MXPA00007287A - Surface-assisted continuous underground mining - Google Patents

Abstract

A system for providing utilities and support infrastructure on a continuous basis from the surface to the cutting face of an underground operation. A flexible belt structure system incorporates water supply and discharge lines (102, 106), power and communication cables (112, 120), hydraulic supply and return lines (116), bulk lubrication delivery systems, and belt support structure for underground coal haulage. The system consists of modular components (26) that are added at the surface and connected underground to form a continuous support structure to the working area, such that the infrastructure necessary for the mining operation is expanded or reduced to keep up with the position of the mining face without interruption of operation. The belt structure is mounted on a stationary rail (28) fixed to the roof of the mine and is rolled forward or backwards in the belt entry as the mine advances or retreats, as applicable.

Description

"CONTINUOUS UNDERGROUND MINING HELPS ON THE SURFACE" BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates in general to the underground mining field and, in particular, to a novel adaptation of continuous mining and back-mining mining development techniques. for small strip and long cut to recover the underground reserves under shallow cover. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED TECHNIQUE Continuous underground mining is used to extract fossil fuels and other valuable minerals found in the deposits linked with the strata.

Historically, underground mining is carried out by obtaining access to the ore through developed inputs from an exposed reef. This development is usually carried out from the point of interest on the surface, such as an outcrop or from an exposed high wall resulting from surface mining. All the services of mining, ventilation, transport of personnel and removal of the material extracted from the mine are carried in and out using the entrances within the mineral reef. As a result, the conventional practice has been not to exploit with underground methods deposits that have a shallow cover without high walls or - upwelling, or ones with high recovered walls that have debris placed against them, or with high walls or an outcrop that has been left as inappropriate for entry due to previous mining work. It has been found that obtaining underground entry to the reef through these unfavorable conditions would render the practice uneconomical under most circumstances. On the other hand, getting entry to the seam through a vertical or inclined well results in significant cost increases that often make the operation also ineconomic. The expense of lowering the components of the belt and structure, as well as the parts of the electrical, hydraulic and pneumatic system, through the well and assembling them underground would be prohibitive. Therefore, there is a need for an efficient, economical and safe method of recovering underground coal reserves under these conditions. This invention is aimed at providing an approach that is capable of being addressed for the exploitation of these shallow reserves by combining the efficient practice of reef mining, such as the use of continuous, short-strip and long-pit miners with access to the reserve by middle of a vertical well equipped with a novel continuous system to feed the infrastructure to the mining side. Therefore, the invention materially improves the feasibility of doing mining works of the shallow reserves without direct access to the reef. The invention is described in the context of coal mining, but its principles are applicable in an equivalent manner to any material suitable for extraction with a continuous mining equipment, such as lignite, oil shale, limestone, anthracite, trona, potassium, halite, bauxite, gypsum and other sedimentary rocks containing carbonaceous oxide, sulfur or gold ores and / or other poly-metallic minerals. Similarly, the invention is described in terms of a mine developed through a well, but is applicable in an equivalent manner to mines where access to the reserves is obtained through entries within the ore quarry. BRIEF COMPENDIUM OF THE INVENTION The main focus of this invention is an underground coal mining method that does not require the support infrastructure in the conventional underground operations. Another important object is a support infrastructure system which can be assembled at least partially on the surface and fed continuously underground, thus minimizing gradual advancement and corresponding stoppages. that are typical of underground mining. Another object is a method to provide a mine support infrastructure from the surface covering all the service systems needed for a continuous mining operation, including belt and belt structure, hydraulic lines, pneumatic hoses, electrical cables and communication cables. Another sight is a method to provide an infrastructure that is compatible for use with continuous underground mining equipment, such as continuous short-cut and long-cut miners. Yet another object is a method of mining that is particularly appropriate for the economic recovery of coal reserves that remain under the shallow cover behind an inaccessible high wall or outcrop. Finally, an object of the invention is a mining technique that is compatible with and suitable for direct implementation with the methods and mining equipment of the prior art. Therefore, in accordance with these and other objects, the present invention consists of sinking a vertical well to reach a coal stock through a shallow deck and using the well to provide services and a supporting infrastructure on virtually a Base continues directly from the surface to the mining face of the underground operation. A flexible belt structure system incorporates water supply and discharge lines, power and communication cables, hydraulic supply and return lines, bulk lubrication supply systems, and a belt support structure for transport or hauling of the underground coal. The system consists of modular components that are added to the surface and that are connected underground to form a continuous support structure to the work area, so that the infrastructure needed for the mining operation is expanded or reduced to maintain the Mining face position without interruption of operation. The belt structure is mounted on a stationary rail or cable attached to the roof of the mine and is wound forward or backward at the entrance of the belt as the mine advances or retracts, as applicable. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the flexible structure system is fed through the mine shaft and fixed to a monorail or cable guide hung horizontally at the entrance of the reef to the face. The rail is bolted to the roof as part of the normal roof control plan as the mining face advances, thereby extending the belt's reach and allowing it to hold with the advance of the continuous miner. When retracted, the unused rail segments can be removed or, preferably, left fixed to the roof bolts behind the face that retracts. The belt structure is mounted on rollers that are hung from the rail, so that the loading end of the belt tail or the "tail piece", which forms part of one end of the mobile boot, remains with the tail of the continuous miner or the discharge of the stage charger conveyor from a long cut as it moves when advancing or retracting. Each module of the structure is articulated to allow bending as necessary to reach the mining face. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the belt is routed to a belt drive on the surface of the mine through a vertical well. This well is used to provide a gravity belt storage unit that provides exceptional storage capacity. The belt is placed around the conveyor drive unit in the upper part of the well. This allows the loose side of the belt to be made into a loop and weighed along the length of the well, providing a large vertical gravity storage unit that eliminates the need for more limited horizontal belt storage units in operations of Traditional underground mining. As a result of this belt storage method and its capacity, the belt can be continuously advanced for distances that until now were not able to be achieved before a splice stop was required. Because the belt storage unit hangs vertically in the well, the strap is counteracted appropriately and simply for its proper tension. Another aspect of the invention relates to the placement of the belt drive on the surface. This location allows direct access to the belt on the surface for additions and removal of splices. Surface splicing is facilitated with surface handling equipment and does not require underground transport of large belt rolls. The addition and removal of the belt is carried out during the periods of paralysis programmed for these purposes, which are shorter than they would be in an underground installation. The positioning of the belt drive on the surface also provides environmental benefits. Since the belt on the surface is far from the point of transfer of the coal or ore, the amount of fine dust in the atmosphere that accumulates in the ground in the immediate area is less than it would be underground. In the case of coal, the resulting cool atmosphere on the surface makes it possible to use engines without the safety classification required for underground applications. In addition, the cleaner air environment makes it possible to use more reliable vulcanized rubber splices instead of the more common mechanical splices that are required in typically dirty underground environments. According to yet another aspect of the invention, the pipes, cables and hoses which are normally fixed to the roof or the structure of the underground belt and which are advanced by paralyzing each system and adding sections of hardware, instead feed on the -continuously from the surface where each system is stored in large quantity in a separate unit capable of continuous supply. Each pipe, cable and hose is placed through each modular segment of the flexible belt structure in a continuous manner from the surface. These systems are advanced or retracted, as applicable, with the rest of the structure, so that all services are fully available to the mining face without interruption during the advance and retreat mining phases.Each module is fully incorporated into the infrastructure system near the transfer point of the underground strap from the face. The modules, which include upper and lower belt rollers, are added to the system as the mining face advances (or that is removed as it is retracted as applicable). As each module is aligned with the center line of the belt conveyor that is already in place, it is installed in such a way that its rollers couple and move the belts in the system and the module is integrated with the belt support structure that is already in place. Various other purposes and advantages of the invention will become apparent from its description in the specification which will be given below. Therefore, to achieve the objects described above, this invention consists of the features that will be illustrated below in the drawings and which are fully described in the detailed description of the preferred embodiment and which are pointed out with particularity in the claims. However, these drawings and the description disclose only some of the different ways in which the invention can be put into practice. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a schematic cross section of an underground coal mine where the vein is accessed through a vertical well in accordance with the present invention and then developed by traditional continuous mining techniques. Figure IA is a schematic top view of an underground coal mine plan suitable for the invention that maps the location of the inlets and cross sections of a 2-inlet development system with continuous miners at each entrance. Figure 2 is an enlarged view showing the portion of the pit of the mine illustrated in Figure 1. Figure 2A is an additional amplified view of the transfer point of the underground strap showing the assembly of the structure of the invention . Figure 3 is an enlarged view showing the portion of the mining face of the mine illustrated in Figure 1. Figure 4 is a front elevation view of a module of the belt structure according to the invention. Figure 5 is a side elevation view of the module of the belt structure of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a top view of the module of the belt structure of Figure 4. Figure 7 is a top plan view of the surface facilities of a mine developed with the infrastructure system of the invention. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITIES OF THE INVENTION The essence of this invention lies in the development of a modular belt structure and the idea of combining all service delivery systems for an underground mine into a single movable infrastructure system capable of integrating with the advance and retreat of the continuous mining equipment. For the purposes of this invention, continuous mining equipment is defined to encompass not only conventional continuous miners but also long and short strip cutting machines and any other equipment capable of continuous production together with a conveyor belt arriving at the same time. neighborhood of the cutting face. A vertical well and a conventional reef inlet development for access to the coal and removal by continuous miner are used for illustration, but the concepts of the invention are applicable to any type of continuous reef mining. As illustrated schematically in the cross-sectional view of a mine of Figure 1, the preferred implementation of the system of the invention is achieved by sinking a vertical well 10 from surface 12 to coal seam 14, where a mine entrance underground 16 is developed with a conventional mining equipment. A suitable longwall panel ventilation and development plan compatible with the invention is illustrated in Figure 1A, but it is not discussed in detail here because it would be evident to a person skilled in the art. As a continuous miner 18 cuts the mining face 20 and advances the underground inlet 16, a continuous belt 22 is provided to move the coal production to the surface. As in conventional conveyor systems, the underground belt 22 links the mining face 20 to a transfer point where another belt 24 is loaded to move the coal to the surface through an auxiliary belt entry (not shown in the drawings). ). The underground strap line 22 is supported by the modular infrastructure system of the invention. As best seen in the amplified views of Figures 2 and 3, each module 26 of the belt structure is hung on one or more rollers running on a rail or cable 28 fixed to the roof 30 of the inlet 16. The rail is it prefers the cable because it does not require any tension to hold the belt structure, but the two are functionally the same for the purposes of the invention. As further detailed below, each belt structure module includes a top bracket with a block and pulley wheel that engages the rail. Each segment of the rail is suspended in the roof 30 by means of a bracket fixed to the roof bolts 32 during the normal roof support work. As roof bolts are driven to the roof in accordance with the mine roof support plan, special bolt plates are periodically used with a bracket capable of retaining rail 28 as the mining face advances and the belt line 22 extends to keep up with it as will be understood in the art. An end 34 of movable boot (Figure 3) equipped with a roof bolt 36 is preferably used to install the rail 23 in front of the belt line 22. Obviously, each new rail segment 28 must be added in proper alignment with the rail which is already in place to ensure continuity and a smooth transition between the segments. In this way, each module 26 of the belt structure is able to march forward or backward along the rail 28 at the inlet 16 as necessary to allow the tail piece 29 of the belt to be maintained with the cutter face in mining that advances or retracts, respectively.

As will be more clearly illustrated in Figure 2, the belt line 22 is driven by a belt drive 38 preferably in the upper part of the pit 10 on the surface of the mine. This can be achieved by routing the belt 22 under the connecting belt 24 after the coal is discharged at the transfer point 40. Through a roller system 42, the tight upper portion of the belt line 22 is pulled up the well 10 to the belt impeller 38. Then, in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the loose portion of the belt 22 is placed in a loop through a vertical belt storage unit 44 housed within the pit 10 of the mine. A portion of the belt line 22 is suspended in the well between two rollers on the surface and is tensioned by a weight β, sufficient to ensure proper tension on the return side of the belt. Therefore, the gravity and vertical space provided by the well 10 are used to provide a belt winding and storage unit that greatly exceeds the capacity and reliability of conventional horizontal units. The illustration in Figure 2 shows a single belt loop and a weight of 46, but multiple loops could be used if necessary to further extend the capacity of - storage. Evidently, each loop would require a corresponding tensioner weight 46. As the belt line progresses underground to keep up with the continuous miner 18, a corresponding portion of the belt 22 is removed from the storage loop until it has been fully used. Only then will it become necessary to paralyze the belt line and splice a new belt segment on the line, and this operation is carried out on the surface of the mine instead of under the ground. Therefore, the gravity storage unit of the invention provides significant improvement through traditional belt advancement techniques. Obviously, there are similar advantages when the belt line is shortened during reverse mining. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the assembly of the modular belt structure is completed below the ground in an assembly station near the transfer point 40, which is shown more particularly in Figure 2A. Beyond the gravity storage unit 44, the loose side of the belt 22 is again routed under the ground through a roller system 42 and fed into the train of the modules of the structure 26 which are already in its place just ahead of the transfer point 40.

As seen in the front elevation view of Figure 4, each module 26 consists of an upper component 48 and a lower component 5Q connected by releasable clamps 52 which are provided on both sides of the module for quick and easy assembly. As illustrated in the side view of Figure 5 and in the top view of Figure 6, the lower components 50 of each module 26 include longitudinal side members 54 pivotally at each end to the side members of adjacent modules. through hinges 56 that impart flexibility to the chain -of modules 26, which constitutes the movable infrastructure of the invention. The intermediate points of each pair of longitudinal side members 54 are connected in the "H" shape by a lower idle roller 58 for supporting the loose side of the belt line 22. The top component 48 comprises a hanger bracket 60 fixed releasably to a slow-running channeling frame 62 that includes multiple idle channeling rolls 64 (badly three) mounted on the corresponding support shafts 66. As in the case of all conveyor belts, and as is understood in the art, rollers 64 are positioned so as to form a trough to cause the upper carrier side of belt line 22 to assume a concave shape to prevent spill during transport. A transverse beam 68 provides the structural support required to retain the integrity of the creeper chassis 62.

The hanging bracket 60 is preferably fixed to the frame 62 by means of two releasable clamps 70 which make it possible to completely disconnect it from the rest of the module of the belt structure 26. As it is pointed out in detail below, this particularity simplifies the process of adding new modules to the moved train. of the underground belt structure. The bracket 60 is equipped with a roller wheel pulley 72 (see Figure 4) adapted to be coupled with a rail 28 suspended from the R-Roof of the mine, in such a way that the corresponding belt structure module can sea Char forward or backward along the 16th inlet of the mine as necessary to keep up with the 34th end of the mobile boot. An engine, forklift or equivalent unit 74 is shown schematically in the drawings - to indicate the equipment that would necessarily have to be used to facilitate the movement of the train of the modules 26 along the rail 28, within the common skill of the operators of underground mines. Similarly, the rail 28 is schematically shown in Figure 4 supported by a roof bracket 76 fixed to the roof R of the roof by a roof bolt 78 which is used as a ceiling support. The current geometry of a ceiling bracket 76 suitable for carrying out the - - The invention would vary widely depending on the conditions of the roof and the equipment used to control the roof, but its functional implementation would be well within the general knowledge of those skilled in the art. In accordance with another feature of the invention, in addition to the belt support structure described above, the lower component 50 of each module 26 also includes a lower bracket 80 hingedly attached to one end of the side members 54 for hold cables, hoses, pipes and other components of underground service systems. As clearly seen in Figures 5 and 6, one side of the lower bracket 80 is fixed at one end of one of the side members 54 through a hinge 82, while the other side of the lower bracket is fixed to a corresponding end of the other side member 54 in the module, by means of a releasable clamp 84. Within the continuous underground mining system aided in the surface of the invention, the lower components 50 of the modules 26 are assembled and connected to one another on the surface of the well 10 and are fed below the earth piece by piece in a continuous chain arriving at an underground assembly station 86 positioned near the discharge end or head roller 88 of the belt line 22 (see Figure 2). Due to its flexible connection, the chain of the lower components 50 is easily suspended from a retaining surface structure 90 and lowered by gravity and rolled to the modules 26 that are already in service at the station 86. At the time of the Assembled from each lower component 50 on the surface, all service lines required by the mining operation are enclosed in the lower bracket 80 and are also fed underground so that they can be continuously provided without interruption as the face Cutter advances. The figures show a variety of cables, hoses and pipes for illustration only which are generally represented by reference number 92 in Figure 5, but the specific types of service systems required obviously depend on the equipment used in the operation, such as it will be evident to those skilled in the art. Each system will necessarily have to be continuously supplied from the surface. Accordingly, Figure 7 illustrates an installation that could be used to implement this aspect of the invention. It will be noted that, in order to take full advantage of the movable belt and the - service infrastructure of the invention, all service lines need to be lowered or withdrawn from the well 10 simultaneously and at the same rate that the end of the movable boot moves forward or backward from the cutting face 20. Therefore, A system should be devised that provides sufficient online storage of all excess service lines while in operation. As illustrated in Figures 1 and 7, one of these systems comprises a central reduction or extension station 100 from which all services are provided through the cables and hoses that reach the subway in the lower component 50 of the infrastructure of the invention. For example, mine supply water is fed to a water supply line 102 from a supply water tank 104, and the discharge water from the mine is returned to the surface in a return line 106 and stored in a tank 108 for periodic discharge. Electric power, which is provided by a conventional substation 110, is supplied at different voltages through appropriate power cables 112, and hydraulic fluid is provided from a pumping station 114 in a pipe 116. Similarly, even when its sources are not shown in the drawings, compressed air and telecommunication wires are provided - through an appropriate pipe 118 and a cable 120, as well as other services that may be needed in the subway. All these pipes and cables are combined with the conveyor belt that is provided to station 100 on reels 122 in sufficient length to meet the requirements of online storage for continuous supply to the mine. The online storage for the belt and the various cables and pipes, collectively referred to below as "" mining systems "for reasons of simplification, are provided by a winding structure 124 comprising two large drums around which the mining systems they are placed in loops between the distribution station 100 and the mouth of the well 10. A rotating drum is mounted in a stationary unit 126 in the upper part of the well 10 in such a way that the mining systems can be lowered into the well in a manner Since the mining systems are advanced in the subway and lowered correspondingly into the well 10, the additional units of the lower component 50 supplied to the station 100, such as the trucks 128, are assembled around the belt and several pipes and cables as seen in Figure 4, and connect with one another to form a continuous flexible train of a component structure s lower ready to connect with the units of the upper 48 underground component. Behind the drum in the stationary unit 126, the mining systems are also placed in loops around another rotating drum in a mobile unit 130 mounted on a car 132 in the rail tracks, in such a way that their position can be varied to increase or decrease its distance from the stationary unit 126. Behind the mobile unit 130, a braking unit 134 is provided to block the movement of the mining systems to and from the station 100, where the belt segments, pipes and cables they are added or removed from the system as necessary. Given the fixed position of the braking unit 134, the weight of the mining systems hanging in the well 10 from the drum unit 126 would tend to pull the car 132 holding the mobile drum unit 130 towards the station 100. therefore, a counter-weight 136 is provided to pull the car 132 in the opposite direction through a cable / pulley unit 138. From the configuration of the winding unit 124, it is easy to see how it provides storage for mining systems equal to twice the distance between the closest and farthest positions that the car 132 can reach between the braking unit 134 and the cable unit 138 / pulley. Since the mining systems are lowered into the well 10, the position. of the mobile drum unit 130 is adjusted in proportion to maintain the proper tension in the mining systems that are fed to the mine. Obviously, when the mobile drum unit 130 approaches the station 100, no additional length of the mining systems is available in the storage. At that point, the new pipe, cable and belt segments are spliced or otherwise added to the mining systems and the mobile drum unit 130 moves away to provide proportionate storage space. During the mine advancement operations, the end 34 of the mobile boot seen in Figures i and 3 moves forward to maintain the passage with the continuous miner 18 cutting into the advance face 20. Before each step towards further, the roof bolt 36 is used to install new rail segments 28 that allow the forward movement of the train of the structure modules 26 carrying the belt and the mining systems towards the end of the mobile boot 34. Since the train of the modules of the structure advances with the help of the motors 74 (Figure 4), the chain of the lower components 50 assembled on the surface also advances towards the mobile boot end 34 and is combined with an upper component 48 of the structure in the underground assembly station 86. In order to complete the assembly of each module 26 in the station 86 (see Figure 2A), the roll wheel 72 is hung from the rail 28 and at least one of the openings slides 70 is opened to allow insertion of the upper side of the belt 22 between the hanging bracket 60 and the slow running channel frame 62 (see Figure 4). Then, the clamps 70 are secured in the closed position and the upper component 48 is fixed to the first free lower component 50 using the clamps 52, thereby completing the addition of a new module 26 to the train of the mine structure. Alternatively, as illustrated in Figure 2A, a slow-running channeling frame 62 is first secured to each lower component 50 that reaches the assembly station 86 and then fixed to a hanging bracket 60 that has already been hung on rail 28, thereby producing a new structure module 26 that is ready to roll with the rest of the train that is already in operation. The surface-assisted continuous mining method on the surface of the invention is fundamentally different from all conventional surface or underground mining systems, where the belt structure and related mine support facilities are added or removed at segments in predetermined stages of the advance or retreat of the mine, such and - as applicable. The periodic stoppages inherent to conventional practice cause significant losses of production time and corresponding inefficiencies. In the case of underground mining, the method of the invention also virtually eliminates the need for storage and extension work of underground mining systems, thereby greatly reducing the underground transportation of materials and the inherent support equipment, organization and cost. ' As will be readily understood by one skilled in the art, these advantages constitute a considerable improvement, and represent an exciting alternative to the methods of advancing and retracting the underground mining systems previously used in the art. It will also be noted that the system of the invention can be implemented with similar advantages in a mine developed through conventional reef entrances, rather than through a vertical well. Except as regards the appearance of the vertical belt and winding storage unit, all other features of the invention can be implemented in an equivalent manner through horizontal or inclined entrances to the mining face. Similarly, all aspects of the invention described in terms of advance mining, wherein the belt, - - Mining services structure and systems are added to keep abreast with the mining face, they are also applicable for backward mining, where the same systems are continuously removed in an inverse manner. Various changes in the details, steps and components that have been described can be made by those skilled in the art within the principles and scope of the invention illustrated herein. For example, in addition to coal, it is clear that the concepts of the invention can be applied to any mining situation where a mineral deposit is embedded between the strata at a depth appropriate for mining by conventional underground mining equipment, or any situation where the cost to drive a well would be justified by the improvements in productivity provided by the invention. Therefore, even though this invention has been shown and described herein in what is believed to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is recognized that deviations may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is not limited to the details disclosed herein, but should be given to this invention all the scope that all or those want equivalent processes and products can cover.

Claims (22)

- CLAIMS:

1. In an underground mining operation where a stock of ore is mined with a continuous mining equipment and transported on a belt conveyor that reaches a proximity to a mining face, a system to move a structure that holds the conveyor belt in such a way that a loading end thereof can be advanced or retracted on an essentially continuous basis, the system comprising: a continuous rail that reaches the vicinity of a mining face; a means of structure for supporting the belt conveyor, the structure means being supported by and movable along the continuous rail and comprising a train of belt structure modules hingedly connected to one another; and a motor means for moving the structure means along the continuous rail as required to maintain the load end of the belt conveyor in the vicinity of a mining face; wherein each of the modules of the belt structure comprises a top component and a bottom component releasably fastened to one another; the upper component includes a channeling frame of - - slow running with channeler rollers to hold a tight side of the conveyor belt, the lower component includes lower rollers to hold a loose side of the conveyor belt; and each of the upper and lower components being integral units, capable of functioning independently.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the modules of the belt structure are connected together with one another through the lower components. The system of claim 1, wherein the mining operation includes an essentially vertical well from the surface to the ore stock and the belt conveyor reaches the surface through the vertical well. 4. In an underground mining operation where a stock of ore is mined with a continuous mining equipment and transported on a belt conveyor that reaches a proximity to a mining face, a system to move a structure that holds the belt conveyor in such a way that a loading end thereof can be advanced or retracted on an essentially continuous basis, the system comprises: a continuous rail that reaches the proximity of a mining face; - - a means of structure for supporting the belt conveyor, the structure means being supported by and movable along the continuous rail; and a motor means for moving the structure means along the continuous rail as required in order to maintain the loading end of the belt conveyor in the vicinity of a mining face; wherein the mining operation includes an essentially vertical well from the surface to the ore stock and the belt conveyor reaches the surface through the vertical well. The system of claim 4, wherein the system further comprises a gravity storage and winding unit for the belt conveyor housed within the vertical well. The system of claim 4, wherein the structure means for supporting the belt conveyor comprises a train of belt structure modules hingedly connected to one another. The system of claim 6, wherein each of the modules of the belt structure comprises a top component and a bottom component releasably connected to one another; the upper component includes a slow-running channel chassis with channeler rollers to hold a tight side - of the conveyor belt, and the lower component includes lower rollers to hold a loose side of the conveyor belt. The system of claim 7, wherein the modules of the belt structure are hingedly connected to one another through the lower components. 9. The system of claim 7, wherein each of the modules of the belt structure includes a bracket for hanging with a roller wheel in rolling engagement with the continuous rail. The system of claim 8, wherein each of the belt structure modules includes a bracket for hanging with a roller wheel in rolling engagement with the continuous rail. The system of claim 10, wherein the hanging bracket is releasably secured to the idle channel frame to assemble around a tight side of the conveyor belt. The system of claim 8, wherein the lower components are assembled and connected to one another at a surface location to form a continuous chain that reaches a loose side of the conveyor belt in an underground location in a proximity of a discharge end of it, where - - each of the lower components is connected with a corresponding upper component to form a new belt structure module that is included in the train of the belt structure modules hingedly connected to each other. The system of claim 12, further comprising a lower bracket attached to the lower component for supporting the cables, hoses and pipes of the underground service systems. The system of claim 13, wherein the system further comprises a gravity and winding storage unit for the belt conveyor housed within the vertical well. The system of claim 4, wherein the means of structure for supporting the belt conveyor further comprises a bracket means for holding the cables, hoses and pipes of the underground service systems. 16. In an underground mining operation that includes an essentially vertical well from a surface location to an ore reserve and that includes a belt conveyor that reaches the surface location through the vertical well, an improvement comprising: - a gravity and winding storage unit for the belt conveyor housed inside the vertical well. 17. In an underground mining operation where a stock of ore is mined with a continuous mining equipment and transported to a surface location on a belt conveyor that reaches a proximity to a mining face, a method to move a structure that holds the belt conveyor in such a way that a loading end thereof can be advanced or retracted on an essentially continuous base to maintain an essentially constant distance from the mining face, the method comprising the following steps: providing a rail continuous reaching the proximity of a mining face; providing a structure means for supporting the belt conveyor, the structure means being supported by and movable along a continuous rail; and dragging via the structure along the continuous rail as required to maintain the load end of the belt conveyor in the vicinity of a mining face; - 3 - where the mining operation includes an essentially vertical well from the surface to the ore stock and the belt conveyor reaches the surface through the vertical well, the method further comprises the step of providing a gravity and winding storage unit for the belt conveyor housed inside the vertical well. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the structure means for holding the belt conveyor comprises a train of belt structure modules; each of the belt structure modules comprises an upper component and a lower component releasably connected to each other; the upper component includes a slow running channel frame with slow running channel supports for holding a tight labyrinth of the conveyor belt; and the lower component includes lower idle frames to hold * a loose side of the conveyor belt; and the lower components are articulately connected to one another. The method of claim 18 further comprising the steps of: assembling and connecting the lower components with each other at the surface location To form a continuous chain that reaches a loose side of the belt - conveyor in an underground location in a vicinity of a discharge end thereof; and connecting each of the lower components with a corresponding upper component to add a new belt structure module to the train of belt structure modules with the lower components hingedly connected to one another. 20. The method of claim 17, wherein the means of structure for supporting the belt conveyor further comprises a bracket means for holding the cables, hoses and pipes of the underground service systems. The method of claim 20, wherein the mining operation includes an essentially vertical well from the surface to the ore stock and the belt conveyor reaches the surface through the vertical well, the method further comprising the step of provide a gravity winding and storage unit for the belt conveyor housed inside the vertical well. 22. The method of claim 20, wherein the cables, hoses and piping of the underground service systems are advanced on an essentially continuous base from the surface of the mine.