protocol mechanisms designed to mitigate climate change. Indonesia is one of the countries that meets the requirement as the host of CDM program and has set up the target to reduce GHG emissions as much as 26 percent in year 2020. The industrial sector has opportunities to engage actively in reducing GHG emission including mining industry. The objectives of this research are to find out the potency of mining company’s involvement in climate change mitigation efforts particularly through CDM. In addition, the research of method that is chosen is literature study including reviewing data relating to CDM and with qualitative approached. The result shows that mining industry has a potency to involve actively in CDM program, among others, through energy efficiency, fuel substitution, renewable energy, Coal Bed Methane and the handling of critical lands through afforestation and reforestation scheme. Furthermore, by using Business as Usual assumption, the linier regression that is produced y=27.255.x + 12.711 therefore It is estimated that about 15 Mt CO2-e (assuming 4 percent reduction) needs to be derived from the energy sector in 2020 that can be taken as an opportunity for the mining industry as well.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyze the slurry erosion failure of Ni-20Cr (Ni-Cr2O3), Ni-20Al (Ni-Al2O3) and Al-20Ti (Al2O3-TiO2) coatings deposited on SS316L by the high-velocity oxy-fuel process. Design/methodology/approach Slurry erosion experiments were conducted using a pot type erosion tester at different velocities 1.81, 2.71, 3.61 and 4.59 m/s for the time duration of 90-180 minutes. Fly ash and bottom ash were used as erodent media; the concentration of mass flux was taken as 30-60 wt. per cent. Artificial neural network (ANN) method was used to simulate the slurry erosion for thermally sprayed coatings. Findings Slurry erosion of coatings increases non-linearly with an increase in experimental durations, mass flux and velocity. Slurry erosion of Ni-20Cr and Ni-20Al layers was found to be maximum at 60° impingement angle, whereas 30° for SS316L and 45° for Al-20Ti coating. Slurry erosion performance of SS316L was improved by 2.56-3.19 times by depositing Ni-20Cr and Ni-20Al layers, whereas it improved 1.15-1.75 times by Al-20Ti coating. The slurry erosion SS316L was found almost 1.35 ± 1.28 times greater than that of the Ni-20Al coating, whereas it was to be 1.12 ± 1.36 times greater than Al-20Ti. Ni-20Al-coated SS316L showed a lower value of slurry erosion than Al-20Ti-coated SS316L. Practical implications Stainless Steel SS316L is widely used in hydraulic machinery (such as turbines, pumps, valves, fittings, etc.) of hydraulic and thermal power plants, chemical industry and marine industry. Therefore, the deposition of ductile and brittle coatings is a better option for their durable performance. Originality/value Erosion wear of Ni-20Cr, Ni-20Al and Al-20Ti coatings was successfully simulated by using an artificial neural network model by supplying experimental data as a target.

<p><span>The article considers tourism attractiveness as a part of the local overall attractiveness and its role in the policy of economy diversification in a resource region. The paper features the Kemerovo region as a typical region of the «resource type», whose economy is based mostly on export-oriented industries (coal mining, metallurgy, heavy machinery, chemical products). It presents the results of a survey aimed at identifying attractive and unattractive sides of the region as a tourist destination. The respondents were residents of the Kemerovo region and adjacent territories, the European part of Russia, Ural region, as well as Transbaikalia and the Far East. The analysis allows one to identify the importance of proper positioning of the region on the domestic tourist market and highlights some particular features of the formation and promotion of a positive image of the Kemerovo region. The local tourist industry is considered an alternative source of additional income in the economy that promotes a long-term sustainable development. The current paper offers a complex of measures aimed at increasing the tourism attractiveness of the Kemerovo region.</span></p>

This paper examines corporate tax ratio of manufacturing sector in Indonesia. In this study, we use firm level data from Industry Survey of Central Bureau of Statistics. The result shows that in small and medium company percentage of foreign ownership is a significant determinant of tax ratio, whereas in big companies capital is a significant determinant of tax ratio. This study also find that there is negative relationship between profitability and tax ratio. This indicates that there is tax avoidance risk in manufacturing sector in Indonesia. Further examination shows that industry of coal and oil refining product and also repair and installation of machinery and equipment has the biggest risk of tax avoidance. Therefore we recommend subsectoral tax audit for to prove the findings of this study. Penelitian ini menganalisis tax ratio perusahaan pada sektor manufaktur di Indonesia. Dalam penelitian ini digunakan data mikro perusaahaan manufaktur yang bersumber dari Survei Industri Badan Pusat Statistik. Hasil analisis menunjukkan bahwa terdapat hubungan positif antara kepemilikan asing dan tax ratio pada perusahaan menengah dan kecil, hal ini berbeda dengan pada perusahaan besar dimana kapital merupakan faktor yang mempengaruhi tax ratio. Hasil analisis juga menunjukkan bahwa terdapat hubungan negatif antara profitabilitas dan tax ratio. Hal ini mengindikasikan bahwa terdapat resiko penghindaran pajak pada sektor manufaktur di Indonesia. Penelitian lebih lanjut mengungkapkan bahwa industri produk dari batu bara dan pengilangan minyak bumi serta usaha reparasi dan pemasangan mesin dan peralatan merupakan industri dengan resiko penghindaran pajak yang terbesar. Oleh karena itulah kami menyarankan agar dilakukan pemeriksaan pajak subsektoral untuk membuktikan temuan pada penelitian ini.

The Machinery and Engine Technology (MET) Program of the National Research Council of Canada (NRCC) has established a program for the evaluation of sensors to measure gas turbine engine performance accurately. The precise measurement of fuel flow is an essential part of steady-state gas turbine performance assessment. Prompted by an international engine testing and information exchange program, and a mandate to improve all aspects of gas turbine performance evaluation, the MET Laboratory has critically examined two types of fuel flowmeters, Coriolis and turbine. The two flowmeter types are different in that the Coriolis flowmeter measures mass flow directly, while the turbine flowmeter measures volumetric flow, which must be converted to mass flow for conventional performance analysis. The direct measurement of mass flow, using a Coriolis flowmeter, has many advantages in field testing of gas turbines, because it reduces the risk of errors resulting from the conversion process. Turbine flowmeters, on the other hand, have been regarded as an industry standard because they are compact, rugged, reliable, and relatively inexpensive. This paper describes the project objectives, the experimental installation, and the results of the comparison of the Coriolis and turbine-type flowmeters in steady-state performance testing. Discussed are variations between the two types of flowmeters due to fuel characteristics, fuel handling equipment, acoustic and vibration interference, and installation effects. Also included in this paper are estimations of measurement uncertainties for both types of flowmeter. Results indicate that the agreement between Coriolis and turbine-type flowmeters is good over the entire steady-state operating range of a typical gas turbine engine. In some cases the repeatability of the Coriolis flowmeter is better than the manufacturer’s specification. Even a significant variation in fuel density (10 percent), and viscosity (300 percent) did not appear to compromise the ability of the Coriolis flowmeter to match the performance of the turbine flowmeter.

This paper explores how policy structure, institutions, and political climate impact the ability of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) to ensure the reclamation of surface coal mines. We conduct a policy review that traces the impacts of the three parts of SMCRA; Reclamation Standards, Reclamation Bonding Requirements, and the Abandoned Mine Land fund. We examine the implications the act and its approach have for the mining industry and their ability to reclaim mining areas. We find that each of the three parts of SMCRA’s approach face substantial problems in their implementation. Though largely a positive force for internalizing the environmental costs of surface mining, those issues commonly elucidated in the public choice literature reduce the efficacy of the policy approach and call into question the act’s ability to ensure reclamation occurs. Both in the structure of the bonding requirements and in the regulatory structure created by the act, misaligned incentives sometimes hamper effective reclamation. Further, the funds created under SMCRA to reclaim and restore mined lands have often been directed towards projects that are politically expedient for politicians instead of those that would best serve the fund’s original reclamation purpose. After revealing these problems and putting them in the context of the public choice literature, we suggest updates to the current policy that would align reclamation incentives and better ensure that the reclamation of surface mines occurs. We emphasize the cooperative elements of SMCRA and suggest how other countries, especially those without major existing frameworks for handling reclamation, can emulate the successes of SMCRA while avoiding its implementations snags.

The paper deals with the negative effects of mining on the transport network in the Moravian-Silesian area, especially is focused on problems reflected in construction layers of transport-related structures (railways, roads, area storage and handling areas). With the extraction downturn, the sources and objectives of transport have changed including the characteristics of transport flows of all traffic roads and connections. Various measures for all transport modes situated in Moravian-Silesian region are identified and introduced in the both districts. Also new relevant directions of transport development are described considering efficiency, effectiveness. And also these measures are taken for to needs minimization negative impact on the health and quality of our environment while ensuring the transport services in the region.The dynamic development of the Ostrava agglomeration is thus inseparably connected with black coal mining, metallurgy and railway development. The position of extraction companies was set by the position of the deposit, which resulted in the establishment of a polycentric system of settlement in the agglomeration. Further development of the coal railways at the end of the 19th century was related to the extraction capacities in the region of Karviná. The greatest industrial and development boom was experienced at the beginning of the 20th century where there were massive changes in the condition of the entire Ostrava basin. After 1989, with reduction in the mining work, primary „brownfields“ started appearing in OKD, being industrial premises of the mines as well as secondary „brownfields“, which were disused railway siding stations and connecting railway sidings. High-performance, sufficiently efficient and comfort system of transport infrastructure appears to be a key factor for future development this area.The development of mining in the past years was subject to a functional transport system, with prevailing requirements for the transportation of large volumes of extracted material, structural elements and people working in this industry. With the extraction downturn, the sources and objectives of transport have changed including the characteristics of transport flows of all traffic roads and connections. Thus, in this area it is necessary to identify the consequences of mining, reclaim the landscape, reconstruct civil structures and ensure safe and reliable transport through transport-engineering measures which may ensure the required transport standard and minimise its adverse environmental impacts.

Many countries around the world began to actively develop renewable energy after the energy crisis of the mid 1970s, when commercial technologies for its use emerged, and nowadays, progress in this field develops much more rapidly than it was expected a decade ago. Modern technologies of using renewable energy sources (RES) are attractive owing to their advantages: they are widely available and inexhaustible; they feature smaller pollution of the environment; their use helps save traditional nonrenewable fossil energy resources; they involve the use of modern high technologies; in addition, they help create new skilled jobs. Russia, despite its large reserves of oil, gas, and coal, is also interested in using RES as an important means of diversifying the country's fuel and energy balance, energy saving, and improving energy security and efficiency with centralized and decentralized supply of power to all regions of the country. This is especially important for regions that face big problems with ensuring reliable and high-quality supply of power. One of the most important areas of renewable energy is wind energy; according to different estimates, it can provide up to 50% or more of the future energy consumption. An attempt is made to estimate the history, state, and prospects for development of the world and domestic wind power industry. The development stages and the role of domestic and industry science, and also the possibilities of the domestic production facilities and ways of improving it are shown. In the course of restructuring and reorganizing the domestic economy, research and development structures, the domestic industry constructing power machinery and equipment, radio electronics, instrument making, and other industries that form the basis for RES and, in particular, wind power, were destroyed to a significant extent. The potential of wind energy, as well as that of other RES that are "not traditional" for the Russian energy sector, has not been fully employed as yet, although in principle, they can solve many energy problems. This is also due to the fact that the current price level in the wholesale electricity market is lower than the net cost of electricity generated by means of RES. This is especially important in solving matters concerned with arrangement of decentralized power supply in Russia, with its vast territory, poorly developed infrastructure, and the world's harshest climate, in which, according to various estimates, from 50 to 70% of the territory is not covered by reliable guaranteed power supply. The problems of successful and efficient development of RES, including wind energy, should become the most important issues already in the near future, and it should be noted that positive steps in this direction have been taken in recent years. At the same time, it should be understood that RES are not an alternative to the "traditional large-scale" power industry, but rather complement it, occupying its own very specific niche.

The V-belt drive is a rather popular, widely used form of power transmission in agricultural and food industry engineering. At the same time, its stability, the lifetime of V-belt is influenced by several environmental factors, namely in the food industry by the contamination affecting the belt sides, the ambient temperature, humidity and the occasionally aggressive (acidic, alkaline air, air saturated with gases, etc.) medium. In the case of agricultural machinery, the vibration caused by uncertainly oriented pulleys with bearing in different plate structures (often being shaken in the fields) as well as alignment adjustment inaccuracies jeopardize the reliability of the parameters of the drive. Furthermore, the efficiency is determined by several factors together: the slippage occurring during drive transmission, the hysteresis loss resulting from the external and internal friction occurring with the belt entering and exiting the pulley. Experimental equipment and calculation methods were developed to determine the dynamics of temperature increase generated by the belt and pulley relationship. The temperature generated in the V-belt was measured as a function of pretension, pulley diameter and bending frequency. The so-called damping factor characterizing the contact with the pulley (the external friction when entering and exiting the groove) and the hysteresis loss (inner friction) are also determined. On the basis of the damping factor (ζ ≈ 400 Ns/m2) of the V-belt involved in the experiments the other losses (Poth) occurring from the pulley—V-belt contact and internal friction may be estimated. The drive parameters may be optimized with the mathematical model describing the effect of the pulley diameter and belt frequency on the increase in temperature. A standardized calculation method as well as design factors valid for the properly adjusted drive and normal operating conditions determined through empirical and laboratory experiments are used for the sizing of V-belt drives. The lifetime of V-belt drives designed in this way, used in extreme conditions typical of agricultural machinery will not be appropriate and will not provide clear, predictable information for maintenance planning. In such cases the results of our own many lifetime tests conducted in the given circumstances can be safely relied on. The agricultural harvesting machines are large plate-body self-propelled structures on which most of the power supply of the (threshing, cleaning, moving, etc.) machine units handling the crop is realized via belt drives. The distance and angular displacement of the axes involved in the drive can vary within wide limits. The misalignment and angular displacement of the pulleys can be the result of installation instability — due to the plate structure — and the deformation of the plate structure occurring during the operation as well. V-belt drives operate satisfactorily under such conditions as well, however these faults are unfavourable in terms of belt lifetime and result in the reduction of drive efficiency. A further aim of our research is to examine through experiments the lifetime and efficiency of V-belts used in agricultural machines as a function of drive adjustment errors. According to the results of the measurements of the geometrical adjustment errors of V-belt drives performed in the field, the pulleys of agricultural equipment are not always positioned in the medium plane of the drive. In our experiments these data served as independent variables. Figure 1 shows the arrangement of a V-belt drive in a grain harvester with the laser pulley alignment measuring instrument installed as an accessory. In the case of many machine types in 80% of the tested drives three times the permissible error was measured, and because of off-road use, due to dynamic load these errors further increased as a result of the frame deformation. The results of both the belt bending testing and the geometrical adjustment testing of the drive offer great help in the design of belt drives. At the same time they can be the source of lifetime and efficiency forecasts.

Abstract In spite of great progress in energy efficiency and in the development of renewable energy the world is likely to need significant amounts of fossil fuel throughout this century and beyond (the share of fossil fuels in the world mix has remained at about 86% of primary energy from 1990 to today). Gas, being the by far cleanest fossil fuel is the ideal bridging fuel to a world with predominantly renewable supplies. Thanks to the recent perfection of unconventional technologies there is no shortage of gas for this bridging function for at least the next 100-200 years. EASAC and several other European Institutions, notably the German Academy of Technical Sciences (acatech) have in the last few years carried out expert studies to assess the alleged environmental risks of unconventional hydrocarbon exploration and production. All these studies have, in agreement with other competent studies worldwide, come to the conclusion that there exists no scientific reason for a ban on hydraulic fracturing. With good practices, clear standards and adequate control the method causes no enhanced risks to the environment or the health of humans. Special attention has to be paid to the surface handling of drilling and fracking fluids. In Europe alone many thousand frac jobs have been carried out by the industry in the last 60 years without any severe accidents. The mishaps in North America have largely been the cause of unprofessional operations and human error. Especially in places with high air pollution, like many megacities of Asia, natural gas has to be seen as a unique chance to achieve a rapid improvement of the air quality and a significant reduction of CO2 emissions. This is also true for Europe where especially the use of domestic natural gas brings important benefits to the environment. The alternative to gas is in many regions of the world an increased consumption of coal, with all negative consequences.

Circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boiler has entered electric power industry field because of burning a wide range of fuels, while still achieving strict air emissions requirements. This study focuses on a 300MW CFB boiler, which will be one of the largest CFB boiler in the world. In a CFB boiler, fuels were burned with the addition of limestone to capture SO2 in a solid form. Therefore, the volume of ashes, both bottom ash and fly ash, discharged from a CFB boiler is much higher than the ashes discharged from a pulverized coal-fired (PC) boiler at the same capacity of the boiler. CFB boiler ash cannot be used as a cement replacement in concrete due to its unacceptably high sulfur content. The disposal in landfills has been the most common means of handling ash in circulating fluidized bed boiler power plants. However, for a 300MW CFB boiler power plant, there will be 600,000tons of ash discharged per year and will result in great volumes and disposal cost of ash byproduct. It was very necessary to solve the utilization of CFB ash and to decrease the disposal cost of CFB ash. The feasible experimental study results on the utilization of the bottom ashes of a 300MW CFB boiler in Baima power plant in China were reported in this paper. The bottom ashes used for test came from the discharged bottom ashes in a 100MW CFB boiler in which the anthracite and limestone designed for the 300MW CFB project was burned. The results of this study showed that the bottom ash could be used for cementitious material, road concrete, and road base material. The masonry cements, road concrete with 30MPa compressive strength and 4.0MPa flexural strength, and the road base material used for base courses of the expressway, the main road and the minor lane were all prepared with milled CFB bottom ashes in the lab. The better methods of utilization of the bottom ashes were discussed in this paper.

Analysis of morphological descriptions of technosol sections indicates the following features of soil formation in technosol under common pine plantations. The particle-size composition in all variants depends above all on the composition of rocks, which form technosol. There is a color change in the upper layer of lithosol section, where the initial stage of humus formation and humus accumulation processes take place. The humus layer, which indicates the speed of these processes, is present only in the upper and lower third of the slope in 20-year-old common pine plantations and ranges from 7 cm in the upper to 10 cm in the lower third of the slope, which may be the result of flat erosion on the slope. There is no humus horizon in valley bottom, as spring water stagnation occurs there, which caused the death of most of the plantings, which were the main source of organic matter entering the soil. The inhibition in the processes of humus formation under the plantations that develop on the upland occurs due to the low content of the dusty fraction. The formation of the soil structure was not observed in technosols formed from rocks with light particle-size composition (sandy loam and sand); on loamy variants, it passes intensively in the upper 10–15 cm layer, which contains most plant roots, worms and insects. The presence of a plate structure has a industry-related origin and is formed when heavy machinery passes through rocks with a high moisture content. An important indicator of the initial processes of soil formation is the decompression of technosols and the speed of this process. This process is the most quick under 23-year-old plantations on a upland, cultivated on rocks with light particle-size composition (the loose horizon is 80 cm), on a slope in a 20-year-old plantation on heavier rocks, this process is much slower (the loose horizon is about 7–10 cm). Brown coal, inclusions of carbonaceous clays, rippled and kaolin clays can be found among the inclusions. The number and composition of the inclusions depends on the nature of the rocks, which form tehnosol. The new growths of biological origin should be mentioned, among which there are biological capillaries, represented by root passages with a diameter of 4–7 mm, filled with soil material enriched with organic substances and ones with the diameter of 2–3 mm to 1 cm, filled with coprolites and soil mass. Thus, changes in technosols identified by morphological features depend on open-pit rocks which form the edaphotope, their composition and properties, on the quality of the technical stage of reclamation and on the terrain of the formed territory.

This technical note summarizes a technical comparison of common testing procedures, as well as reviewed of the UN Test N` 5, for the assessment of the self-heating properties of cargoes and materials that has shown a clear trend on maritime fire and explosions events, as well as considering of external factors that can combine self-heating and emit flammable gases to conclude in an unlikely event affecting the security of crews and ships. A high understanding of the external factors effect on the cargo materials certainly will help the application of spontaneous reactions management actions (SRMA) on board of ships during the cargo sea passage. The intended comparison is based on laboratory, industry and field observations and data, whereas the among the external factors considered are, moisture content, stockpile procedure and aging, air velocities and moderate pressures internal and externally to the cargo material. The comparison results have shown that the self-heating and the flammable gas emissions has a common pattern when reacting with any oxygen available source, regardless the reactive material chemical composition. Keywords: reactive materials, self-heating, self-ignition, direct reduced iron fines, materials handling, UN test N` 5, maritime safety, spontaneous reactions, risk management. IMSBC Code , IMO. References [1]A. M. DeGennaro, M. W. Lohry, L. Martinelli, C. W. Rowley. Uncertainty Quantification for Cargo Hold Fires. Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08540, USA. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. [2]L.L.Sloss Assessing and Managing Spontaneous Combustion of Coals. IEA Clean Coal Center (CCC 259). Oct. 2015. [3].A. Janes, G Marlair, D Carson, j. Chaneausx. Towards the improvement of UN Test N1 5 Method for the characterization of substances which in contact with water emit Flammable Gases. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries. Elsevier 2012, 25 (3), pp 524-534. [4]G. Rouget, B. Majidi, D. Picard, G. Gauvin, D. Ziegler, J. Mashreghi, and H. Alamdar. Electrical Resistivity Measurement of Petroleum Coke Powder by Means of Four-Probe Method. Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B. Vol. 48B, Oct. 2017-2543. [5]Y. Rubiela Hernández Puerto, M.Triviño Restrepo. El coque metalúrgico aplicado a protección catódica (Metallurgia coque applied to catodic protection). Revista del Instituto de Investigaciones FIGMMG. Vol. 10, Nº 20, 60-67 (2007) UNMSM I. [6]S. Narayan Jha, K. Narsaiah, A.L. Basediya, R.Sharma, P. Jaiswal, R. Kumar, and R. Bhardwaj. Measurement techniques and application of electrical properties for nondestructive quality evaluation of foods—a review. Food Sci Technol. 2011 Aug; 48(4): 387–411. [7]R. Fontes Araujo, J. Batisa Zonta, E. Fontes Araujo, E. Heberle, E, F. Miranda Garcia Zonta. Teste de Conductividade Eletrica para Smentes de Feijao Mungo Verde 1. Rev. Brasikleira de Sementes, Vol. 33, N` 1, pp123/130, 2011. [8]P.A. Eidem. Electric Resistivity of Coke Beds. PhD Thesis. Norwegian University of Science and Technology Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Tronheim Oct. 2008. [9]N. Birks, et.al. - Mechanism in Corrosion Induced Auto-ignition of Direct Reduced Iron. Materials Science and Engineering Department, University of Pittsburgh. [10]Monitoring Implementation of the Hazardous and Noxious Substances Convention. Report on incidents involving HNS. Submitted by the United Kingdom. IMO 85th Session, Agenda item 5- LEG 85/INF.2, 19 September 2002.

Constant demand for new naval and commercial vessels has created special conditions for the Government-owned Soviet shipbuilding industry, which practically has not been affected by the world shipbuilding crisis. On the other hand, such chronic diseases of the centralized economy as lack of incentive, material shortage and poor workmanship cause specific problems for ship construction. Being technically and financially unable to rapidly improve the overall technology level and performance of the entire industry, the Soviets concentrate their efforts on certain important areas and have achieved significant results, especially in welding and cutting titanium and aluminum alloys, modular production methods, standardization, etc. All productivity improvement efforts are supported by an army of highly educated engineers and scientists at shipyards, in multiple scientific, research and design institutions. Discussion Edwin J. Petersen, Todd Pacific Shipyards Three years ago I addressed the Ship Production Symposium as chairman of the Ship Production Committee and outlined some major factors which had contributed to the U.S. shipbuilding industry's remarkable achievements in building and maintaining the world's largest naval and merchant fleets during the five-year period starting just before World War II. The factors were as follows:There was a national commitment to get the job done. The shipbuilding industry was recognized as a needed national resource. There was a dependable workload. Standardization was extensively and effectively utilized. Shipbuilding work was effectively organized. Although these lessons appear to have been lost by our Government since World War II, the paper indicates that the Soviet Union has picked up these principles and has applied them very well to its current shipbuilding program. The paper also gives testimony to the observation that the Soviet Government recognizes the strategic and economic importance of a strong merchant fleet as well as a powerful naval fleet. In reviewing the paper, I found great similarity between the Soviet shipbuilding productivity improvement efforts and our own efforts or goals under the National Shipbuilding Research Program in the following areas:welding technology, flexible automation (robotics), application of group technology, standardization, facilities development, and education and training. In some areas, the Soviet Union appears to be well ahead of the United States in improving the shipbuilding process. Most noteworthy among these is the stable long-and medium-range planning that is possible by virtue of the use and adherence to the "Table of Vessel Classes." It will be obvious to most who hear and read these comments what a vast and significant improvement in shipbuilding costs and schedules could be achieved with a relatively dependable 15year master ship procurement plan for the U.S. naval and merchant fleets. Another area where the Soviet Union appears to lead the United States is in the integration of ship component suppliers into the shipbuilding process. This has been recognized as a vital step by the National Shipbuilding Research Program, but so far we have not made significant progress. A necessary prerequisite for this "supplier integration" is extensive standardization of ship components, yet another area in which the Soviets have achieved significantly greater progress than we have. Additional areas of Soviet advantage are the presence of a multilevel research and development infrastructure well supported by highly educated scientists, engineering and technical personnel; and better integration of formally educated engineering and technical personnel into the ship production process. In his conclusion, the author lists a number of problems facing the Soviet economy that adversely affect shipbuilding productivity. Perhaps behind this listing we can delve out some potential U.S. shipbuilding advantages. First, production systems in U.S. shipyards (with the possible exception of naval shipyards) are probably more flexible and adjustable to meet new circumstances as a consequence of not being constrained by a burdensome centralized bureaucracy, as is the case with Soviet shipyards. Next, such initiatives as the Ship Production Committee's "Human Resources Innovation" projects stand a better chance of achieving product-oriented "production team" relationship among labor, management, and technical personnel than the more rigid Soviet system, especially in view of the ability of U.S. shipyard management to offer meaningful financial incentives without the kind of bureaucratic constraints imposed in the Soviet system. Finally, the current U.S. Navy/shipbuilding industry cooperative effort to develop a common engineering database should lead to a highly integrated and disciplined ship design, construction, operation, and maintenance system for naval ships (and subsequently for commercial ships) that will ultimately restore the U.S. shipbuilding process to a leadership position in the world marketplace (additional references [16] and [17]).On that tentatively positive note, it seems fitting to close this discussion with a question: Is the author aware of any similar Soviet effort to develop an integrated computer-aided design, production and logistics support system? The author is to be congratulated on an excellent, comprehensive insight into the Soviet shipbuilding process and productivity improvement efforts that should give us all adequate cause not to be complacent in our own efforts. Peter M. Palermo, Naval Sea Systems Command The author presents an interesting paper that unfortunately leaves this reader with a number of unanswered questions. The paper is a paradox. It depicts a system consisting of a highly educated work force, advanced fabrication processes including the use of standardized hull modules, sophisticated materials and welding processes, and yet in the author's words they suffer from "low productivity, poor product quality, . . . and the rigid production systems which resists the introduction of new ideas." Is it possible that incentive, motivation, and morale play an equally significant role in achieving quality and producibility advances? Can the author discuss underlying reasons for quality problems in particular—or can we assume that the learning curves of Figs. 5 and Fig. 6 are representative of quality improvement curves? It has been my general impression that quality will improve with application of high-tech fabrication procedures, enclosed fabrication ways, availability of highly educated welding engineers on the building ways, and that productivity would improve with the implementation of modular or zone outfitting techniques coupled with the quality improvements. Can the author give his impressions of the impact of these innovations in the U.S. shipbuilding industry vis-a-vis the Soviet industry? Many of the welding processes cited in the paper are also familiar to the free world, with certain notable exceptions concerning application in Navy shipbuilding. For example, (1) electroslag welding is generally confined to single-pass welding of heavy plates; application to thinner plates—l1/4 in. and less when certified—would permit its use in more applications than heretofore. (2) Electron beam welding is generally restricted to high-technology machinery parts; vacuum chamber size restricts its use for larger components (thus it must be assumed that the Soviets have solved the vacuum chamber problem or have much larger chambers). (3) Likewise, laser welding has had limited use in U.S. shipbuilding. An interesting theme that runs throughout the paper, but is not explicitly addressed, is the quality of Soviet ship fitting. The use of high-tech welding processes and the mention of "remote controlled tooling for welding and X-ray testing the butt, and for following painting" imply significant ship fitting capabilities for fitting and positioning. This is particularly true if modules are built in one facility, outfitted and assembled elsewhere depending on the type of ship required. Any comments concerning Soviet ship fitting capabilities would be appreciated. The discussion on modular construction seems to indicate that the Soviets have a "standard hull module" that is used for different types of vessels, and if the use of these hull modules permit increasing hull length without changes to the fore and aft ends, it can be assumed that they are based on a standard structural design. That being the case, the midship structure will be overdesigned for many applications and optimally designed for very few. Recognizing that the initial additional cost for such a piece of hull structure is relatively minimal, it cannot be forgotten that the lifecycle costs for transporting unnecessary hull weight around can have significant fuel cost impacts. If I perceived the modular construction approach correctly, then I am truly intrigued concerning the methods for handling the distributive systems. In particular, during conversion when the ship is lengthened, how are the electrical, fluid, communications, and other distributive systems broken down, reassembled and tested? "Quick connect couplings" for these type systems at the module breaks is one particular area where economies can be achieved when zone construction methods become the order of the day in U.S. Navy ships. The author's comments in this regard would be most welcome. The design process as presented is somewhat different than U.S. Navy practice. In U.S. practice, Preliminary and Contract design are developed by the Navy. Detail design, the development of the working drawings, is conducted by the lead shipbuilder. While the detail design drawings can be used by follow shipbuilders, flexibility is permitted to facilitate unique shipbuilding or outfitting procedures. Even the contract drawings supplied by the Navy can be modified— upon Navy approval—to permit application of unique shipbuilder capabilities. The large number of college-trained personnel entering the Soviet shipbuilding and allied fields annually is mind-boggling. According to the author's estimation, a minimum of about 6500 college graduates—5000 of which have M.S. degrees—enter these fields each year. It would be most interesting to see a breakdown of these figures—in particular, how many naval architects and welding engineers are included in these figures? These are disciplines with relatively few personnel entering the Navy design and shipbuilding field today. For example, in 1985 in all U.S. colleges and universities, there were only 928 graduates (B.S., M.S. and Ph.D.) in marine, naval architecture and ocean engineering and only 1872 graduates in materials and metallurgy. The number of these graduates that entered the U.S. shipbuilding field is unknown. Again, the author is to be congratulated for providing a very thought-provoking paper. Frank J. Long, Win/Win Strategies This paper serves not only as a chronicle of some of the productivity improvement efforts in Soviet shipbuilding but also as an important reminder of the fruits of those efforts. While most Americans have an appreciation of the strengths of the Russian Navy, this paper serves to bring into clearer focus the Russians' entire maritime might in its naval, commercial, and fishing fleets. Indeed, no other nation on earth has a greater maritime capability. It is generally acknowledged that the Soviet Navy is the largest in the world. When considering the fact that the commercial and fishing fleets are, in many military respects, arms of the naval fleet, we can more fully appreciate how awesome Soviet maritime power truly is. The expansion of its maritime capabilities is simply another but highly significant aspect of Soviet worldwide ambitions. The development and updating of "Setka Typov Su dov" (Table of Vessel Classes), which the author describes is a classic example of the Soviet planning process. As the author states, "A mighty fishing and commercial fleet was built in accordance with a 'Setka' which was originally developed in the 1960's. And an even more impressive example is the rapid expansion of the Soviet Navy." In my opinion it is not mere coincidence that the Russians embarked on this course in the 1960's. That was the beginning of the coldest of cold war periods—Francis Gary Power's U-2 plane was downed by the Russians on May 1, 1960; the mid-May 1960 Four Power Geneva Summit was a bust; the Berlin Wall was erected in 1961 and, in 1962, we had the Cuban Missile Crisis. The United States maritime embargo capability in that crisis undoubtedly influenced the Soviet's planning process. It is a natural and normal function of a state-controlled economy with its state-controlled industries to act to bring about the controlled productivity improvement developments in exactly the key areas discussed in the author's paper. As the author states, "All innovations at Soviet shipyards have originated at two main sources:domestic development andadaptation of new ideas introduced by leading foreign yards, or most likely a combination of both. Soviet shipbuilders are very fast learners; moreover, their own experience is quite substantial." The Ship Production Committee of SNAME has organized its panels to conduct research in many of these same areas for productivity improvement purposes. For example, addressing the areas of technology and equipment are Panels SP-1 and 3, Shipbuilding Facilities and Environmental Effects, and Panel SP-7, Shipbuilding Welding. Shipbuilding methods are the province of SP-2; outfitting and production aids and engineering and scientific support are the province of SP-4, Design Production Integration. As I read through the descriptions of the processes that led to the productivity improvements, I was hoping to learn more about the organizational structure of Soviet shipyards, the managerial hierarchy and how work is organized by function or by craft in the shipyard. (I would assume that for all intents and purposes, all Russian yards are organized in the same way.) American shipyard management is wedded to the notion that American shipbuilding suffers immeasurably from a productivity standpoint because of limitations on management's ability to assign workers across craft lines. It is unlikely that this limitation exists in Soviet shipyards. If it does not, how is the unfettered right of assignment optimized? What are the tangible, measurable results? I believe it would have been helpful, also, for the author to have dedicated some of the paper to one of the most important factors in improvement in the labor-intensive shipbuilding industry—the shipyard worker. There are several references to worker problems—absenteeism, labor shortage, poor workmanship, and labor discipline. The reader is left with the impression that the Russians believe that either those are unsolvable problems or have a priority ranking significantly inferior to the organizational, technical, and design efforts discussed. As a case in point, the author devotes a complete section to engineering education and professional training but makes no mention of education or training programs for blue-collar workers. It would seem that a paper on productivity improvement efforts in Soviet shipbuilding would address this most important element. My guess is that the Russians have considerable such efforts underway and it would be beneficial for us to learn of them.