Pashkevich M., Tertychko
T.
State Higher Educational Institution «National Mining
University»
Management
of production’s quality of mining enterprise as a factor influencing on the
regional competitiveness
The competitiveness of coal regions is ensured by the profitability of each
mine that becomes source of income for state and local budgets and a founder of
working places. However a high number of Ukrainian state mines are
unprofitable. The ensuring the quality of coal is a topical problem at
the moment especially if the quality is considered in connection with costs of
coal extraction. Mining enterprises, as a rule, aimed at rising of the amount of
extracted coal and its qualitative characteristics are secondary. It is
calculated that even after the process of concentration various fractions of
coal have the ash content at the level of 20-25% and wastes left after the
concentration of coal with high ash content may reach 60% of its initial mass
[1].
Today mining companies
are faced with important challenge – the improvement of coal quality in the
process of its extraction. For example in 2005 the mining company
“Pavlogradcoal” the ash content of the extracted coal was 39,8% at the end of
2010 this index decreased to the level 36,4%. Analyzing the technological
scheme of coal extraction [2] we may assume that directly in the coal-face the level of ash content of the extracted coal is much more higher that the
level of maternal one. The extracted coal is not going directly for consumption
for electricity production so about 25-30% of its initial weight will be lost
after the concentration. Thus during the process of concentration the wastes
will appear – coal sludge with ash content of 30-75%.
In
time the accumulation of products of extraction and processing of coals
continues to worsen the problem of man-made waste deposits. These deposits
are filled with coal sludge and occupy large territories, leading to damaging of
agricultural territories and substantial environmental degradation.
The described problem has two main directions.
First of all it is necessary to pay much more attention to the quality of
extracted coal. The row coal quality depends on both the natural conditions and
mining process; and being effected by production directly. There might be different
raw coal quality with different mining process at the same natural condition.
In all factors influencing the raw coal quality, mining operations take more than
70% [3]. Thus the mining process is the main process to control and improve the
coal quality. In addition the quality extracted of coal directly influences on
its production costs. As it has been previously mentioned substantial losses
has already formed the deposits, thus extracting coal mass that contains less
barren rock is more profitable.
There
are several approaches to calculation of coal production costs that take into
consideration coal quality. The main principle that one should follow when
using that type of calculation is based on the inseparable connection of ash
content, refuse rate and coal losses. The higher quality of the concentrate
output the higher will be its losses in relation to the total amount of coal in
the given deposit. [4]
Another direction of this problem on regional level is recycling the
deposits. As it has been previously mentioned the poor quality of coal has led
to the formation of the waste banks. Pollution of air, water and soil by the
harmful chemicals happens mostly due to the constant burning of waste dumps,
disposal of wastes with the technologically-enhanced radioactivity.
Meanwhile thousands of tons of rock piles may eventually become raw
material for recycling of valuable components that are contained in these man-made
deposits. Basing on the available raw
materials of this kind and using the existing nanotechnology new enterprises
for the production of high-strength construction materials could be
established. The number of useful combustible components in waste deposits
reaches up to 30-75%, and they might be recycled into fuel. In this case
the relevant industrial and social problems (the need in additional solid fuels
and reduction of environmental load on the mining regions) are being solved. One
of effective types of recycling is the application of chemical adhesive technology.
In the steppe zone where the depressed coal-mining regions are situated
the waste banks could serve as an additional source of solar and wind energy by
using special technology and equipment developed for example, at the South
Machine-Building Plant (State Enterprise "Production Association A.
Makarov Southern Machine-Building Plant"). Such technological complex could have a
serious cumulative effect for the area in the form of alternative energy and
could reduce, if not overcome, unprofitability and financially dependence of
the depressed region as a whole by reduction energy costs and establishing new
enterprises.
Thus the considered management of coal quality will contribute to the
solution of two urgent problems. On the one hand it will provide raising the
competiveness and profitability of each separate mine by balancing the
production costs and offering better coal on the market and using the
additional recourses of present waste deposits. On the other hand it will help
to improve the ecological situation in the region by reducing the wastes.
Literature
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4.
T. Tertychko. Quality of coal as a factor influencing on the concentrate
production cost// Majesty of Marceting: Materials of the conference for the
students and junior research stuff . – Dnipropetrovsk, SHEI “National Mining
University”, 2011. – 200p. – P.160