We all remember the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster that
occurred a few years ago in West Virginia in which many miners died in that
terrible tragedy. A lot of us responded
in anger, denouncing the mining industry and demanding a new source of energy
as an alternative to coal to become our leading producer of electricity in
this country. Few want our nation's energy source to come from such a
dangerous practice that seems to treat their employees so terribly as to risk
their lives each and every day.
As a previous mining engineering major and former miner
myself, I can speak for the mining industry and say that yes, mining is an
extremely dangerous occupation. But coal
is extremely important for our country today.
I of course do believe that we as a nation need to develop a new source
of energy that can be an effective alternative to coal and slowly and easily
transition into it. Specialists predict
that we have around 700 years left of coal to mine in our country, which is not
a lot of time. 700 years however is
definitely more than enough time to develop a new source of energy rather than
to jump in to ineffective sources such as solar and wind, which rely on a windy
or sunny day so they are not consistent, they don't produce much energy, and
really who wants a wind turbine in everyone's backyard?
So right now we really need coal in this country, but
like I said, coal mining is extremely dangerous. Coal miners understand the dangers, and are
paid a very high salary due to the risks of it, but that isn't a justifiable
reason to keep things the way they are.
Coal mining has improved drastically over the last 40 years. If anyone has seen the show on Spike TV,
"COAL," that is exactly the way coal mining was done back then. Today coal mining is not like that. Roofs and
Ribs (walls) are completely bolted and supported by wire
mesh.
Ventilation is well organized and methane readers are
located at every coal face. Problems
still always happen that can risk the lives of miners though. In the case of the Upper Big Branch Mine
disaster, methane levels were known to be high, which mainly due to poor safety
regulations by the owning company, Massey Energy. High methane itself though does not cause an
explosion. Something caused a spark, and
the gas pressure in the mine caused a massive explosion which spread down the
breaks of the mine.
Despite the corruption within Massey and the Mine Safety
and Health Administration, disasters like this can potentially be prevented by
newer technologies, rather than just simple regulations, and that is where
materials engineering can come into play.
No one knows what caused the spark in the Upper Big Branch Mine, but
what I believe it was was probably a broken cable. In underground mines, machinery does not run
on gas, because that would be far too dangerous. The continuous miner, the shuttle cars, the
roof bolters, and all other various machinery in the mine move around while
automatically reeling in and out an electric cable that runs back to a single
power source in the mine that is connected to a generator outside the
mine. While the machinery is moving
around the mine, sometimes these cables get twisted or hooked on something and
break. Not only are these dangerous to
the miners who have to hang the cable from the roof, (I've seen quite a few get
badly shocked from grabbing them) but if there were ever to be unsafe methane
levels in the mine, these broken cables are the likeliest cause of an
explosion. I personally believe that the
number one thing needed to be developed for better mine safety is a material
that insulates these cables and can stretch, bend, and withstand massive
compressive and shearing forces (From machines running over them) much more
easily than they can now. If there is
one thing that I think can improve mine safety the most, it is a new material
engineered to do this.
