En qu consiste la extraccin del carbn?

La minera es el proceso de extraccin de carbn desde el suelo y existen dos tipos: La minera subterrnea, en la que el carbn se encuentra a ms de 125 pies y la minera a cielo abierto, que la observamos cuando la veta de carbn se encuentra a menos de 125 pies. Mina a cielo abierto Es aquella en la que el carbn se encuentra cerca de la superficie. Maquinarias pesadas se encargan de limpiar el terreno: Sacan rboles, arbustos y toda clase de vegetacin. Holes are drilled into the rock and explosives are placed in these holes. The explosion breaks up the dirt and rock called overburden.
Se perforan agujeros en la roca y se le colocan explosivos con el fin de remover todo el material estril: bsicamente toda la roca y tierra que recubre el carbn.

Large earth-moving machines move the overburden to expose the coal seam. When the coal is uncovered, Bulldozers (BULDZER) and shovels scoop up the coal and load it into large trucks. All of the coal is mined. Grandes excavadoras retiran el material estril y dejan la veta de carbn a la vista. Los buldceres y las palas se encargan de descargar todo el carbn sobre inmensos camiones. In 2000, there were six surface mines in Illinois. The surface mines produced 3,800,000 tons of coal and employed 330 miners. After mining the topsoil is replaced for plants and wildlife to grow again.

En el ao 2000, existan 6 minas a cielo abierto en Illinois, las que produjeron 3.800.000 toneladas de carbn y emplearon a 330 mineros. Underground Mining Underground mining is used when the coal seam lies deep in the earth. In an underground mine only some of the coal is removed. The coal that remains helps support the mine roof. Underground mines look like a system of tunnels. The tunnels are used for traveling throughout the mine, moving coal from place to place and allowing air to circulate in the mine. Minera subterrnea Se utiliza cuando la veta de carbn yace profunda bajo tierra. En una mina subterrnea slo se remueve una porcin del carbn mientras que la otra parte ayuda a sostener el techo de la mina. Posee un sistema de tneles que permite la ventilacin, viajar a travs de ella y trasladar el carbn de un lugar a otro. The coal that is mined is put on conveyor belts. The conveyor belts take the coal to the surface.
El carbn que se extrae se monta sobre una correa transportadora para llevarla a la superficie.

There are three types of underground mines: slope, drift(Galeras), and shaft (pozo?). When the coal seam is close to the surface but too deep to use surface mining, a slope mine can be built. In a slope mine a tunnel slants down from the surface to the coal seam. Existen 3 tipos de minas subterrneas: De pendiente, galeras y de pozo. Cuando la veta de carbn est cerca de la

superficie pero muy profunda para utilizar la extraccin a cielo abierto, se construye una mina de pendiente, en la que un tnel desciende desde la superficie hacia la veta de carbn. Una mina de galera is built when the coal seam lies in the side of a hill or mountain. Drift mines may also be built in a surface mine that has become too deep. There are many drift mines in the eastern United States. Una mina de galeras se construye cuando la veta del carbn se ubica en el costado de una colina o montaa. Tambin se pueden construir en una mina a cielo abierto que ha alcanzado cierta profundidad. Hay muchas de ellas en el este de los Estados Unidos. The most common type of mine in Illinois is the shaft mine. These mines may be 125 to 1,000 feet deep. A large hole, or shaft, is drilled down into the ground until it reaches the coal seam. El tipo de mina ms comn en Illinois es la de pozo: Consiste en la perforacin de un agujero que llega hasta la veta de carbn y flucta entre 125 y 1000 pies de profundidad. Two Types of Underground Mining In Illinois, two types of underground mining are used: room and pillar mining and longwall mining. Room and pillar mining leaves pillars, or blocks, of coal in the mine to support the roof. In longwall mining the roof is allowed to collapse in a planned sequence. More coal is mined during longwall mining. Extraccin subterrnea

En illinois se utilizan dos tipos de minas subterrneas: cmaras y pilares y de frente largo. La mina de cmaras y pilares deja pilares o bloques de carbn en la mina para sostener el techo. EN la de frente largo se extrae ms carbn y el techo puede colapsar en una secuencia planificada. Continuous miner ( machines are used to cut the coal in room and pillar mining. Continuous miners have a large rotating drum that moves up and down. Strong bits on the drum cut the coal. As the coal falls, large arms under the drum gather the coal onto a conveyor chain. The conveyor chain carries the coal to the back of the machine. The coal is unloaded at the back of the machine onto ram cars. The ram cars haul the coal to a conveyor belt. Minadores continuos Se utilizan para cortar el carbn en la minera de cmaras y pilares. Poseen un tambor giratorio con poderosos dientes que se mueve hacia arriba y abajo. Dos grandes brazos bajo el tambor recogen el carbn que cae y lo depositan en la cadena transportadora que lo mueve hacia la parte posterior de la mquina en ram cars.

Longwall mining removes more coal than room and pillar mining. Large panels of coal are extracted. The panels are 750 to 1,000 feet wide. The continuous miner cuts tunnels 18 to 20 feet wide. Minera de frente largo Remueve ms carbn que la de cmaras y pilares. Extrae grandes paneles de carbn entre 750 y 1000 pies. El minador continuo corta tneles de 18 a 20 pies de ancho. The longwall machine has large shields that

support the roof and protect the miners during mining. El minador de frente largo posee un gran escudo que sostiene el techo y protege a los mineros durante la extraccin.

A rotating drum, called a shearer, cuts the coal. The coal drops onto a conveyor belt. As more of the coal is cut, the machine moves forward. The roof behind the machine falls in a planned order. In 2000, there were 12 underground mines in Illinois. The 3,131 employed miners produced 29,700,000 tons of coal. La cortadoraun tambor giratorio corta el carbn y lo deja caer en la cadena transportadora. A medida que se va cortando ms carbn, la mquina se va moviendo hacia adelante y el techo detrs de la mquina cae en un orden planificado. En el ao 2000 haba 12 minas subterrneas en Illinois. Los 3131 mineros produjeron 29.700.000 toneladas de carbn.

The truck will take the topsoil to a special place where it will be saved until mining is finished in this area. Then the topsoil will be replaced so plants can grow again. El camin lleva toda la vegetacin a un lugar especial donde est a salvo hasta que la explotacin finalice en el rea. Luego la vegetacin ser devuelta para su nuevo crecimiento. Safety inspectors carefully monitor the drilling and blasting process. Inspectores de seguridad monitorean cuidadosamente los procesos de perforacin y limpieza. When the trucks are loaded, they will haul the coal to the preparation plant. Luego de cargar los camiones, estos llevan el carbn hacia la planta de preparacin Land that has been mined can be used in many ways. This is a diagram of an underground room and pillar mine. It is very dark underground.

A conveyor belt takes coal out of the mine. The pillars are covered with a white powdered limestone to prevent spontaneous combustion. In a slope mine, the miners and materials ride in special cars to get to the coal seam.

The shaft can be 30 feet in diameter. Men and materials ride an elevator down to the coal seam at a shaft mine.
This continuous miner is operated by remote control. Left to right: ram car and continuous miner Below: rotating drum with bits that cut the coal. The longwall panel shows how much coal the longwall mining machine cuts. The shields are shown in yellow in the pictures. The shearer is shown in orange. It shears the coal away. The conveyor belt is shown in gray. Corn and soybeans grow above this underground coal mine.