Offer of services in the field of mining and geoengineering

Work safety management and technical hazards

• elaboration and implementation of work safety management system consistent with the requirements of the PN-N-18001 norm in mining and non-mining plants;
• conduction of trainings in the range of risk management in enterprise and work safety management system projecting; consultation of mining plants during elaboration of  “Safety and Health Document” according to the requirements of decree of the Minister of Economy concerning work safety, operation conduction and specialistic fire-fighting protection in underground and opencast mine plants;
• elaboration and implementation of professional risk assessment and documentation rules with reference to work stations;
• elaboration and implementation of computer programs supporting risk management in the range of:
  • identification, reporting and assessment of hazards occurring in mining plants operation,
  • documentation of work station professional risk assessment,
  • registration and analysis of accidents and their costs;
• conduction of specialistic trainings in the range of safety of workers employed in explosion endangered zones including:
  • introduction to the problem of industrial gas and dust explosiveness requirements of PN-EN 1127-1 norm, requirements of 1999/92/WE and 94/94/WE Directives of the European Parliament and corresponding decrees of the Minister of Economy, Labour and Social Policy in the range of:
    • hazard identification rules and risk assessment elaboration,
    • explosion protection document elaboration rules;
  • explosion and explosion results rooms and installations protection rules,
  • protective systems and devices in rooms endangered with explosion;
• elaboration “Explosion Protection Document” according to the requirements of 1999/92/WE and 94/94/WE Directives and corresponding decrees of the Minister of Economy, Labour and Social Policy in the range of:
  • explosive atmospheres identification information and explosion occurrence risk assessment,
  • information about taken explosion hazard protection precautions described in a form of a list,
  • list of explosion endangered work stations and their qualification,
  • declaration that the work stations and work tools as well as protection and alarm devices are designed, used and maintained with regard to safety rules;
• elaboration of:
  • serious industrial breakdowns prevention programmes,
  • operational-rescue plans,
  • safety reports according to the requirements of decrees of the Minister of Economy for increased and high risk plants and which cause breakdown occurrence hazard.

Gas hazard control

For operating mines:

• gas content assessment, including determination of methane content of coal seams;
• prediction of methane emissions into extraction and development workings;
• classification of mine working (rooms) under appropriate degrees of methane explosion hazard;
• methane explosion risk assessment;
• development of ventilation principles of extraction panels in conditions of methane hazard occurrence along with the selection of ventilation devices for its control;
• working out of coalbed methane recovery technologies and methane utilisation.

For mines to be closed:

• methane hazard analysis for subsequent stages of exclusion of workings, panels, levels, and shafts from operation in mines to be closed;
• simplification of ventilation network models of gassy mines to be closed;
• prediction of gas hazard on the surface in the mining area of a mine to be closed.

Dust hazard control

In the range of dust explosiveness:

• investigations into the state of coal dust explosion hazard in mine workings and coal seams;
• expert opinions concerning coal dust explosion hazard in mines;
• assessment of fire-explosion hazard in mechanical coal processing plants;
• investigations into non-electrical sources of dust and gas explosions initiations;
• modelling of the course of explosions and investigations on a big scale concerning the efficiency of protective means against the origination and propagation of coal dust explosions;
• investigations and assessment of rock susceptibility to sparking, ingiting methane when getting coal by means of shearer-loaders;
• testing of the strength of explosion-proof dams;
• experimental coal dust explosion shows and educational activity;

In the range of industrial dust:

• determination of explosiveness parameters of industrial dusts according to European Union standards;
• assessment of dust explosion hazard in industrial plants and methods of reduction of this hazard according to rules being in force in the European Union;
• modelling of the course of explosions and investigations on a big scale concerning the efficiency of protective means against the origination and propagation of industrial dusts explosions.

In the range of health harmful dusts:

• investigations into the efficiency of dust suppression and spraying installations in mines;
• calibration of dust samples for the entire coal industry in the framework of the Accredited Laboratory activities;
• measurements of air dustiness at workstations;
• measurements of respirable fibres concentration in the air.

Safety of mining blasting agents

• tests of blasting materials according to European and Polish norms;
• assessment of conformity of blasting agents (according to B module) with basis safety requirements ESR (Essential Safety Requirements) of 93/15/WE Directive concerning blasting materials of civil usage market introducing and control as a Notified Unit (no. 1453);
• tests and certification and technical opinions of blasting equipment;
• control, post-accident and other tests of blasting agents and equipment;
• expert opinions, technical consultancy and effective works concerning blasting agents and equipment;
• elaboration of new research methods;
• elaboration of new and amendments to existing norms from the range of blasting agents and equipment;
• conducting of specialist training courses with respect to blasting agents and blasting equipment;

Explosion-proof systems and devices

• preparing opinions concerning explosion-proof devices and protective systems used in industrial plants (chemistry, petrochemistry, light industry, underground as well as opencast and borehole mining, storage and transfer of gas and fuels) in potentially explosive atmospheres;
• conformity assessments according to the Decree of the Minister of Economy dated 22 Dec. 2005 (ATEX) concerning fundamental requirements of protective systems designed for use in potentially explosive atmospheres:
  • certificates of tests of EC type,
  • ensuring of conformity with the type,
  • ensuring of the quality of the product,
  • individual unit verification;
• examinations for conformity with harmonized norms with 94/9 WE Directive (ATEX) conducted in Laboratory of Explosion-Proof Systems and Protections and Explosimetry within the frame of Accredited laboratory:
  • examinations according to the requirements of harmonized norms,
  • examinations of IP protection grade,
  • examinations of creeping current resistance,
  • examinations of electrostatic properties of non-metal materials.

Mining aerology

• ventilation methods:
  • ventilation system design for mines and non-mining industrial plants;
  • auxiliary ventilation system design;
  • development of mine potential schemes along with their analysis;
  • analysis of ventilation costs and working out cost reduction methods;
  • expert opinions relating to methane dust, fire, and radiation hazard control by means of ventilation methods;
  • working out characteristics of main fans along with the analysis of their stability and cost-effectiveness of operation;
  • investigation into gas migration in mine workings;
• tests regarding pipe and container tightness by means of marker gas (SF₆);
• testing of fans, pumps, compressors, and thermal energy installations (devices);
• mine air-conditioning methods:
  • expert opinions concerning geothermal conditions together with working out maps of rock primary temperature isolines for operating and designed extraction levels and coal seams;
  • climate hazard risk assessment;
  • development of model climatic solutions for underground workings with auxiliary ventilation;
  • development of effective climate hazard prevention methods for mining panels;
  • investigations and implementation of solutions with respect to the operation effectiveness of mining cooling appliances;
  • design of ventilation and air-conditioning systems for deep extraction levels and entire mines;
  • expert opinions relating to the optimisation of air-conditioning costs;
• fire hazard risk assessment;
• monitoring of fire hazard in hard coal mining by means of the method of determination of temperature and mass of heated coal in longwall goafs on the basis of goaf gas analysis;
• fire hazard prediction using the method of determination of areas threatened with spontaneous fires;
• fire hazard prophylaxis using methods consisting in fire hazard prevention and combating in longwall goafs;

Rockburst and rock mechanics

• assessment of the seismic and rockburst hazard state in hard coal mines and copper mines;
• projection of mining exploitation in conditions of rockburst hazard;
• underground researches and measurements connected with the assessment of rockburst hazard and its prevention;
• projection of rockburst hazard combating methods;
• basic research (strength, structure) of properties of rocks, aggregates and ceramic products and plastics;
• analyses of the rock mass natural susceptibility to rockbursts;
• investigations, measurements and assessments of mine excavations maintenance;
• investigations, measurements and analyses of rock mass deformation;
• selection of roadway supports, especially roof bolting and special supports;
• risk assessment connected with rockburst and associated hazards.

Mining technologies and mining supports

• design of new construction of mining support of roadways and chamber openings and their connections;
• design and selection of support strengthening adapted to conditions in mines;
• design of shafts liquidation methods in various mining conditions;
• design of technologies of protections of seams in closed down mines;
• assessment of shaft support state; selection of mechanised and individual support for geologicalmining conditions of longwall exploitation;
• definition of the possibilities of cooperation of various types of support in one longwall openings;
• definition of mechanised support work conditions in the areas where rock tremors occur;
• assessment of caving debris reconsolidation degree and definition of exploitation conditions of lower layers;
• selection of longwall cross-cut and longwall roadways supports;
• forecasting of convergence and load of longwall roadways;
• selection and optimisation of construction of protecting belts for longwall roadways.

Upgrading and utilisation of minerals

• technologies of coal upgrading and desulphurisation, assessment and prediction of technological properties of coal, working out process project conceptions;
• selection of coal fuels for the reduction of harmful substance emissions into the atmosphere;
• clean coal technologies;
• sludge dewatering and management;
• technologies of water purification in underground sedimentation basins, management of sludge from sedimentation tanks, liquidation of surface sedimentation reservoirs;
• assessment of usefulness of wastes from coal mechanical preparation plants for hydraulic stowing, roadway and hydrotechnical building as well as building ceramics production;
• assessment of rheological and transport properties of hydromixtures;
• development of characteristics relating to industrial safety hazards in coal preparation plants and possibilities of their minimisation through comprehensive operation maintenance management;
• working out procedures with respect to coal preparation techniques and technologies;
• training in the field of sampling technique, analyses and for purposes of characterisation of technology nodes operation.

Testing of mechanical equipment

• working out of new and improving of existing constructions of ropes and other elements of lift, transport and elevators devices;
• tests of ropes and wires properties and working out of the criteria of admittable wear limits of ropes in the operational conditions;
• selection of ropes for various work condition;
• new solutions of suspension and fastening of the ropes, including the use of plastics;
• methods of control and supervision of conveyances conducting in shaft;
• laboratory, operational, fatique and strength tests of wires, ropes, belt connection chains, interfaces and other supporting elements;
• consultancy concerning ropes and conveyances in shafts;
• control of roughness and spacing of draft of the guides in shaft with the use of SHAFT TORTESTER TS and defining necessary corrections of draft setting in shaft;
• analysis of the results of “draft plumbing” and defining necessary corrections of draft setting in relation to supports;
• stand tests of mining support frames in condition of static load;
• stand tests of mining support frames in condition of dynamic load;
• stand inflection and torsion tests of shapers;
• stand tests of support accessories for roadway workings;
• assessment of the corrosion damage state of steel frame elements of roadway support;
• stand high-pressure tests of hydraulic conduits and hoses;
• stand tests of brake trucks and hanging monorails;
• stand hydraulic tests of centrally hanged individual props;
• stand tests of friction linings.

Geology and geophysics

Geology and hydrogeology

• working out of the hydrogeological documentation of hard coal mines;
• diagnostics and combating of water hazards, design of rockmass dewatering and safety pillars settlement;
• forecasts and assessments of changes in water relations in rockmass and on the surface;
• possibility assessment of using the heat from hard coal mine waters;
• computer elaborations of digital geological maps and information about natural hazards in information system GIS;

Seismology and mining seismic

• seismological methods of seismic and rockburst hazard state assessment;
• planning and optimization of seismological networks;
• expert opinions from the range of passive tomography for assessments of seismological hazards and diagnostics of rockmass with the use of mining tremors;
• production of Seismological Observation Systems (SOS) with software for analysis and cueing of seismic activity in mines;
• underground seismic tests for rockburst hazard and rockburst-proof prophylaxis efficiency assessment and for localization of faults and geological disturbances in coal seams;
• apparatus for registration of surface tremors (AMAX) with software for data analysis (Scale GSI, MSK);
• expert opinions on the range of surface seismic hazard assessment;
• definition of the zone of harmful paraseismic vibrations accompanying blasting works in opencast mines;

Seismoacoustics

• seismoacoustic method of seismic hazard assessment in coal mines;
• portable seismoacoustic apparatus WLIS-96 with the software for rockburst hazard assessment (RMS WIN);
• calibration of seismoacoustic apparatus.

Geophysical Engineering

• assessment of geological-mining conditions for elaboration of local plans of space management;
• geophysical methods for discontinuous surface deformation hazard assessment and underground combes filling effectiveness;
• building ground structure and state diagnostics;
• building constructions structure diagnosis with the use of non-damaging geophysical methods;
• tests of pollution propagation in shallow ground with the use of geophysical methods;
• usage of electromagnetic and seismic method for environmental examinations.

Deposit geology and CO₂ storage

• verification of hard coal resources with regard to factors harmful to environment;
• assessment of hard coal resources for energy and coke purposes;
• geological documentation elaboration for hard coal and methane deposits;
• elaboration of hard coal and methane Deposits Management Projects;
• assessment of geological conditions of methane and coal seams occurrence as main and accompanying solid fuels;
• examinations of mine gases migration at the surface of closed down mines;
• examination of gases propagation in geological environment using computer modelling;
• geothermal water usage assessment;
• assessment, analysis and choice of places of CO₂ geological storage;
• model and simulation examination of CO₂ injection and reactivity using the TOUGH simulator.

Technical Acoustics and Laser Technique

Technical acoustics:

in the work environment area

• investigation into the state of impact on people:
  • noise in the audible range (63 Hz up to 8000 Hz),
  • infrasound noise,
  • ultrasound noise,
  • mechanical vibrations, transferred to the whole human organism,
  • mechanical vibrations, transferred to hands.
• working out computer programs supporting the activities of occupational safety services.

in the field of the metrology of instruments

• verification, certification, calibration of instruments for the measurement of parameters describing:
  • noise, infrasounds, ultrasounds,
  • mechanical vibrations.

in the field of impact of noise on the external environment and in the place of residence

• investigation into the impact of industrial and communications noise on areas of considerable size;
• investigation into the effectiveness of acoustic baffles;
• working out vibroacoustic forecasts for investments in different phases of their realisation;
• investigations into the impact of noise originating in different sources on people in buildings.

in the field of impact of mechanical vibrations on building constructions

• investigation into the impact of mechanical vibrations, transferred by the foundation, on  constructions of buildings and structures;
• investigation into the impact of mechanical vibrations, transferred by the foundation and building constructions on people in buildings.

using the vibrating table

• investigations into the resistance of technical objects with mass up to 125 kg to vibration action according to a programme delivered by the customer.

in the field of machine noise assessment

• investigations into the acoustic power level of machines by means of orientation methods;
• testing of machine noise emissions.

Laser technique:

• production of specialistic laser equipment for mining industry and other branches;
• laser monitoring of mining and industry impact on natural and work environment parameters (vibrations, deflections, gases);
• laser control of production processes (alignment of machines, vibration parameters analysis).

Thermovision technique

• investigations into the thermal state of various technical objects including:
  • walls of buildings,
  • heating pipelines,
  • industrial, especially mining waste dumpings,
  • energy devices and various machines,
  • engine elements of transporting belts;
• examinations of people for the needs of medical diagnostics.

Personal protective equipment

• technologies of filtering and filtering-sorptive materials;
• individual protection means construction;
• technologies of production of half-masks and filters for dust, aerosols and gases removal from the air;
• anti-chip glasses for mining industry;
• new solutions in the range of protective methods, materials and equipment for work stations in industry.

Monitoring and assessment of radiation hazard in underground mining plants

• tests of radioactive isotopes concentration in water and sediments;
• measurement of ioniser radiation doses;
• measurement of alpha potential energy concentration;
• control of leakproofness of isotope ioniser radiation sources.

Surface and building protection

• deposit mining in developed areas:
  • optimisation of extraction methods with respect to surface deformation minimisation and building protection, using numerical methods;
  • determination of protective pillars;
  • analysis of the impact of mining operations on surface deformations.
• prediction of rock mass and surface deformations with respect to designed extraction, using computer aid;
• protection of structures in mining areas:
  • assessment of object resistance to deformations of the mining foundation and rock mass tremors;
  • diagnostics of reasons of building damage occurrence;
  • assessment of impact of industrial and communication vibrations on buildings;
  • analysis of arduousness of building uses in mining areas;
  • reinforcement and protection of buildings exposed to deformation and mining tremor influences.
• protection of technical fitting network with respect to the sewage system, water supply system, heat engineering, gas engineering, electromagnetic system and telecommunication in mining areas:
  • assessment of resistance of the technical fitting network to foundation deformations and tremors;
  • principles and conditions of construction of technical fitting network;
  • assessment of usability of produced technical fitting network elements to be used in mining areas;
  • functioning conditions of networks subject to static and dynamic influences of mining extraction.
• classification and preparation of maps of post-mining areas useability (after the termination of mining activities) for building development.