• Czech Coal Group
• Czech Coal a.s.
• Vršanská uhelná a.s.
• Litvínovská uhelná a.s.
• Dceřiné společnosti

Applied research

The Czech Coal Group pays systematic attention to research and development. A plan of technical innovation and technical support is prepared every year. The Asset Acquisition and Replacement Department is responsible also for the implementation of projects of this type. The majority of these projects are carried out by the Brown Coal Research Institute in Most (VÚHU).

Technical Assistance, Technical Innovation: Czech Coal Services a.s.

The tasks carried out in 2009 by the Brown Coal Research Institute included, for example:

• Analyses in the fields of waste management and water management & analyses of insulating fluids
• Thermovision measurements in substations
• High voltage network compatibility and quality measurements

Innovations Developed by Czech Coal Services a.s. – Improving the Safety Conditions during the Replacement and Fitting of Disc Brakes on the KU 800/K84 Excavator

A solution to safety issues in replacing and setting up the disc brakes was found, based on a safe procedure of replacing the friction pads of the disc brakes of the KU800/K84 excavator.

Czech Coal Services a.s. worked together with LIEBEZEIT HYDRAULIK s.r.o., KRUŠNOHORSKÁ ELEKTROMONTÁŽNÍ SPOLEČNOST s.r.o., ZAT a.s. Příbram and EDIS vvd Košice on the research project of “Hydraulic Service Drive of the Bucket Wheel in the KU800 Excavators and Automation of Bucket Cleaning”. In cooperation with Krušnohorské strojírny Komořany a.s., Czech Coal Services a.s. installed a prototype of the equipment on the KU800/13-K90 excavator during the first quarter of 2007 and the equipment was successfully tested during the same year.

The complete overhaul of the KU800/K84 excavator included retrofitting of the bucket wheel drive unit, which itself included installation of safety clutches (with hydraulically controlled thrust) in the drive unit. Czech Coal Services a.s. cooperated on this project with Krušnohorské strojírny Komořany a.s., UNEX a.s., LIEBEZEIT Hydraulik s.r.o. and ZAT a.s. Příbram. The solution is expected to extend the useful life of the angle transmission of the bucket wheel’s gear mechanism and improve the reliability of the clutch as a safety device.

Successful test operation of two refurbished belt drive units is currently under way on the KU 800/K84 excavator. The gear units and driving drums, renovated according to documentation from Brown Coal Research Institute, are being tested.
A contract for the project of “Retrofitting the Driving Stations” was signed under the cooperation scheme with SEW-EURODRIVE, TIS-CR and ÚDK. Another contract was concluded for the project of “Z 8 Hydraulics Cooling” under the technical innovation scheme.

Cooperation between the Czech Coal Group and the Technical University of Liberec

The Czech Coal Group and the Technical University of Liberec have been cooperating on a long-term basis, seeking to develop and implement equipment for automatic coal sampling and sample processing. A contract for the project of “Sampler Modification to N1 and N2” was concluded in 2010.

Technical Support, Technical Innovation - Vršanská uhelná a.s.

The majority of the tasks were carried out in cooperation with the Brown Coal Research Institute in Most, although Vršanská uhelná a.s. also cooperated with other entities.

The tasks addressed in 2009 by the mining company Vršanská uhelná a.s. include, for example:

• Updating the data concerning the hydrogeological conditions of the Hrabák site
• Regular night-time measurements and evaluation of noise from the Jan Šverma Mine – measured at Strupčice
• Regular measurements of exposure to air pollution from the Vršany site – measured at Strupčice
• Regular measurements of exposure to air pollution from the Jan Šverma Mine – measured at Vrskmaň
• Special analyses – Jan Šverma Mine (Vršany site)
• Geotechnical prospecting at the Jan Šverma Mine
• Analyses in the fields of waste management and water management & analyses of samples of insulating fluids

Technical Support, Technical Innovation - Litvínovská uhelná a.s.

The majority of the tasks were carried out in cooperation with the Brown Coal Research Institute in Most, although Litvínovská uhelná a.s. also cooperated with other entities.

The tasks addressed in 2009 by the mining company Litvínovská uhelná a.s. include, for example:

• Monitoring the side slopes in the ČSA Mine
• Package of stabilisation and hydro-geological measures for the protective pillars under the Jezeří Castle and the village of Černice
• Updating the data concerning the hydrogeological conditions of the ČSA site
• Regular night-time measurements and evaluation of noise from the ČSA Mine – Černice site
• Regular measurements of exposure to air pollution from the ČSA Mine – Černice site
• Authorised measurement of emissions at medium sources of air pollution
• Special analyses for mine prospecting – radioactivity in the ČSA Mine
• Geotechnical prospecting in the ČSA Mine
• Examination of steel structures at the Komořany coal preparation plant
• Stability assessment on the end slopes of the ČSA Mine – Stage 1
• Technical and economic assessment of the clean-up options for the slopes at the foothills of the Krušné hory mountain range
• Authorised one-off measurement of emissions at the Komořany Coal Preparation Plant
• In addition to the projects listed above, the companies also addressed the routine needs of technical support and/or technical innovation.

Cooperation of Litvínovská uhelná a.s. with EDIS Košice

Starting from 2000, LUAS and EDIS Košice, working together, have been developing and implementing technical solutions for the monitoring of the condition of conveyer belt splices and for the transmission of the data to the control centre of the technological complex. The system has been improved and extended to cover other functions, such as the sensing of the tension carriage position, controlled stopping of the belt at a defined place, and monitoring and assessing the overrun length when the conveyers are stopped. Development of two belt conveyers (P26, P56) has been completed, demonstrated and offered for extension. There is an intention to develop a system for monitoring steel cord belts for Vršanská uhelná a.s. A contract for “Iron Detectors at K 75 and K 90” was signed in 2009.

Developing a New Spectrometer – Cooperation between Litvínovská uhelná a.s. and GamaServis s.r.o., Milín

Since 1992, Litvínovská uhelná a.s. has had three NASU-type neutron analysers (which include spectrometers as their main part) for neutron analyses of sulphur in coal. The devices serve for analysing operatively and continuously the content of sulphur in the coal being transported along belt conveyers in the ČSA surface mine. The spectrometer is the sulphur analyser’s core part on which the quality of measurement and the reliability of the instrument depend. GamaServis s.r.o. Milín started developing and testing the new spectrometer as a part of the sulphur analyser in 2006 and completed the work in 2007.

The plan to develop the new spectrometer was motivated by the fact that the instruments, containing outdated components, were unreliable. The latest relevant knowledge was applied during the development work. The results of the operating tests were satisfactory and the new spectrometers were installed in 2008. The electronic systems of the NASU-type sulphur analysers were completely renewed at all 3 neutron analysers at the same time. Evaluation performed in December 2008 showed that the operation of the device was more reliable, the defect rate was lower, accuracy was higher and the device was more resistant to temperature changes.

In 2009, a contract for work was concluded for the project of “Retrofitting the NASU Analyser for the PD 772 and 882 Belt Conveyors”.

Development Activities of Krušnohorské strojírny Komořany a.s. (KSK)

In 2009, KSK’s development efforts were focused on the following areas:

1. Development in the area of coal storage management and mining equipment;
2. Development in the product range of automatically controlled boilers.

Development activities in the area of coal storage management and mining equipment were focused on the retrofitting and upgrading of machines under the following projects.

• Retrofitting and upgrading two LZKS stackers, made in Poland. The contract involves proposing the retrofitting of the machines, drawing up complete design documentation for the mechanical units, and securing the technical aspects of the delivery, installation and commissioning of the machines. The contract is a part of the project of “Complete Overhaul of the Prunéřov Power Plant II – Coal Feeding”. The technical preparation and project-design stages took place in 2009 to be completed in the first half of 2010.
• Retrofitting and upgrading the USSK No. 3 stacker/reclaimer. The contract involves a complete overhaul and retrofitting of the machine, including the preparation and delivery of the relevant technical documentation. The work was done for Vršanská uhelná a.s.
• Repair and refurbishment of the KU800.11/K84 bucket wheel excavator. This involves extensive repair and retrofitting of the machine, including both the mechanical parts and the electrical and control system. The most important improvement is the replacement of the old loading and discharge boom by new equipment with better extension parameters. This change is associated with a design proposal to modify the new discharge boom and the related parts and to assess the strength parameters of the modified structure. In 2009, this project was in the stage of technical and design preparation, which continue in 2010. Implementation of the project at Vršanská uhelná a.s. will start in the second half of 2010.

Development efforts related to the product range of automatically controlled solid fuel boilers had been started in 2008 and continued in 2009 with focus on boilers modified for the use of bio-fuels (wood pellets). These small boilers (up to 65 kW) are intended for households and small businesses. The following tasks have been completed in this area:

• Complete testing of the VM15-BIO boiler prototype at the KSK testing station, including long-term operating tests. The results show that an 86% efficiency has been reached and that the new emission limits (in effect from 2010) are met. The boiler is to be subjected to certification by the SZÚ Brno testing institute in the first half of 2010.
• Type change of the Varikot VK25 and VK45 multi-fuel boilers to VK25, 45-BIO boilers at the SZÚ Brno testing institute, which issued a certificate for the use of bio-fuels (wood pellets).

A plan of boiler innovation development is currently being assessed with special respect to the “Green Light to Savings” subsidising programme and the expected tightening of emission limits to become effective in the years to come. The entire Varimatik and Varikot boiler series already meet the strictest efficiency and emission limit requirements of the ČSN – EN 303-5 Standards: they are included in Class 3/3 and certified by the testing authority (SZÚ Brno).

Industrial Property

Six utility design applications were filed in 2008. In the same year, they were entered on the Utility Design Register maintained with the Industrial Property Office in Prague. These utility designs are jointly owned by Litvínovská uhelná a.s. and Vršanská uhelná a.s., and some of them are also co-owned by Krušnohorské strojírny Komořany a.s. or RENOGUM a.s. The utility designs protect the research and development results from 2007 and 2008. A patent application was filed in 2008 for an invention of “The Method to Create an Overlap Splice of the Conveyor Belt and the Splice Created by this Method”. The Industrial Property Office issued a patent on the basis of the above application in December 2009.