Coal Mining (1978) / Chapter Skim
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COAL RESERVES AND QUALITY
COAL RESERVES AND QUALITY
Pages 7-24
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From page 7... ...
These amounts represent 50 percent of the underground "in place" reserves reported in each state modified to reflect production through 1971. The Panel believes that these amounts represent the best available estimates of welldefined reserves recoverable by underground mining methods in each state and in total.
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, and Washington (15.8 percent) as states in "relatively mature stages of depletion," but familiarity with past underground operations in those states indicates that remaining reserves, mostly recoverable only by underground mining, are less favorably situated and more difficult to mine.
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Most existing mines already are being operated at relatively high efficiencies, which means that increased production would require additional mining units at new locations within the existing mine reserve confines, mining on an additional number of days per year, or both. Such possibilities frequently are limited or impractical and, if possible, may decrease efficiencies and reduce the projected lives of any such mines.
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From page 13... ...
may be characterized as being in the advanced stages of maturity (i.e., having annually supplied 60 percent or more of total national production ever since coal mining began in the United States)
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From page 14... ...
in thinner beds as reserves in the principal beds become exhausted. The Panel believes that prospects for substantial expansion of production from underground mines in the Eastern Interior Region may be considered favorable.
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Surface-Minable Reserves The western states of Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, New Mexico, Texas, and Alaska contain the largest quantities of recoverable surface-minable reserves (72.02 billion tons) and are virtually untouched (except for a few large active operations)
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From page 16... ...
In addition to the extensive interest in suface-minable reserves in western states, there has been considerable recent interest in underground reserves in Utah and Colorado, and significant increases in underground production in these two states can be expected in the next few years. The Panel sees no reason why similar interest in the underground reserves in Wyoming and Montana should not also develop although underground recovery of as much as 50 percent of the thicker beds may be difficult with present technology, which generally is limited to bed thicknesses not exceeding 15 feet.
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From page 17... ...
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From page 18... ...
than midwestern coals, and greater fuel input is required to obtain an equal heat value output. The ash characteristics of the coals also are markedly different, and electrostatic particulate precipitators are adversely affected by the low sulfur content of some of the western coals.
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From page 19... ...
The current economics of sulfur removal from iron generally limit coking coals to those containing less than 1.5 percent sulfur. Most coals with sufficiently low sulfur content and desired physical properties are found in the Appalachian states, particularly West Virginia and eastern Kentucky; a much smaller amount of recoverable reserves suitable or satisfactory in blends for coke making are found in the central and western states.
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From page 20... ...
00 uT D (9 z 14 i o 12 11 10 11J 1 9 O O 5b 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 SULFUR CONTENT OF COAL, wt-pct 1.0 FIGURE 2 Plot of maximum permissible sulfur content versus Btu content of coal commensurate with EPA air quality standards.6 20
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From page 21... ...
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From page 22... ...
The largest recoverable coal reserves in the western states are of the subbituirinous and lignite ranks. Major increases in production projected for this area will come from the shallow and thick seams of the low-rank coals recoverable by surface mining.
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From page 23... ...
U.S. Geological Survey, Coal Peserves Base of the United States, January !
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