Electrotechnology in Mining

Electricity performs an endless variety of tasks in our mining industry. It powers almost all of equipment that we encounter in a mine site. It powers mine winding machines, for carrying men and material from underground to surface, mine fans that takes away foul and explosive gases from inside mines and keeps the mine atmosphere clean for workmen. Electric motors run pumps to keep the mines water free. It powers all the heavy machines for coal cutting and loading and transporting, it illuminates our mines, powers communication and signalling systems. The use of electric power to the mining industry is phenomenal and the progress towards full electrification on various mining activities cannot be over emphasised. The conditions under which mining machinery has to operate are extremely arduous and vary widely from one coalfield to another. In addition to this, the requirement of safety from fire, explosion and shock is of prime importance.Most of the site engineers associated with mining activities feel the need to know more about the application of electric power at mines. The aim here is to deal with electricity exclusively from mining point of view and the treatment is necessarily brief. Materials are collected and collated from good many industrial sources, literatures and industrial research works which, the authors feel, will help mine engineers at site besides teaching staffs and research scholars of Institutions. The information will help selecting correct type of drives for mining equipment where most classical hand books are of little help. The purpose sought is to offer with least confusion material of practical value.