Energy Consumption at Production Stages in Mining

Mining work schedules are planned so that mine transport routes are as short as possible while minimizing energy consumption. For vertical or inclined workings, the type of equipment with skip devices or belt conveyors is particularly important, for which effective working time is planned. In turn, for preparatory and exploitation workings, especially in ore mining, machines with combustion and electric drives play a significant role. As the depth of exploitation increases, natural hazards increase. The increase in the primary temperature of a rock mass and the release of heat by operating machines require that not only an appropriate amount of air be supplied to the excavation but also that the air is appropriately cooled. Moreover, the present groundwater requires that the workings be equipped with special pumps to discharge it to the surface. In the last production stage, excavated material must be prepared for the process of separating useful components from waste rocks in a processing plant. This is a highly energy-consuming process that requires a detailed analysis of the machines and devices used. Individual stages of mining metallic, energy, chemical, or rock raw materials require determining energy consumption in both the short and long term while maintaining a balance between production costs and the safety of the works carried out. In this Special Issue of Energies, we focus on innovative laboratory, numerical, and industrial research that has a positive impact on energy consumption at various production stages in mining.