Ground penetrating radar coal measurements demonstration at the U.S. Bureau of Mines Research Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Final report

In situ and near real-time measurements of coal seam thickness have been identified by industry as a highly desirable component of robotic mining systems. With it, a continuous mining machine can be guided close to the varying boundary of the seam while the cutting operation is underway. This provides the mining operation the ability to leave behind the high-sulfur, high-particulate coal which is concentrated near the seam boundary. The result is near total recovery of high quality coal resources, an increase in mining efficiency, and opportunities for improved safety through reduction in personnel in the most hazardous coal cutting areas. In situ, real-time coal seam measurements using the Special Technologies Laboratory (STL) ground penetrating radar (GPR) technology were shown feasible by a demonstration in a Utah coal mine on April 21, 1994. This report describes the October 18, 1994 in situ GPR measurements of coal seam thickness at the US Bureau of Mines (USBM) robotic mining testing laboratory. In this report, an overview of the measurements at the USBM Laboratory is given. It is followed by a description of the technical aspects of the STL frequency modulated-continuous wave (FM-CW) GPR system. Section 4 provides a detailed description of the USBM Laboratory measurements and the conditions under which they were taken. Section 5 offers conclusions and possibilities for future communications