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improvements will be in the area of materials :.Llndlir·
conveyors to eliminate dust and .... rticle degradation
Jrexample the use of tube
..:mveyor-belt transfer points.
Recycling of water and reagents is expected to improve. The "energy crisis" of
the late 1970s mad",ll operators become more effie'···· in energy consumption at their
plants and continuc.mprovement is expected.
Underground mining
The mines are now highly mechanized, so no revolu:.1!)' concepts are foreseen
in the near term. What can be expected is that heavier and mo,e powerful drum miners
will be used to mine the hard lanrheinite ores of the 4th ore zone. Western Ag-Minerals
Company is now investigating th.: .:'e of such a mac!":"~ The advantage converting
to drum miners are.c,'etll1fold: m~,ease in mining .iOn, mining at " lOwer height to
improve ore grade, mmimizing the workforce at th" ..,,-,.'1g face which improves safety,
and better ground control because mining advance is more rapid. A factor yet to be
determined is whether drum miners will reduce the amount of langbeinite fmes and so
improve processing recovery.
IMC Fertilizer, Inc. is studying fa,ter and safer ways of transportJL.g personnel
from the shaft entry'ut to the working 1,,;:::s. Distances are now five or more miles from
the man-shafts, so transportation of personnel consumes a significant portion of working
time.
Extendible conveyors, which are placed between the miners and the main belt
lines, will be improved. The devices now in use were developed for coal mines, and the
companies that use them for potash are making modifications to improve performance in
their specific operations.
Remote control of mining machinery will increase. Today most continuous miners
are operated by the worker using telemetry. New laser-guidance systems will be used to
direct the mining advance and to continually adjust the height m ...·.:! to minimize dilution.
Mining height has been reduced to 4.$ ft, and may be further reauced to 4 ft or perhaps
even less.
Roof bolting is used as the major method of ground contro1~ Bolting can beldone
with on-board bolting machines on the continuous miners. TIUs-:pral:tice has noLiJ=n
fully implemented to date, but will become customary where ground conditions require
regular bolting.
DEVELQPMENTS THAT CAN BE EXPECTED ONLY IN THE FAR FUTURE
Solution mining is the only method that can be reasonably predicted for the Carlsbad
District. The system has been··in use in Canada for ultra deep (>4000 ft) sylvite in
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