| Term | Description |
|
| AA AA | Always afloat, always accessible. |
| ABANDONED WORKINGS | Sections, panels and other areas that are not ventilated and examined in the manner required for work places. |
| ACTIVE WORKINGS | Any place in a mine where miners are normally required to work or travel. |
| ADIT | A nearly horizontal passage from the surface by which an underground mine is entered. |
| ADVANCE | Exploitation in the same direction or order of sequence as development is known as mining in advance. |
| AFFREIGHTMENT | Comes from French, and means "the hiring of a ship to carry cargo,". This term describes "a contract of carriage" and is less frequently used today. Rather, such a contract is now more simply reffered to as a "charter". However, modern shipping terminology has assigned a specific meaning to a "Contract of Affreightment" (COA). A COA refers to a contract to move a (large) volume of cargo over an agreed period of time. |
| AFTERDAMP | Atmospheric pollution following fire or explosion (usually lethal). |
| AIR | Ventilation air current. |
| AIR COURSE | A passage through which air is circulated. |
| ADB | Air Dried Basis. |
| AIR LOCK | The passage, closed at both ends by stoppings with doors, connecting two airways along which currents of air having different pressures are flowing. |
| AIR SHAFT | A shaft used exclusively for conducting air. |
| AIR SPLIT | The division of a current of air into two or more parts. |
| AIRWAY | Underground passageway along which air passes. |
| ALLIGATOR | Wheeled skip running on a steep incline - self-unloading on surface. |
| Always accessible | Empowers the charterer to send the vessel to ports where the vessel can be reached for the purpose of handling cargo or carrying out activities with the shore as required. |
| Always Afloat | An "always safely afloat" clause is inserted in the charterparty for the purpose of preventing a vessel from being ordered to berth where it cannot load/discharge without touching the ground or discharging part of its cargo prior to berthing. |
| ANEMOMETER | Instrument for measuring air velocity. |
| ANFO | Ammonium Nitrate mixed with fuel oil for an explosive. |
| ANGLE OF REPOSE | The maximum angle from horizontal at which a given material will rest on a given surface without sliding or rolling. |
| ANTHRACITE | Coals with a volatile-carbon ratio equal to 0.12 or less. It has a bright black lustre and is coal of the highest rank. |
| ANTICLINAL AXIS | The ridge of an anticline. |
| ANTICLINE | Upwards-arched fold in the rock strata resulting from horizontal pressure. Usually the beds dip outwards in two or more directions from the crest. |
| APPARATUS | Rescue work from coal mine fires and explosions. |
| APPARENT STEEL PRODUCTION | The term applied to measure the crude steel production (expressed in terms of crude steel equivalents which adjusts for processing losses during production of crude steel) of a country after adding back the crude steel equivalent tonnage of imported steel minus crude steel equivalent tonnage of exported steel. |
| AQUIFER | A water-bearing bed of porous rock, often sandstone. |
| ARA | Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Antwerp. |
| ARCH | A steel support of two or three sections which, when bolted together, form a strong permanent support. |
| ARCHING | Fracture processes around a mine opening, leading to stabilisation by an arching effect. |
| ASSESSMENT LEASE | Title granted under the Mining Act 1992 to allow exploration and the retention of rights in a coal resource until a mining lease is granted. |
| ASH | Inorganic residue after incineration of coal. |
| ASH ANALYSIS | Expresses the composition of ash in terms of its oxides. |
| AUGER | A rotary drill for soft materials that uses a screw device to penetrate, break and then transport the drilled material. Auger-type devices are popular in soft coal. To aid penetration and decrease wear on the auger rods, a hard- faced bit is used at the contact between drill and fresh material. |
| AUGER MINE | A system of mining that involves the use of a large diameter scroll drill to recover coal near seam outcrops or in open-cut mines where the strip ratio exceeds economic limits. |
| AUXILIARY FAN | Used in conjunction with air ducting to direct a portion of the main ventilating current to the working face. |
| AUXILIARY VENTILATION | Portion of main ventilating current directed to face of dead- end entry by means of an auxiliary fan and tubing. |
| AVERAGE CONCENTRATION | A determination which accurately represents the atmospheric conditions with regard to respirable dust to which each miner in the active workings of a mine is exposed. |
| BACK END | Side section of the coal face remaining after the centre section has been shot out by explosive. |
| BACK ENTRY | An entry that is back from the working face. |
| BACK HOLES | Roof holes of a round of shots (see "Backs"). |
| BACK OVER | Rail siding or set of prints where normal direction of travel has to be reversed to enter. |
| BACK PRIMED | When the priming charge of a shot is placed at the back or bottom of the shothole. |
| BACK TO BACK | A double plug receptacle for joining two miner cables together. |
| BACKS | Roof of inclined driveages such as a cross measure drift. |
| BACKWARDATION | When a derivative instrument (future or swap) price is below the expected future spot price. |
| BAIT TIN | See "Crib Can". |
| BALER | See "Water Baler". |
| BALK/BAULK | Squared, round or half round timber beam set across roadway for roof support. |
| BALL ROOM | Large space left following unusually high fall of roof. |
| BAND | Slate or rock interstratified with coal. Also called "slate band", "sulphur band",etc. |
| BANK | (1) Surface where the cages in a shaft come to rest. (2) The main haulage way. |
| BANK TO BANK | From surface to surface: A period of work (shift) is measured from the time the underground employees enter the mine at the bank until they return to the bank. |
| BANKSMAN | Person in charge of the operation of the cage(s) at the shaft top. |
| BAR | A round, half-round cross-sectioned wooden roof support which is set in contact with the roof and held in position by props, roof bolts, or both. |
| BAR DOWN | To lever loose material from the roof to make it safe. |
| Bareboat Charter or demise charter | It is an agreement whereby a vessel owner leases out the ship for an agreed period to a demise charterer. The charterers obtain complete control, possession and manage the ship as if they were the owner. The actual registered ownership remains with the owner. Bareboat charters were not in common use before the 1970s. It was not until 1974 that BIMCO (the Baltic and International Maritime Council, Denmark) published two standard forms. More recently these forms have been amalgamated to create the current form known as BARECON 89. |
| Barge Loader | A port facility where coal barges are loaded. |
| BARRICADE | To obstruct passage of persons, vehicles or flying materials. |
| BARRICADING | Enclosing part of a mine to prevent inflow of noxious gases from a mine fire or an explosion |
| BARRIER | Block of coal left unworked in a mine as: (1) protection against flooding, fire, gas or other danger; (2) a division of a mine into separate ventilating districts; (3) a boundary between mines. |
| BATTER | The slope on the side of cuttings or on dump or walls. |
| BE or Bends | Both Ends. This is an expression commonly used when negotiating for the chartering of a vessel, in the context that arrangements agreed upon apply at both the loading and discharging port(s). |
| BEAM | A bar or straight girder used to support a span of roof between two support props or walls. |
| BEAM BUILDING | The creation of a strong, inflexible beam by bolting or otherwise fastening together several weaker layers. In coal mining this is the intended basis for roof bolting. |
| BEARING PLATE | A plate used to distribute a given load. In roof bolting, the plate used between the bolt head and the roof. |
| BED | Stratum of coal or other sedimentary deposit. |
| BELL WIRES | Electric signal or control wires on belt conveyor, roperoad or incline. |
| BELT EXTENSION | A job of adding lengths of structure to a conveyor belt to move its receiving point inbye. |
| BELT HEAD | Location of belt head pulley. |
| BELT IDLER | A roller, usually of cylindrical shape, which is supported on a frame and which, in turn, supports or guides a conveyor belt. Idlers are not powered but turn by reason of contact with the moving belt. |
| BELT MAN | A person who operates or maintains the belt. |
| BELT OR BELT CONVEYOR | A looped belt on which coal or other materials can be carried and which is generally constructed of flame-resistant material or of reinforced rubber or rubber-like substance. |
| BELT RETRACTION | A job of removing lengths of structure from a conveyor belt to move its termination point outbye. |
| BELT TAKE-UP | A belt pulley, generally under a conveyor belt and inbye the drive pully, kept under strong tension parallel to the belt line. Its purpose is to automatically compensate for any slack in the belting created by start-up, etc. |
| BENCH | (1) When a high wall becomes too high for safety a bench is used to act as a buffer for falling rocks. (2) To advance a sinking shaft by taking rounds first from one side of the shaft and then from the other. |
| BERM | A pile or mound of material capable of restraining a vehicle. Or a horizontal interval between two benches in a high wall wide enough to contain any falling objects (also called safety berm or safety bench) |
| BEST | Large coal (as loaded into rail trucks etc.). |
| Bill of Lading | Document indicating a) cargo receipt prepared by shipper and signed by carrier, b) proof of ownership of the cargo, c) evidence of terms and conditions of the contract for carriage of cargo by sea. |
| BIN | Coal storage area - underground excavation or surface structure. |
| BINDER | A streak of impurity in a coal seam. |
| BIT | The hardened and strengthened device at the end of a drill rod that transmits the energy of breakage to the rock. The size of the bit determines the size of the hole. A bit may be either detachable from or integral with its supporting drill rod. |
| BITUMINOUS COAL | A general term descriptive of coal intermediate in rank between sub-bituminous and semi-anthracite and including coking coals. Bituminous coals may be either bright or dull and are usually banded in appearance. |
| BLACK COAL | A general term for coal of either sub-bituminous, bituminous or anthracite rank. |
| BLACK DAMP | A term generally applied to carbon dioxide. Strictly speaking, it is a mixture of carbon dioxide and nitrogen. It is also applied to an atmosphere deficient in oxygen, yet not containing significant methane. |
| BLACKS | The name given to the coal black shale material at the top of the coal seam; when mining, it often hides the true stone roof. |
| BLAST | A controlled explosion which is used to loosen the substance being mined. |
| BLASTING AGENT | Any material consisting of a mixture of a fuel and an oxidizer which: (1) Is used or intended for use in blasting. (2) Is not classed as an explosive by the Department of Transport. (3) Contains no ingredient classed as an explosive by the Department of Transport. (4) Cannot be detonated by a No. 8 blasting cap when tested as recommended by the Bureau of Mines Information Circular 8179. |
| BLASTING AREA | The area near blasting operations in which concussion or flying material can reasonably be expected to cause injury. |
| BLASTING CAP | A detonator containing a charge of detonating compound, which is ignited by electric current or the spark of a fuse. Used for detonating explosives. |
| BLASTING CIRCUIT | Electric circuits used to fire electric detonators or to ignite an igniter cord by means of an electric starter. |
| BLAST FURNACE | The receptacle for iron ore, coke and other raw materials used in the processing of iron ore into pig iron. Pig iron is subsequently processed into steel. The following chart shows the various components of the steel making process.
 |
| BLASTING SWITCH | A switch used to connect a power source to a blasting circuit. |
| BLEEDER (BLEEDER ENTRIES) | Special air courses developed and maintained as part of the mine ventilation system and designed to continuously move air-methane mixtures emitted by the gob away from active workings and into mine-return air courses. |
| Blends | A mixture of 2 or more coal types or brands. In the case of coke making, blending provides the manufacturer with the potential to mix lower cost poorer coking coals with higher cost hard coking coals and thereby reduce the overall cost of the coke oven feed. |
| BLOCK | A dimensional delineation of the coal; as in "a block of coal" or, "the reserves are blocked out". |
| BLOW PIPE | A thin pipe used to clean out shotholes with compressed air or water. |
| BLOWER | Jet of gas from strata. |
| BLOWN OUT SHOT | A shot that has failed to do its work. The energy of the explosives has blown out of either the front or the back of the shothole. |
| BOARD AND PILLAR | A continuous miner system of mining whereby a series of parallel roadways or headings are driven into the block of coal and interconnected by roadways known as cut-throughts to form solid coal blocks or pillars. Dimensions vary from 10 to 110 metres. |
| BOGHEAD COALS | (Kerosene shale, oil shale, torbanite). Members of the sapropelic coal group, resembling cannel coals in general appearance and properties but distinguished microscopically by the presence of alginite, and macroscopically by a brown or yellow streak when scratched. |
| BOLT TORQUE | The turning force in foot-pounds applied to a roof bolt to achieve an installed tension. |
| BOLTING MACHINES | Equipment used to install bolts into the roof, sides or floor surrounding mine roadways. |
| BOLTING RIGS | Equipment used to install bolts into the roof, sides or floor surrounding mine roadways. |
| BONE | Low quality coal. |
| BOODLE | To move coal, dirt or stone with a shovel or by hand (stone). |
| BOOM (OR JIB) | The extension of the loading conveyor which allows for the discharge of coal into another receiver, i.e. miner, shuttlecar, breaker feeder or conveyor boom (or jib). |
| BOOSTER FAN | An appliance used in a ventilation district or main airway to increase air flow. |
| BOOT END | This is the receiving hopper situated on the end of the panel conveyor. It accepts the coal from the shuttle car. |
| BORD | (1) Underground passageway made in solid coal in mining by the bord and pillar method. Australian legislation prevents bords from being driven over 5.5 m wide. (2) In certain mining districts a bord is a working place at right angles, or nearly so, to the direction of cleavage of the coal. (3) A driveage in the direction of advance of a panel or district. |
| BORD AND PILLAR | Method of underground coal mining where bords and cut- throughs are driven to form pillars. In some cases, the pillars are removed in a concurrent or later operation. |
| BOREHOLE | Any deep or long drill-hole, usually associated with a diamond drill or an oil well drill. |
| BORER | A device for making holes. The difference between a borer (used for making tunnels, circular shafts, and the like) and a drill, is the size of the hole produced. Borers take the large range of plus .9 m to 1.2 m. Because of the size involved, a borer is usually much more complex than a drill. |
| BOTTOM GAS | Mixture of methane and CO2 found near the floor in some mines. |
| BOTTOMS | The floor of the mine is usually stone but where coal is left accidentally or otherwise forming the floor, these are called "bottoms". |
| BOX-CUT | The initial opening used to access coal seams in an open-cut operation. |
| BOX-TYPE MAGAZINE | A small, portable magazine used to store limited quantities of explosives or detonators for short periods of time at locations in the mine which are convenient to the blasting sites at which they will be used. |
| BRACE | Landing stage in the headframe at which the skips are run out from the cage. See also "Bank". |
| Brand | The name given to a particular coal product. Each brand has its unique specification. |
| BRASSY (COAL) | Containing pyrite or marcasite, both sulphides of iron. |
| BRASSY TOPS | Low grade top coal impregnated with pyrite or marcasite. When exposed to air, these minerals may decompose causing heating and a fire. |
| BRAT | Thin flakes of stone band or coal sticking to the roof which fall away unexpectedly after the coal is mined. |
| BRATTICE (BRATTICE CLOTH) | Fire-resistant fabric or plastic partition used in a mine passage to confine the air and force it into the workinging place. Also termed "line brattice," "line canvas", or "line curtain". |
| BREAK | A crack or cavity in the strata encountered when boring-a shothole. |
| BREAK DETECTOR | A specially shaped tool used to detect breaks in shotholes. |
| BREAK LINE | The line which roughly follows the rear edges of coal pillars that are being mined. The line along which the roof of a coal mine is expected to break. |
| BREAKER | Switching device in electrical circuits or "Bradford Breaker" in coal preparation. |
| BREAKER PROPS | Large wooden props set in a group at the goaf edge. They are used to break off the goaf fall at a given point and prevent the fall extending along the roadway. |
| BREAKTHROUGH | (1) A narrow passage for ventilation which is cut through the pillars between bords. (2) That point in the mining cycle when the coal cutting machine meets another underground roadway or goaf edge. |
| BREAST | The face of a working. In coal mines, a chamber driven in the seam from the gangway, for the extraction of coal. |
| BRETBY | Trailing cable attachment to protect cable from damage, powering shearer - special type of cable stocking for longwall shearers. |
| BRIDGE CARRIER | A rubber-tyre-mounted mobile conveyor, about 9.1 m long, used as an intermediate unit to create a system of articulated conveyors between a mining machine and a room or entry conveyor. |
| BRIDGE CONVEYOR | A short conveyor hung from the boom of a mining or loading machine, with the other end attached to a receiving bin that dollies along a frame supported by the room or entry conveyor tailpiece. Thus, as the machine boom moves, the bridge conveyor keeps it in constant connection with the tailpiece. |
| BROKEN WORK | Pillar coal - as opposed to solid. |
| BROWN COAL | Coal of the lowest rank, of a soft friable nature and high moisture in the air-dried sample. |
| BRUSH (TO) | To remove rock or coal from the top (roof) of an opening (heading), thereby increasing the height of working. Used particularly in the longwall method of mining. The rock is packed elsewhere to provide support for the roof. The term has also been applied to the floor and roof. |
| BRUSHERS | Men who remove the rock from the roof or floor of a heading as a separate operation from mining coal. |
| BRUSHING | Digging up the bottom or taking down the top to give more headroom in roadways. |
| BSM | Brazilian Steel mills including the 5 major coal importers, ACOMINAS, COSIPA, CSN, CST and USIMINAS |
| BTU | (British Thermal Unit) The quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of distilled water 1°F at its point of maximum density. |
| BUG DUST | The fine particles of coal or other material resulting from the boring or cutting of the coal face by drill or machine. |
| BULL | Anti-runback device on rear of train of skips. |
| BULLED HOLE | Resulting from a blown out shot. The shothole is shattered to a greater or lesser degree, depending on the charge and generally results from too much "burden" on the shot. |
| BUMP (OR BURST) | The release of strain energy by the rock around the face area; the result is both noise and movement often resulting in rib falls. |
| Bunker | Is the section within the ship where the fuel is stored. The expression " Bunkers" is the fuel energy used by the ship. This can include different grades and types of fuel oil used, and coal. |
| BUNKER COAL | A term reserved for coal supplied as fuel to ships. |
| BUNTONS | Timber, concrete or steel members set in a shaft to support rail guides, cables, etc. |
| BURDEN | The thickness or quantity of rock that a single number of shots is expected to move. |
| BURN CUT | A number of more or less parallel holes drilled into a face, some of which are charged and fired to form the "cut" into which subsequent holes fire. |
| BUTT | That portion or remainder of a shothole found in the face after a shot has been fired. |
| BUTT CLEAT | A short, poorly defined vertical cleavage plane in a coal seam, usually at right angles to the long face cleat. |
| BUTT ENTRY | A coal mining term that has different meanings in different locations. It can be synonymous with panel entry, sub-main entry, or in its older sense it refers to an entry that is "butt" onto the coal cleavage (that is, at right angles to the face). |
| BUTTERFILES | (1) Skip stoppers (2) Steel (usually pieces of "W" strap) used to support the roof around some roof bolts. |
| C&F | Cost and Freight. See CFR. |
| CABIN | Term used for underground office. |
| CABLE REEL | Device for paying out and reeling in of a trailing cable as a machine moves away from or towards the cable anchor. |
| CAGE | Box-like container attached to the winding rope and used to hold the skips or the men during the hoisting operation in the shaft. |
| CAKING COAL | Coal which leaves a coherent (agglomerated) residue when subjected to fast heating. |
| CALL OPTION | The right but not the obligation to buy an underlying asset. |
| CALORIFIC VALUE | Quantity of heat produced when a unit weight of coal burns. Calorific value is measured in British thermal units per pound or calories per gram. |
| CANCH | (1) Upper portion of a coal pillar mined in advance of the lower portion. The term is used to describe a method of pillar removal adopted by some mines working the thick Greta gas coal seam in the Maitland District, New South Wales. (2) A step up in the level of a roadway floor. |
| CANNEL COALS | Members of the sapropelic coal group, generally tough, unbanded, and of satin sheen or waxy lustre, distinguished microscopically by a black, shiny streak when scratched. Generally high in volatile matter, they are readily ignited and burn with a luminous smokey flame. |
| CANOPY | A protective cab on a mining machine. |
| CANVAS | The term is usually applied to brattice cloth, which is a heavy canvas of cotton, hemp or flax and frequently fireproofed. |
| CAP | (1) A pale blue flame that forms above the ordinary yellow flame in a safety lamp. It is due to firedamp (methane) burning. The quantity of firedamp present is estimated from the size and shape of the cap. (2) A piece of timber placed horizontally on top of-one or two vertical timbers to support the roof. (3) A miner's safety helmet. |
| CAP BLOCK | A flat piece of wood inserted between the top of the prop and the roof to provide bearing support. |
| CAP LAMP | A rechargeable, battery operated light worn on a miner's safety helmet. |
| CAPE SIZE VESSEL | Vessels capable of carrying 120 000 tonnes to 180 000 (+) tonnes when fully loaded. |
| CAPPEL | Terminal connection on winding or hauling rope onto cage or vehicle. |
| CAR | A railway wagon, especially any of the wagons adapted to carrying coal, ore and waste underground. |
| CAR CABLE | The trailing cable that supplies electricity to a shuttle car. |
| CAR DUMP | The mechanism for unloading a loaded car. |
| CARBIDE BIT | More correctly, cemented tungsten carbide. A cutting or drilling bit for rock or coal, made by fusing an insert of moulded tungsten carbide to the cutting edge of a steel bit shank. |
| CARBON CONTENT | The amount of carbon in coal. |
| Carbonisation | The process of converting coking coal into coke. |
| CARBON SEQUESTRAION | The capture and long term storage of CO2. |
| CARRIER (ALSO CARRYING BAR) | A main roof support carrying other supports across an intersection or under a fall. |
| CAST | A directed throw, in open-cut mining, the overburden is cast from the virgin ore or coal to the previously mined area. |
| CATCH POINT | De-railing device on trackwork for runaway prevention. |
| CAVE | A collapse of the mine workings. |
| CAVIL | Quarterly or half-yearly redistribution of working places in a mine made between contract parties of miners to ensure that an equable distribution of "easy" and "difficult" places is achieved. In carrying out a cavil the working places are numbered and corresponding numbers (marbles) are placed in a box or small barrel. In a second similar box or barrel, numbers corresponding to the employees arranged in groups of two or more, are placed.
Representatives selected by the employees then take a number from each box or barrel. The working place corresponding to the number allotted to the employees designated by the other number. This drawing of numbers is repeated until all employees are allotted working places. A week before the cavil is to take place the management posts a notice calling for names of men who desire to participate in the cavil and the name of the "mate" with whom they desire to work. |
| CAVIL OUT | Retrenchment in order of seniority. |
| CD or CQD | Customary despatch or Customary quick despatch. The basic meaning of this phrase is that the charterer must load and/or discharge as quickly as possible depending on the prevailing circumstances at the loading/discharging locations. There is, however, no fixed criteria for how quick customary despatch should be. |
| CENTRE LEG | Prop under centre of baulk or girder. |
| CERTIFIED | Describes a person who has passed an examination to do a required job. |
| CFR or C&F | Cost and freight. The word cost signifies the price of the goods as loaded and to which is added the freight to get the goods to the estination. The term is used with the name of the destination port, eg.CFR Hamburg. |
| CHAIN CONVEYOR | A conveyor on which the material is moved along -solid pans (troughs) by the action of scraper crossbars attached to powered chains. |
| CHAIN PILLAR | The pillar of coal left to protect the gangway or entry and the parallel airways. |
| CHARGE ROOM | Location in mine where locomotive batteries are recharged. |
| Charterer | A person or corporation who hires a vessel for the carriage of goods (either a time charter or voyage charter, or leases the vessel for their own management and control (a bareboat/demise charter). |
| Charterparty | The document that contains the details of the charter or contract. Standard-form charterparties are common today for various types of contracts and different trades. |
| CHECK CURTAIN | Sheet of brattice cloth hung across an airway to control the passage of the air current. |
| CHECK INSPECTOR | District or local official of the union appointed and paid by the underground employees to look after their interests regarding safety. The duties are laid down in the regulations governing mining operations. |
| CHECK WEIGHMAN | Person appointed by ballot by the underground employees to check the weight of coal mined by contract miners. |
| CHEMICAL CARTRIDGE | Sausage shaped flexible container of two chemicals which, when mixed, form a quick setting resin - used in roof and rock bolting. |
| CHITTER | Waste rock broken during mining and picked or washed out from the coal. |
| CHOCK | (1) A roof support unit for use in large openings which consists of wooden or steel blocks stacked between the floor and the roof often filled with stone for added stability (2) An hydraulic support used with the longwall system of mining. |
| CHOCK CONTROL UNIT | Hydro-electric device to move supports. |
| CHPP | (Coal Handling and Preparation Plant) A plant used to upgrade the quality of coal including crushing, sizing and drying - usually refers to the reduction of ash forming mineral in coal. |
| CHUCK ON | Re-railer on skip haulage road. |
| CHUCK OVER | A weighted or spring loaded lever which activates a set of points to ensure they remain set either "open" or "closed". |
| CHUTE | A structure designed to allow the transfer of bulk solids by force of gravity. Often only the structure at the mouth of a pass or packet is called a chute. |
| CIF | Cost, insurance and freight. Basically the same as "C&F" but the seller must also procure insurance against the risk of loss or damage during the voyage. The seller contracts with the insurer, pays the insurance premium, and then includes this in the price of the goods. |
| CINDER COAL | (Natural coke, cinder). Coal which has been significantly altered by heat associated with natural igneous activity; usually local in character. |
| CLAY VEIN | A body of clay-like material that fills a void in a coal bed. |
| CLEAN COAL | The coal product that has undergone processing (wet or dry). |
| CLEAN COAL TECHNOLOGIES | Technologies that are being developed to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired electricity generation to near-zero levels. |
| CLEAT | Parallel cleavage planes or partings crossing the bedding and along which the coal breaks more easily than in any other direction. |
| CLIPPER | Person who attaches clips to a moving endless rope used for skip haulage. The chain from the clip is attached to the skip, as the clip becomes fast on the rope, the skip moves along. |
| COAL BLOCK | A section of insitu coal that may range in size, generally pillar to longwall block. |
| COAL BLENDING | Coal that is mixed in predetermined and controlled quantities to give a uniform feed or product. |
| COAL CLEARANCE SYSTEM | A system used to transfer coal from the working faces to the surface. |
| COAL CUTTER | Machine used to cut a horizontal or vertical slot about 150 mm wide in solid coal, extending back into the coal for a distance of up to 3 m. This opening may be at the floor or top of the seam, or in the case of a relatively thick seam near the centre. A vertical cut or shear is sometimes made in addition to the horizontal cut. The cut is made by a fast-moving chain carrying small steel picks. It is placed to assist in the working of solid coal with explosives. |
| COAL DUST | Particles of coal that can pass a No. 20 sieve. |
| COAL HANDLING AND PREPARATION PLANT | A plant used to upgrade the quality of coal including crushing, sizing and drying - usually refers to the reduction of ash forming mineral in coal. |
| COAL MINE | An area of land and all structures, facilities, machinery, tools, equipment, shafts, slopes, tunnels, excavations and other property, real or personal, placed upon, under or above the surface of such land by any person, used in, or to be used in, or resulting from the work of extracting in such area bituminous coal, lignite, or anthracite from its natural deposits in the earth by any means or method and the work of preparing the coal so extracted and includes custom coal preparation facilities. |
| COAL PREPARATION | (1) The work of cutting, boring, and blasting the coal at the face ready for the loading machines. (2) Treatment by screening to give coal of various sizes to meet a purchaser's requirements; also treatment by one or more processes to reduce the amount of waste (ash) present in the coal. |
| COAL RESERVE | The economically mineable part of the coal resource, as defined in the JORC Code. It includes diluting materials and allowances for losses. |
| COAL RESOURCE | Coal in the ground with reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction, as defined in the JORC Code. |
| COAL SIZING PLANT | Plant used to size, crush or screen coal to market specifications. |
| COAL WASHERY | A Coal Washery or Coal Preparation Plant is a plant which removes ash from the coal to improve its quality as a commercial product. |
| COBBLES | Fist size lumps of coal. |
| COCK HOLE | Point to which horse limbers connect on skip. |
| COKE | The end product of the carbonisation of coal. Generated from coking coal after being heated at high temperature in an atmosphere substantially devoid of oxygen, passing through a transient plastic stage in which the coal successively softens, swells and resolidifies into a coherent cellular coke ready for use in the steel making process. |
| COKE | The end product of the carbonisation of coal. Generated from coking coal after being heated at high temperature in an atmosphere substantially devoid of oxygen, passing through a transient plastic stage in which the coal successively softens, swells and resolidifies into a coherent cellular coke ready for use in the steel making process. |
| COKE OVEN | An enclosed vessel in which coking coal is converted to coke for use in steel making. The airtight compartments into which coking coal is charged and subsequently heated to about 1000 degrees Celsius. |
| COKING COAL | Coal which are is suitable for coke making and used in the production of metallurgical coke. |
| COLD SET | Heat-treated chisel. |
| COLLAR | The term applied to the timbering or concrete around the mouth or top of a shaft. Also, see "Crossbar". |
| COLLIERY | English name for coal mine. |
| COMPETENT | A person that is capable of performing a given job but not certified. |
| COMPONENT | As applied to coal mining equipment, an integral part of a machine that may be removed from the machine in its entirety |
| CONSIDERATION | Extra payment to contract miners to reimburse them for delays or additional work arising from unusual circumstances. |
| CONSUMER/td> | A corporation which uses coal as a fuel or raw material, eg. A power utility, a cement works, an industrial furnace operator, a steel mill. |
| CONTANGO | When a derivative instrument (future or swap) price is above the expected future spot price. |
| CONTINUOUS MINER | The electric powered cutting machine used to remove coal from the face and load it into the shuttle car. It comes in a variety of makes and sizes. Also - a remote-controlled, tracked, electrically powered coal cutting and loading machine used to form mine roadways and extract coal pillars. |
| CONTOUR | An imaginary line which connects all points on a surface having the same elevation. |
| CONVENTIONAL MINING | A system which is older than continuous mining and uses the cyclical operations of cutting, drilling, shooting and loading. |
| CONVEYOR | The means of transporting coal from the boot end to the underground bin or surface. It consists of an endless belt being driven by a motor drum system over a structure roller assembly. |
| CORE | The innermost portion; in this case, the cylindrical rock sample produced by the cutting action of a diamond drill. |
| COREX | See "Corex Coal" below and Appendix 3. |
| COREX COAL | A number of steel makers are using non blast furnace processes for the production of pig iron. One particular process being used by Pohang Steel in Korea and Jindal Steel in India involves the direct reduction of a mixture of coal and iron ore using the “Corex” process. The coal quality requirements for Corex differ from coke oven blends. The process can utilise a range of coal types, including thermal coals, provided the feed coal at the plant has a sizing generally above 8mm (8x50mm) and good “char” forming characteristics. |
| COUP (TO) (COPE) | To remove a skip from the rails to permit another skip to pass, by turning it over on its side away from the track. The term applied to approximately one tonne capacity ships used in hand mining. |
| COVER | The overburden on any deposit. |
| COWL | Attachment on ranging arm to suppress dust and direct coal onto armoured face conveyor. |
| CPP | (Coal Handling and Preparation Plant) A plant used to upgrade the quality of coal including crushing, sizing and drying - usually refers to the reduction of ash forming mineral in coal. |
| CREEP | (1) Upward movement of a relatively soft floor of a seam under pressure from adjacent coal pillars - can be called floor heave. (2) Sometimes used for widespread movement of the upper strata because pillars left for roof support were insufficient size over a relative large area. |
| CRIB | Mealtime. |
| CRIB BAG | The modern equivalent of the crib can. |
| CRIB CAN | Lunch box. Usually fabricated from galvanised iron sheet and shaped to fit comfortably against the hip (for pushbike riding miners). |
| CRIB ROOM | The crib room is the location which has been fitted out with tables and seats for meal breaks. |
| CRIBO (Slang) | Payment for working through meal break or crib break. |
| CROP | An abbreviation of outcrop, the surface exposure of a coal seam. |
| CROP COAL | Coal at the outcrop of the seam. It is usually considered of inferior quality due to partial oxidation, although this is not always the case. |
| CROSS-BAR | The horizontal member of a roof timber set supported by props located either on roadways or at the face. |
| CRUDE STEEL | The molten end product after the processing of pig iron in steel making furnaces to remove excess carbon. Steel making furnaces comprise basic oxygen furnaces, electric arc (EAF) furnaces and open-hearth furnaces. |
| CSN | Crucible Swelling Number; the higher the number, the better the coking properties. |
| CUT AND FLIT | A continuous miner system of mining used to develop a panel, typically 7 headings wide, that involves the continuous miner cutting out a designated length of roadway and flitting to another working face in a predetermined sequence within the panel. A roof bolting machine then moves into the place left by the miner and installs roof support concurrently with coal production in another roadway. |
| CV | Calorific Value basis (either GAD, NAR, or GAR). |
| CYCLE | A method of working in which mining operations take place in a specified sequence. |
| CYCLE MINING | A system of mining in more than one working place at a time, that is, a miner takes a lift from the face and moves to another face while permanent roof support is established in the previous face. |
| DANGLERS | Reflective signs hung from survey pins to indicate driveage direction. |
| DARG | Output of coal (in skips) arbitrarily fixed by contract miners as constituting the day's output per man. It was usually the maximum number of skips that could be made available to every miner each day. When the darg has been reached, the miners cease production. |
| DAYLIGHT | Point in mine where light of day can first be seen by men emerging (see Eyesight). |
| Deadfreight | freight payable on cargo space booked but not actually used. |
| DEADWORK | Essential work not directly connected with the mining or transporting of coal. |
| DECLINE | An inclined roadway or drift used to provide surface access to an underground coal seam or underground access between seams or to different levels within the one seam. |
| DELAY DETONATOR | A detonator incorporating an element which determines the time interval at which detonation occurs. |
| DEMURRAGE | Refers specifically to the money payable to the owner for delay incurred for which the owner is not responsible in loading and/or discharging after the laytime allowed for in the charterparty has expired. The rate of demurrage is usually agreed upon in advance in the charterparty. |
| DEPUTY | Supervisor in charge of a section or district of a mine, and all employees working therein. The statutory duties, responsibility and authority of a deputy are set down in the relevant mining regulations. |
| DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENT | A derivative instrument is a product whose performance is derived on the behaviour of the price of the underlying asset. |
| DESPATCH MONEY | Payment/compensation, by way of a bonus, to the charterer for loading and/or discharging a vessel in less time than is stipulated in the charterparty. The compensation is to reimburse the charterers/ shippers or consignees for any expenses they may have incurred in order to save time to the vessel. In other words despatch money is the exact opposite of demurrage. Despatch is only payable if allowed for in the charterparty. |
| DETACHING HOOK | Device that frees the cage from the haulage rope in the event of an overwind in the shaft The cage remains suspended. |
| DETECTORS | Specialised chemical or electronic instruments used to detect mine gases. |
| DETONATOR | A device containing a small amount of very powerful explosive which is used to initiate the explosion of the main charge when shotfiring. |
| DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES | The process of establishing a mining panel (pillars or longwall block). |
| DEVELOPMENT APPROVAL | A formal planning approval, issued for proposed developments under the environmental planning and Assessment Act 1979. |
| DEVELOPMENT CONSENT | A formal planning approval, issued for proposed developments under the environmental planning and Assessment Act 1979. |
| DHD (or D ½ D) | Despatch half Demurrage. The amount of demurrage and despatch is a matter for negotiation before the fixture. In cases where owners expect despatch will have to be paid anyway, they will try to fix demurrage at the lowest possible figure which will consequently keep the despatch rate down on the Despatch half Demurrage terms. |
| DIAMOND CUT | Holes drilled at an angle to a face so that the bottom of the holes converge to form a pyramid (pyramid cut). |
| DIFFUSER FAN | A fan mounted on a continuous miner to assist and direct air delivery from the machine to the face. |
| DIFFUSION | Blending of a gas and air, resulting in an homogenous mixture. Blending of two or more gases. |
| DILLY ROPE | Auxiliary haulage rope (tow rope). |
| DINTING (RIPPING) (OR BOTTOM BRUSHING) | Removing rock from the floor of a seam - floor brushing. |
| DIP | The grade of the coal seam. It is usually expressed as I in X in a certain direction. |
| DIRT | Valueless rock (shale, sandstone) present within the coal seam or broken from the bottom or top of the seam during coal mining. |
| DISPLACEMENT | (1) A joint plane along which vertical or horizontal movement has occurred. (2) The amount by which a seam is moved by a fault. |
| DOG BONE (DUMBELL) | Used to connect line pans together. |
| DOG-WATCH | Night shift; from about 11.00 p.m. to about 7.00 am depending on individual mines. |
| DOLLY | A length of prepared clay/sand stemming (in shotfiring). |
| DOLLY (MIXER) | The tool used in the chuck of the bolting machine to rotate the roof bolt to mix the chemical to secure the roof bolt. |
| DOLLY CAR | Control car permanently attached to the drift haulage rope. |
| DOLLY SPANNER | The tool used in the chuck of the bolting machine to tighten the bolt after it has been secured. |
| DOLLY TIGHTENING | See Dolly Spanner. |
| DOOR | Set across part or all of a roadway to prevent the passage of ventilating air but allowing traffic to pass when required. |
| DOUBLER | Two shifts worked sequentially, one being an overtime shift. |
| DOWNCAST | Shaft or other mine opening down which fresh air from the surface passes. |
| DOWNTHROW | Amount of displacement, measured vertically, between the upper and lower portions of a coal seam displaced by a downthrow fault. (See "fault"). |
| DOWTY | A hydraulic prop. |
| DRAW SLATE | A soft slate, shale, or rock from 5.08 cm to 60.96 cm thick and located immediately above certain coal seams, which falls quite easily when the coal support is withdrawn. |
| DRI | Direct reduction of iron ore to produce pig iron utilising coal instead of coke. See " Corex ". |
| DRIFT | An inclined access from the surface to the coal seam or from coal seam to another coal seam. It often contains a conveyor belt or man-riding train. |
| DRIFTER | A hand-held boring machine mounted on an air leg used to bore holes when driving drifts or drives. |
| DRILL BITS | The drill tool which fits in the top of the drill steel and used in the cutting action in the hole drilling operation. |
| DRILL STEEL | The length of drill rod which fits into the chuck of the bolting machine to drill holes in the roof for the placement of roof bolts or in drilling holes when driving drifts, sinking shafts or other stone work. |
| DRIPPER | Water dropping from the roof. |
| DRIVE | A heading, drift, advancing place or face. |
| DRIVEHEAD | The driving mechanism of motor, gearbox and drive drum which is responsible for the movement of the conveyor belt. |
| DRUM | Cutting disc on shearer. |
| DUES | Fees paid regularly by all members of a union. |
| DUFF | Fine coal. |
| DUMP | Discharge point for loaded shuttle cars and other haulage devices. Also location of supplies in a production section, e.g. timber dump. |
| DUSTED | (1) Term used to describe a diseased lung condition of a miner who has breathed dust-laden air over a prolonged period which has resulted in dust particles being lodged in the lungs. (2) Term used to describe treatment of workings with powdered limestone to prevent the propagation of coal dust explosions. |
| DWT | Deadweight Tons. Deadweight cargo capacity is the weight (in tons or tonnes) of the cargo required to sink the ship to her loadline after allowing for bunkers, stores, etc. |
| DYKE | (1) Normally vertical intrusion of igneous rock cutting across the strata. Can vary tremendously between 0.6 m to 20 m or more in the horizontal dimension. (2) An intrusive body which has disrupted the coal seam by cutting vertically through it. Usually it has a cindered band of coal each side of the rock. |
| EARTH LEAKAGE | Device to disconnect electric current in case of and earth fault reaching a certain magnitude. |
| EAF | Electric arc furnace. |
| EFFECTIVE CAPACITY | The maximum production possible under normal working conditions. |
| EGRESS | A negotiable roadway (see "Second Means of Egress"). |
| ENDLESS ROPE | Rope haulage using a driven cee wheel to impart motion to the rope, with the rope travelling inbye over one road to haul empty skips inbye, around a sheave set below the road and over a second road to haul full skips outbye. A tension device is used to keep the rope tight on the cee wheel. |
| ENERGY COAL | Coal used to provide heat for steam raising as part of the electricity generation process. |
| ENTERPRISE AGREEMENT | A collective agreement under industrial relations legislation. |
| ENTRY | An underground passage used for haulage, ventilation, or as a man-way. |
| ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT | A detailed assessment of environmental matters relating to a major project as defined under part 3A of the environmental planning and Assessment Act 1979. |
| EVASEE | The ducting on the exhaust side of a ventilation fan. |
| EXPLODER | A machine used for generating the current for firing shots by the electrical method. |
| EXPLOITATION | This is the process of economic recovery or removal of the developed mineral body. |
| EXPLORATION | The search for mineral deposits and the work done to prove or establish the extent of a mineral deposit. |
| EXPLORATION TENEMENT | A licence granted under the Mining Act 1992 to allow exploration to be undertaken with the objective of determining the occurrence and extent of a coal resource and to assess the potential for mining. |
| EXPLOSIVE | Any rapidly combustive or expanding substance. The energy released during this rapid combustion or expansion can be used to break rock. |
| EXTRACTED ON RETREAT | Coal that is recovered from coal pillars once the panel has been fully developed to its designed boundary by retreating and extracting the previously formed pillars. often in conjunction with the use of hydraulic supports (breaker line supports or BlSs) to protect the immediate working area. |
| EYESIGHT | Location in mine where men walking pause to let their eyes become accustomed to darkness.. |
| F.I.O. | Free in and out. This expression means it is the responsibility of the charterers to load, or the consignees to discharge, the cargo for their respective accounts, that is free of expense to the owners. |
| F.O.B. | Free on board. Stipulates that the seller is to deliver the goods on board the vessel free of cost to the buyer at a port named in the sales contract. |
| F.O.B.T. | Free on board and trimmed. |
| F.O.R. | Free on rail. |
| FACE | The inbye end of the mine roadway, usually the working place for coal extraction. |
| FALCON | A compressed air-powered percussive drill used to drill vertically up or steeply inclined holes and to set roof bolts. |
| FALL | Collapse of roof material. |
| FAN | Part of elaborate ventilating system used to pass air through the mine workings. The "main" fan is located on the surface but other fans may be located within the workings. (See Auxiliary Fan and Booster Fan). |
| FAN DRIFT | A short inclined passageway cut out from the side of an upcast shaft leading to the inlet of the mine fan. Used where the upcast shaft also contains winding gear, i.e. second means of egress. |
| FAS | Free alongside. If a charterparty provides for delivery of cargo free alongside it is the responsibility of the shipper to arrange for delivery of the cargo within reach of cargo handling equipment at the port or on another vessel. |
| FAULT | Break in the continuity of a coal seam or rock strata. There are many types of fault. |
| FAULT AND DYKE STRUCTURES | Discontinuities in the coal seam that may impact upon the mineability or quality of the surrounding coal. |
| FC | Fixed Carbon calculated by difference, i.e. 100% minus the sum of moisture, ash, and volatile matter. |
| FEEDER | (1) A piece of equipment which aids the flow of coal from one location (perhaps a bin) to another (perhaps a conveyor belt); or (2) Breaker feeder which is a stationary but mobile piece of mining equipment which breaks large lumps of coal into smaller pieces and discharges coal onto a conveyor belt. |
| FENDER | The block of coal between a pillar split and the goaf. |
| FILL | Any material that is put back in place of the extracted ore to provide ground support. |
| FIO | Free in and out. This expression means that it is the responsibility of the charterer to load, or the consignee to discharge, the cargo for their respective accounts, that is free of expense to the owners of the vessel. |
| FIRE DEPOT | A collection of fire-fighting equipment found at boot ends and at least every 400 m along conveyors, also at other critical points in the mine. They are required by law in some countries. |
| FIRE STATION | The main colliery fire-fighting equipment kept close to pit top. |
| FIRE STINK | The smell detected in the return air from a self-heating; sometimes like garlic when the heating is in the early stages but usually quite distinctive for a mine which is liable to self- heatings. The fan attendant or engine driver is usually appointed to enter the fan drift at regular intervals to detect the smell of a heating in its early stages. |
| FIRE SUB-STATION | Fire-fighting equipment set up near the entrance to each underground fire zone. |
| FIRE TEAM | Each colliery has a chosen team of trained men for this purpose. |
| FIREDAMP | Any mixture of methane and air is firedamp. If mixed in the range 5 to 150 (methane in air) the mixture will explode and has been the source of many explosions in coal mines. If above 15% the mixture will burn and hence the name firedamp. At one time firedamp used to be removed by deliberately lighting it. (See also Methane). |
| FIRST WORKINGS | Driving roadways in solid coal (before commencement or pillar extraction). |
| FIRST-AID STATION | Area set aside for medical and first-aid equipment. |
| FISH PLATE | Rail connecting plates used in trackwork. |
| FISSURE | An extensive crack, break or fracture in the rocks. |
| FIXED CARBON | That part of the carbon which remains behind when coal is heated in a closed vessel until all of the volatile matter is driven off. |
| FLAME SAFETY LAMP (FSL) | A lamp used to check for oxygen deficiencies and presence of methane. NOTE:It is not possible to determine what type of gases are present with a FSL. It is also used to provide emergency lighting. Also known as a locked oil flame safety lamp (LOFSL). |
| FLAMEPROOF (ENCLOSURE) | Steel box containing electrical equipment, designed to cool any spark or flame occurring inside to a temperature below that required to ignite methane on the outside. |
| FLAMEPROOF (EQUIPMENT) | Equipment within which an explosive mixture of gas can ignite without igniting explosive gases surrounding the equipment. |
| FLASH POINT | The minimum temperature at which sufficient vapour is released by a liquid or solid to form a flammable vapour-air mixture at atmospheric pressure. |
| FLAT | Marshalling or storage depot for full or empty skips. One flat may serve a number of working places |
| FLAT SHEET | Steel sheet to: (1) Make for easier shovelling. (2) Slew skips on. |
| FLAT-TOP | Steel rail trolley for transport of rails - timber, bricks, etc. - loco hauled. |
| FLIGHT | The metal strap or crossbar attached to the drag chain and flight conveyor. |
| FLIT (TO) | (1) To drive a relatively immobile coal cutting/loading machine from one workplace. (2) To drive mining equipment such as coal cutters, loaders, continuous miners from one point to another. |
| FLIT PLUG(S) | (1) The plug on the end of a trailing cable. (2) An attachment for joining two power cables together - also a back to back. |
| FLITTING | The movement of the miner and other face equipment from one working face to another. |
| FLOAT DUST | Fine coal dust particles carried in suspension by air currents and eventually deposited in return entries. Dust consisting of particles of coal that can pass through a No. 200 sieve. |
| FLOATER | (1) Employee who fills the place of an absentee. Also termed a scout miner. (2) Piece of waste rock in a seam or discontinuity in roof. (3) A relatively insecure piece of roof material. Also kettle bottom, pot arse, slippery, greasy back. |
| FLOOR | Any material that is put back in place of the extracted ore to provide ground support. |
| FLOOR HEAVE | See "Creep". |
| FLOTATION | Wet process for the separation of coal from waste rock. The coal particles are lifted or floated to the surface by air bubbles in a liquid medium. |
| FLUIDITY | The degree to which coal becomes plastic over certain temperature ranges during the carbonisation process. The measurement of " maximum fluidity " is used by some steel makers, particularly Japanese steel mills, in assessing the ability of coal particles to mix with other coals in a coke oven blend. Maximum fluidity is determined by placing a sample of finely ground coal in a crucible and measuring the speed of rotation of a paddle placed within the crucible which is heated. A gravitational force is applied to the paddle and the maximum rotation of the paddle is measured in dial divisions per minute or DDPM. The temperature at which the paddle reaches maximum rotation differs for varying coal types. |
| FOB | Free on board. Stipulates that the seller is to deliver the goods on board the vessel free of cost to the buyer at the port named in the sales contract. |
| FOBT | Free on board and trimmed. The trimmed indicates that the cargo has been trimmed within the hold for the sake of the ships stability and to make room for additional cargo. |
| FOOT SECTION (TAIL SECTION) | A term used in both belt and chain conveyor work to designate that portion of the conveyor at the extreme opposite end from the delivery point. In either type of conveyor it consists of a frame and either a sprocket or a drum on which the chain or belt travels, plus such other devices as may be required for adjusting belt or chain tension. |
| FOR | Free on rail. |
| FRACTURE | An old miners' term for explosives. |
| FROG | Centre point section of a rail turnout also called a crossing. |
| FUMES | Gases, both non-toxic and poisonous, resulting from-the detonation of explosives. |
| FUTURES CONTRACT | A contract that obligates the holder of the contract to buy or sell an underlying asset at a predetermined delivery price during a specified future time period. |
| GANTRY | Elevated structure on surface - usually carries main conveyor from tunnel portal to top of a bin. Also type of workshop crane. |
| GAD | Gross air dried |
| GAR | Gross as received |
| GAS | This term is used synonymously with firedamp. |
| GAS DRAINAGE | The system used to extract gas from the coal and remove it from the mine. |
| GAS RANGE | A pipe marked with a yellow band carrying seam gas out of the mine. |
| GATE | Roadway leading to a working place in longwall mining. |
| GATE END BOX(LOAD CENTRE) | An electrical control centre used in a panel to (OR DCB) control and distribute power to the face machinery (usually flameproof). |
| GATE ROADS | Access roadways connecting the longwall working face with the Main Roadways. |
| GATHERING CONVEYOR | Any conveyor which is used to gather coal from other conveyors and deliver it either into mine cars or onto another conveyor. The term is frequently used with belt conveyors placed in entries where a number of room conveyors deliver coal onto the belt. |
| Geological Classification | Rank is a term which signifies the degree of coalification that the sediments which constitute the coal have undergone. Rank increases from lignite to semi-bituminous to bituminous to semi-anthracite to anthracite. In the database coal reserves have been classified by rank. |
| GEORDY PUMP | Baling device. |
| GEORDY TURN | Square bar used as rails. |
| GIN | (In historical terms). Appliance used for hoisting broken material up a shaft in prospecting work. It comprises a large cylindrical drum around which the haulage rope is wound The drum is frequently rotated by a horse. |
| GIRDER | Heavy steel horizontal roof. support. |
| GKCT | Gray King Coke Type; the higher the number, the better the coking properties. |
| GLOBALCOAL | “GlobalCOAL” trading system for Newcastle coal. An online marketplace formed to facilitate physical or derivative coal trading and the provision of coal related services and information. |
| GOAF-SIDE | That side of a coal pillar near the goaf. |
| GOAF (VOIDS) | The space left following extraction of the coal seam where the roof material is allowed to collapse. |
| GOB | Same as goaf. |
| GOB STINK | Smell from a goaf area - stale air, rotting timber, etc. - usually with smell of burning. |
| GREASY BACK | A parting which cuts across both bedding and cleat, the surfaces of which appear to be polished. A source of instability in roof, rib and face as slabs of material part from the polished surfaces without warning. |
| GRUB (TO) | To dint or rip floor material. |
| GRUNCHING | Blasting the coal out of the solid seam without previous undercutting. |
| GUARD BOARDS | Boards placed alongside and extending below trolley and other power wires not more than 1.98 m above the rail at crossings where men and animals must pass under to protect them from contact with the power wires. |
| GUARD RAIL | An additional rail placed beside the track rail in service to compel the flange of the wheels to run close to the latter in crossing over frog points or entering switches. |
| GUIDES | Vertical timbers, rails, or wire rope in the shaft to guide the cage in its passage up and down. |
| GUNITE | A cement applied by spraying to the roof and sides of a mine passage. |
| HALF-ROUND | See "Baulk". |
| HALF-ROUND CROWN | Same as for "Crown" only split into two. |
| HARD COKING COAL | Coals which make hard coke when carbonised in the coke oven. |
| HEAD | The pressure in metres of water column. Also, that part of the face nearest the roof. |
| HEADFRAME/HEADSHEAVES | Structure erected at the surface above the shaft to permit the rope of the winding engine to pass down and up the shaft. At the top of the headframe is the head pulley or pulleys. (Sheaves). |
| HEADING | (1) Roadways forming the openings in the direction of development of the panel. Heading direction parallel to cleavage direction. (2) A roadway driven in the solid. (3) A roadway driven in the direction of advance of a district, e.g. main headings, 2 s.w. heading, etc. |
| HEATING | Self heating - outbreak of spontaneous combustion underground (or in surface stockpile). |
| HEAVING | Applied to the rising of the bottom after removal of the coal. |
| HEWER | A coal miner. This term is more particularly applied when the hand method of mining is used. |
| HGI | Hardgrove Grindability Index - ease of pulverisation (eg 30 is very hard, 70 is soft). |
| HIGH | TENSION CABLE Higher voltage supply cable taking power from the surface to the underground transformers. |
| HOGSBACK | A sharp rise in the floor of a seam. |
| HOIST | The mechanism for reeling in the hoist rope; the hoisting prime mover; called winder in England. |
| HOLEING | Undercutting - breaking through. |
| HOLEING | BAND Soft band suitable for undercutting. |
| HOPPIT | Large bucket used as a container for rock broken during shaft sinking. |
| HORN | Steel pin to retain load on trollies or flat tops. |
| HORSEBACK | A mass of material with a slippery surface in the roof, shaped like a horse's back. |
| HOT METAL | See pig iron. |
| HUTCH | Alternative for "skip". |
| HV | High volatile matter coal, > 31% on a dry mineral matter free basis. |
| HYDRANTS | The water outlet found at the boot end and at least every 100 m along the conveyor water lines. They are the connection points for fire-fighting hoses. |
| HYDRAULIC STOWAGE | Filling of worked out sections of a coal seam by pumping in a slurry of water and fine sand or rock. The water drains away and the residue sets hard thus supporting the overlying rock and preventing collapse of the superincumbent strata |
| IISI | International Iron and Steel Institute. |
| IM | Inherent Moisture. |
| IN SITU | Total reserves of coal in seam. Term used by geologists for coal that exists but is not necessarily mineable. |
| INBYE | The direction along a roadway towards the face thus going away from the surface entry. |
| INERTISATION | Injection of inert gas (nitrogen etc.) into a mine to extinguish a fire. |
| IN-SEAM GAS DRAINAGE SYSTEM | A method of reducing the insitu gas content of the seam to within acceptable limits by drilling holes into the seam or surrounding strata ahead of mining. |
| INSERT | The immediate entry into each coal seam. |
| INSET (1) | Opening leading from a shaft (or drift) into a coal seam. (2) A pocket in the side of a shaft (or drift) cut out for a special purpose, e.g. pump station, dam, etc. |
| INSPECTOR | Person appointed by the Government (Department of Mines) under the mining regulations. His duties include the making of examinations of the mine to ascertain whether the regulations relating to the operations are being observed. |
| INSTANTANEOUS DETONATOR | A detonator designed to have no more than a nominal delay between initiation and explosion of the detonating charge. |
| INTAKE | Any passage taking fresh air into the workings. |
| INTEGRATED STEEL MAKING | The steel making process from the production of pig iron in a blast furnace through to the making of steel in a furnace. It is normally assumed that coke production will form part of the integrated process. |
| INTERSECTION | The meeting of two roadways. |
| ISOLATOR | Electrical switch to cut off power. |
| JACK | A manually or hydraulically set mechanical support or lifting appliance. |
| JACK-LEG | A percussion drill used for drifting or stoping that is mounted on a telescopic leg which has an extension of about 2.4 m. The leg and machine are hinged so that the drill need not be in the same direction as the leg. |
| JACK-ROLL | A hand-operated appliance used for raising and lowering material in a shaft. Also termed windlass. |
| JFY | Japanese fiscal year commencing 1 April. |
| JIG | A self-acting incline, by which full skips descending the slope, pull up empty skips. Also, a device used for removing stone from coal. |
| JIM CROW (CROW) | Rail bending tool. |
| JOCKEY POINTS | Temporary rail points laid on top of rails without breaking into them. |
| JOGGLE (TO) | Japanese Steel mills. |
| JORC CODE | 2004 Australasian Code for Reporting Identified Mineral Resources and ore Reserves. Australian mining exploration and production companies are bound to produce Resource and Reserves Statements using the JoRC Code in accordance with the listing Rules of the Australian Stock exchange. |
| JSM | To shape the end. of a prop and/or bar or baulk to make a secure fit. |
| JUMP KEEPERS | Restraining stops in cage axle retainer on skips. |
| JUMP UP/DOWN | Slang - geological fault. |
| KEPS | (1) Supports used to take the weight of the cage at the surface when loading or unloading is taking place. Also referred to as chairs. (2) Re-railing keps are guides along an endless ropeway to return automatically a de-railed skip to the track. |
| KERF | Cut made by the mechanical coal cutter. |
| KG/MTHM(also kg/thm) | Kilograms per metric tonne of hot metal. |
| KIBBLE | Usually refers to a self-tipping sinking bucket designed so that the suspension bridle pivots below the centre of gravity of the full bucket which empties automatically when a catch engaging the bridle is released. Also referred to as hoppit. |
| KIP | Raised section of a haulage way' built to give skips greater elevation and thereby a downhill run. |
| KNEE HOLES | The next row of holes above the lifters in a round of shots. |
| LACK-OF-TRADE | Term used to describe the stoppage of work because of lack of orders for coal. |
| L.D | The LD Process refers to the Linz-Donawitz operations of utilizing top blown pressurized oxygen to the top surface of the molten metal bath in the blast furnace. |
| LAGGING | Steel or timber placed between or behind roadway supports, set so they provide support of the roof from one bar to another. |
| Laycan | Laydays & Canceling Date. The earliest and latest dates on which the vessel must be ready to load at the port or be delivered to the time charterer. |
| Laydays | This term may sometimes be used to refer to laytime, calculated in a number of days. It is preferable to use the term laydays to refer to the earliest time when the charterer expects the vessel to be ready for loading and/or discharging. |
| Laytime | Refers to the period of time agreed between the parties in the charterparty, during which the owner will make and keep the ship available for loading/discharging without payment additional to the freight. |
| LEVY | Amount of money, in addition to the ordinary dues, paid by members to the union funds for a special purpose. |
| LID | A small flat block of wood used as packing between the top of a prop and the roof. |
| LIFT | A slice of coal taken off the end of a fender or pillar during pillar extraction. |
| LIFTERS | The bottom row of holes in a round of shots designed to bring the floor of the excavation to the desired level. |
| LIGNITE | A brownish-black coal composed of vegetable matter which has been altered more than in peat, but less than in sub- bituminous coal. |
| LINE-CUT | A systematic placement of shotholes some of which are charged and fired leaving the remainder to provide loose ends. A method of smooth blasting. |
| LOA | Length overall (shipping term). |
| LOAD CENTRE | An electrical distribution centre from which face machines are individually supplied. |
| LOADING DENSITY | The weight of explosives per unit length of a shothole. |
| LOAF | The area abandoned and left to collapse after the extraction of coal. |
| LOCK-OUT | Closure of the mine by the management thus preventing employees from working. |
| LODGE | Sub-division of the union formed at a mine. The officers of the lodge, elected by ballot, comprise a chairman, secretary, treasurer and check inspector. |
| LONGWALL | A system of working coal in which the seam is extracted on a broad front or long face. |
| LONGWALL CHANGEOVER | The process of relocating longwall equipment from one panel to another, often coincides with major planned maintenance. |
| LONGWALL CONTINUITY | Critical to economic well-being of a longwall operation. Longwall continuity is achieved when the expected time-lag between the completion of one panel and the start of the next relates purely to the time taken to transfer equipment, i.e. no additional time is required to shape-up the next longwall block to its designed dimensions because of insufficient development. |
| LONGWALL MINING | A system of mining that involves the extraction of large blocks of coal, with the coal being mined on retreat in slices up to 1.0 metre thick from the longwall face.
Key longwall mining equipment includes:
• a Shearer, used to cut and load the coal from the face;
• a steel chained armoured face conveyor, used to transfer the coal across the face;
• self advancing, high capacity, hydraulic longwall supports, used to support the immediate face area as the coal is mined;
• a beam stage loader, used to transfer the coal from the face to the longwall panel conveyor;
• a crusher, used to size the coal; and
• the pantechnicon that incorporates the longwall services, including power supply. |
| LONGWALL PANEL/BLOCK | A large contiguous block of coal, typically 100-300 metres wide and 1-3.5 kilometres long, suitable for longwall extraction. |
| LOOP TAKE-UP | Device at drivehead to adjust belt tension. |
| LOW STRIP-RATIO | An overburden to coal ratio, measured in bank cubic metres to insitu tonnes. the lower the ratio generally means a lower cost of extraction. |
| LOW SULPHUR AND ASH CONTENT COAL | Coal that is generally less than 0.4% total sulphur and 18% ash. |
| LOOSE END | Also free face. A part of the seam or rock which is relatively unconfined to which a shot (or miner) can do its work more easily. |
| LUBE BAY | Building used for servicing equipment. |
| LUMPBREAKER | Attachment on shearer to break large lumps of coal. |
| LV | Low volatile coal, < 22% on a dry mineral matter free basis. |
| MACHINE | Once a hand drill then coal cutter, now continuous miner. |
| MACHINE MAN | Pay classification - worker who drives any underground machine. |
| MACERALS | Microscopically recognisable individual organic constituents of coal. They are recognised on the basis of their reflectance and morphology (eg Vitrinite, Exinite and Inertinite). |
| MAGAZINE | Building used to store explosives. |
| MAIN AND TAIL | Type of rope haulage where one rope on a reversible double drum haulage is attached to one end of a set of skips and the other rope to the other end of the set. The tail rope hauls the empty skips into the inbye flat and the main rope hauls the loaded set out. |
| MAIN AND TAILGATE DRIVES | High capacity motors, situated at either end of the longwall face, used to power the armoured face conveyor that removes the cut coal from the coal face to the main drift conveyor. |
| MAIN ENTRY | A main road. |
| MAIN FAN | A mechanical ventilator installed at the surface; operates by either exhausting or blowing to induce airflow, through mine roadways and workings. |
| MAIN ROADWAYS | Roadways that are used as the means of primary access/egress, to supply materials, provide ventilation and enable coal to be conveyed to the surface. |
| MAINS FIRING | Firing shots using the electrical mains voltage. |
| MAN TRANSPORT | Vehicle or train to transport men to their work places. |
| MANAGER | Every colliery is in the charge of a professional mining engineer holding a 1st class certificate of competency and / or appointed by the owner; he is in charge of all operations. |
| MAN-CAR | Vehicle used for personnel transport underground. |
| MAN-HOLE | Refuge place alongside rail track in drifts etc. |
| MANIFOLD SYSTEM | Auxiliary ventilating system by which all faces are ventilated simultaneously with one auxiliary fan installation. |
| MAN-SHIFT | One man working one shift comprises a man shift. Output of coal in tonnes per man-shift is accepted as a measure of the efficiency of operations. |
| MARKETABLE RESERVE | Similar to coal reserve, a term used to describe the amount of coal that can physically be mined from a reserve at an acceptable cost, as defined in the JORC Code. |
| MATCH HEAD | The fuse head of an electric detonator. |
| MEASURING STICK | A device for measuring the required length of a prop. |
| MECHANISATION | Mining of coal by power-operated equipment instead of the older hand methods. |
| METALLURGICAL COAL | Coals, which are consumed in the production of pig iron, either via the coke oven process, direct injection (PCI) or by direct reduction. |
| METHANE (CH 4) | A gaseous compound of carbon and hydrogen naturally emitted from coal that can be explosive when mixed with air or oxygen between certain limits. Lighter than air, it comes out of the coal or surrounding strata. |
| METHANE MONITOR | An electronic instrument often mounted on a piece of mining equipment, that detects and measures the content of mine air. |
| MICKEY BLOCK | (slang) The off cut of timber left when a prop has been cut to size. |
| MILLING | (slang) The process of crushing coal to micron size to allow it to be pneumatically fired into a boiler or blast furnace. |
| MINE PLAN | A two-dimensional representation of the proposed or existing mine workings, usually prepared as part of an economic assessment of the coal reserve (through the JORC process). |
| MINE ROOF | The layer of hardened clay, limestone, sandstone, or other material that lies over the coalbed; rock or other material above the coal seam. |
| MINE RUN | The unscreened coal, just as it is mined, less dirt and slate. |
| MINER CABLE | The electrical cable running from the gate end box to the miner for the mining machine's power supply. |
| MINING LEASE | Title granted under the Mining Act 1992 that provides rights to mine a coal resource. |
| MINING METHOD | Coal mining operations can be either open cut or underground. There are then specific mining methods which describe the techniques used in more detail. |
| MISFIRE | (1) The failure of a blasting charge to explode when expected. (2) A charge which has failed to explode. |
| MOLOO | More or less in owners option. This term relates to the quantity of cargo which the vessel is chartered to carry on a voyage charter. It gives the shipowner the opportunity to increase the nominated quantity. |
| MONKEY | Skip stop in cage. |
| MRE INSTRUMENT | The gravimetric dust sampler with four-channel horizontal elutriator developed by the Mining Research Establishment of the National Coal Board, London, England. |
| MT | Million tonnes. |
| MTPA | Million tonnes per annum. |
| MUD CAP | A charge of high explosive fires in contact with the surface of a rock after being covered with a quantity of wet mud, wet earth or sand, without any borehole being used. Also termed adobe, dobie and sandblast (illegal in coal mining). |
| MULTIPLE SHOTFIRING | Firing a number of shots in a single round incorporating delay detonators. |
| MV | Medium Volatile coal, >22% and < 31% on dry mineral matter free basis |
| NAABSA | Not always afloat but safely aground. This term is an extension of the always afloat concept. In some ports where the bottom consists of soft mud, it may be agreed by the parties that the vessel may lie safely aground at low tide, Not always afloat but safely aground. |
| NAR | Net as received |
| NATIONALISATION | Ownership and operation of coal mines by the government instead of by private enterprise |
| NIPS | The devices at the end of the trailing cable of a mining machine used for connecting the trailing cable to the trolley wire and ground. |
| NITROGEN INERTISATION | The process of introducing inert gases into the vicinity of a heating or unstable atmosphere in order to lower the percentage of oxygen in the atmosphere. |
| NON-PERMITTED EXPLOSIVES | Explosives not on the "permitted list" for use in coal mines. |
| NOR | Notice of Readiness notice given a ship that it is ready to load or discharge its cargo. |
| NTHM | Net tons (short tons) of hot metal. 1 metric tonne = 1.10231 short tons |
| O.M.S. | Output per man-shift. |
| OIL BOTTLE | The bulb type container in the air line to lubricate compressed air driven machinery. |
| ONSETTER | Person in charge of loading of skips into the cage at the pit bottom or shaft inset. |
| OPENCAST | See "Open-cut". |
| OPEN-CUT | Open excavation made when extracting coal from the surface. |
| OPEN-CUT MINING | A type of mining where the overburden is removed to expose coal seams and allow their extraction by surface means. |
| OPEN-END PILLAR | A method of mining pillars in which no stump is left; the pockets driven are open on the gob side and the roof is supported by timber. |
| OPTION | The right but not the obligation to buy or sell an underlying asset. |
| OUTBURST | A violent displacement of broken coal at the face caused by excessive gas or earth pressure, often associated with areas of weakness in the coal. |
| OUTBYE | (1) The direction along a roadway away from the face. (2) Locations between the face and surface. |
| OUTCROP | That portion of a coal seam visible (wholly or in part) at the surface. (Also concealed outcrop) |
| OVERBURDEN | The material of any nature, consolidated or unconsolidated, that overlies a deposit; Top soil/strata overlying the coal seam. |
| OVERCAST | An airway built over the top, and at an angle to, another airway. This is necessary to separate intake and return airways in certain locations. |
| OVERPASS | A point where a conveyor passes over a transport ad or vice versa. |
| OVERWIND | When the cage, skip or dolly car in hoisting is not brought to rest at the appropriate place. |
| PACKER | Large piece of coal or topper placed on top of a skip full of coal to permit more coal to be loaded. |
| P | Phosphorus. To be avoided in coking coal because it accumulates in hot metal giving undesirable properties in resultant steel. |
| PACKING PIECE | Lid, wedge, caps, etc. |
| PANAMAX VESSEL | Vessels capable of carrying between 50 000 tonnes and 80 000 tonnes when fully loaded. |
| PAN | Section of armoured face conveyor. |
| PANEL (1) | A mine is broken up into a number of panels which are working places for each mining crew. (2) In mines liable to spontaneous combustion, panels are formed with a minimum number of roadways connecting them to the rest of the mine, to permit easy sealing in case of a fire. |
| PANIC BAR | A switch in the shape of a bar, used to cut off power at the machine in case of an emergency. |
| PARTIAL EXTRACTION | A continuous miner system of mining whereby some of the coal pillars in a panel, or parts thereof, are systematically extracted. the total recovery factor (coal extracted as a percentage of coal insitu) is generally in the range of 40-60%. |
| PASS-BYE | Siding on a roadway. |
| PCI COAL | Coals, which are suitable for direct injection into the blast furnace in a pulverised state. PCI replaces oil and displaces some quantity of coke. Traditionally, The PCI coal price is closely linked to thermal coal which will allow the blast furnace operator to reduce the overall cost of raw material by reducing the volume of coke needed to produce each tonne of hot metal. |
| PEAT | A dark brown or black deposit resulting from the partial decomposition of vegetal matter in marshes and swamps. It is the first step in the formation of coal. |
| PEDESTALS | Bearings on mine skips. |
| PENNY BAND | Thin dirt band (local name). |
| Per hatch per day | This expression may be used to calculate laytime with reference to the number of cargo hatches serving cargo compartments on the vessel. The number of hatches and their category will influence the rate at which cargo can be handled and therefore the rate of calculating laytime allowed for the cargo operations. |
| Per Workable hatch per day | This expression is more in the favour of the charterer than the preceding expression. The word workable qualifies the hatches that can be used in the calculations to those that can be worked because there is/or will be cargo below them. |
| PERMIT MANAGER | Manager of a small mine with 3rd class certificate. |
| PERMITTED EXPLOSIVE | Type of explosive approved under the mining |
