The shaft is about 5km long, with a -6° downhill excavation slope and a minimum curve radius of 60m.
The 6.03m diameter TBM, named Hongyuan, has been manufactured by China Railway Engineering Equipment Group Co Ltd (CREG). It will excavate through a range of ground conditions, including geological structural belts, goafs, thin coal seams and limestone. In order to improve safety and efficiency, CREG customised a double gripper hard rock TBM to handle regripping and excavation problems in difficult geologies such as fault fracture zone.
Demand for coal continues to increase in China but improving coal mine capacity is restricted by the excavation efficiency of the mine roadway.
CREG says using Hongyuan will further enhance China's mechanisation and understanding of coal mine construction, “laying a solid foundation for high-quality, safe and efficient construction”.
