US1422874A - Art of extracting coal in mines - Google Patents

Description

H. MACK. ART OF EXTRACTING COALVIN MINES- APPHCATION FILED OCT. 3, 191?.

Patented July 18, 1922 i irritant. My 5 HERMAN ACK, O'FMEIIAMIVI; GERMANY.

ART OF EXTRAC' EING COAL IN MINES.

recast Application'filed October 3; 1917. Serial No. 194,519.

(GRANTED UNDER THE .ERQVISIONS OF THE ACT OF MARGH 3, 1921, 41 S TAT. L, 1313.)

To all whom it may concern Be 1t known that I. Haml n MACK, a citizen of Germany residing at Borbergstrasse,

3, Hannn, NVestphaha, Germany, have in- I extracting coal by means of a compressed gaseous fluid such as air.

Hitherto, 1t has'been proposed tosoak a bed of coal with water and to burst the coal. oft" application oi my novel process.

bymeans of water under pressure. Al-

thoughthis process obviates the production of dust, however the process is not eiiicient considered generally, and has not been applied to any extent. If, instead of water under pressure. a highly compressed gaseous fluid such'as air is introduced into the bore hole, a better effect is obtained as regards the separation of the coal, however. this method is accompanied by a troublesome and dangerous development of very great voltunes of dust.

According to my present invention 1 provide for a successful and dangerless extraction of coal by employing a moistened compressed gaseous tluid such as air as a blasting agent. To obtain, for instance, com pressed air in a moistened state. the compressed air may be cooled down whereby the steam or vapor contained in the compressed air is condensed, the condensing resulting in a moistening of the compressed air prior to its introduction into the bore hole. To obtain the same effect steam or a liquid may be added to any compressed gaseous fluid while passing to the bore hole.

I have found that it especially useful to introduce a suitable liquid, as, for instance, water or oil, or the like, into the bore hole first and thereafter the highly compressed gaseous fluid. As a result of this procedure the water penetrates into all the iissures and crevices of the coal bed in a similarmanner as with the coal bed soaking method, and acts then as a tightening substance tor the compressed gaseous fluid.

Under such condition the eiiect oi the foreing and expanding compressed air within the coal bed isespecially great and any development oi dust 1s suppressed in the beginning.

i0 render my invention more clear I have illustrated, in a diagrammatical manner 11nd,.

by way of example, some useful devices for the appllcation of my novel process in the accjon;

panying drawings, in whichFigure 1 shows a water introducing device arranged within a compressed air admission pipe. Figure 2 illustrates the manner of tightening the compressed air admission pipe within the bore hole previously chargedwith water. Figure 3 shows a movable device for the practical in order to saturate the compressed air with moisture on its way to the bore hole, the admission pipe for the compressed air may be provided with a water introducing device acting in the manner of an injector.

Such adevice is shown in Figure 1 by way of example. Compressed air is passing through the pipea in the direction of the arrows. water container 6 is coi'inectedto ;'the pipe a by meansv of the pipes c and d.

T he relation of. these parts is such that the liquid is drawn from the container 3) by suction or injector action. "While the water issues from the end of the pipe 0 it is mi d with the compressed air. is delivered. totne flexible pipe Q enters the bore hole and penetrates into the bed of coal.

If it is desired to charge. the bore hole with water first, it is essential to provide for a good tightening of the compressed air admission pipe within the bore hole. For that purpose I prefer to use a device such as it have shown by way of example in Figure 2. The end of the compressed air admission pipe 6 is provided with a fixed in spite of the fact that the walls of the bore hole will never be smooth, and crevices will always extend from the bore hole into the coal mass.

To enable one to extract coal in accord.- ance with this novel process at any place no matter whether there are any pipe lines, a movable device, such as is shown in Figure 3, may be employed. A compressed gas container Z and a closed water vessel m are mounted upon a movable car 76 and are interconnected by means of a pipe a provided with a shutting-oft device 0. Another pipe p dips into the water contained in the vessel mand connects with a flexible pipe 9 which leads to the bore hole. hen the valve 0 is opened the compressed air enters the vessel on and presses the water contained tnerein through the pipes 1) and Q into the sore hole. To allow the water suflicient time to be gradually distributed into the various fissures, of the coal bed, it is advisable to open the valve 0 but partly at first. hen thereafter the valve 0 is further opened the compressed air enters into the bore hole and the coal bed and produces a blasting off of the coal. Instead of one water vessel aplurality of such may be used in conjunction with one or a plurality of compressed air containers mounted upon the ear is.

The above described process of extracting coal is in no way inferior in its effect to any blasting by means of explosives, but has the great advantage of being applicable with perfect safety in choke-damp-mines.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A process of extracting coal, consisting in introducing a moistened compressed gaseous fluid into a bore hole of the coal bed.

2. A process of extracting coal, consisting in introducing a moistened compressed gas eous fluid of high tension into a bore hole of the coal bed.

3. A process of extractin coal consisting in charging a bore hole of die coal bed with a compressed gaseous fluid and mixing the said compressed fluid with a moistening agent prior to the introduction of said compressed fluid into the bore hole.

4. A process of extracting coal consisting in charging a bore hole of the coal bed with a compressed gaseous fluid of high tension and mixing the said compressed fluid with a moistening agent prior to the introduction of said compressed fluid into the bore hole.

5. A process of extracting coal, consisting in charging a bore hole of the coal bed with a compressed gaseous fluid and previously charging said compressed fluid with a gaseous moistening agent.

6; A process of extracting coal, consisting in charging a bore hole of the coal bed with a compressed gaseous fluid of high tension and previously charging said compressed fluid with water vapor.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HERMAN MACK.

Witnesses F R. DRENER, M, VoLLoRcK.

Images