energies-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Energy Consumption at Production Stages in Mining, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "H: Geo-Energy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 24 December 2025 | Viewed by 369

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Civil Engineering and Resource Management, AGH University of Krakow, Mickiewicza 30 Av., 30-059 Kraków, Poland
Interests: underground mining methods; computer-aided design for mining; physical test; numerical modeling; bolting; backfilling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics, AGH University of Krakow, Mickiewicza 30 Av., 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Interests: energy consumption; non destructive testing; acceleration vibration; additive manufacturing; EDM technology; smart sensors; bolting; drilling tool; surface topography
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The exploitation of mineral raw materials using the underground method is closely related to the construction of access, preparatory, and exploitation excavations, which must be equipped with special machines and devices adapted to specific geological and mining conditions. Mining work schedules are planned to minimize the length of mine transport routes while also reducing 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, a huge role is played by machines with combustion and electric drives, which are used, among other things, for work related to the drilling of blasting and bolting holes; loading, hauling, and dumping of excavated material; and also for ripping roof rocks and transporting crew and materials. As the depth of exploitation increases, so do natural hazards. 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 be properly 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-intensive process that necessitates a thorough examination of the machines and devices involved. The 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 work carried out.

In this Special Issue on Energies, we aim to focus on innovative laboratory, numerical, and industrial research that has a positive impact on energy consumption at various stages of mining production. We hope that you will consider submitting your original manuscript to this Special Issue for peer review.

Prof. Dr. Krzysztof Skrzypkowski
Dr. Krzysztof Zagórski
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • energy consumption
  • machines with combustion and electric drives
  • battery powered
  • self-propelled mining machines
  • underground mining methods
  • driving of excavations
  • horizontal, inclined, and vertical transport systems
  • processing of mineral raw materials
  • drainage system
  • ventilation systems

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

18 pages, 3160 KB  
Article
Balancing Load and Speed: A New Approach to Reducing Energy Use in Coal Conveyor Systems
by Leszek Jurdziak and Mirosław Bajda
Energies 2025, 18(17), 4716; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18174716 - 4 Sep 2025
Viewed by 186
Abstract
Reducing energy consumption in belt conveyor systems is critical to improving the overall energy efficiency of lignite mining operations. This study presents a theoretical and empirical analysis of energy use in overburden and coal conveyors, with a focus on balancing the relationship between [...] Read more.
Reducing energy consumption in belt conveyor systems is critical to improving the overall energy efficiency of lignite mining operations. This study presents a theoretical and empirical analysis of energy use in overburden and coal conveyors, with a focus on balancing the relationship between belt speed and load. Building on the theory of conveyor motion resistance, the energy consumption index (WskZE)—previously introduced by the authors—is revisited as a function of two key variables: belt speed (v) and real-time material flow rate (Qr). Empirical validation was conducted using operational data from variable-speed conveyors in the Konin lignite mine and compared to similar-length conveyors in the Bełchatów mine. Energy consumption measurements allowed for the analysis of energy consumption for two different scenarios: (i) in the Bełchatów mine the belt speed was constant and the excavator capacity was variable and (ii) in the Konin mine the excavator capacity was kept constant and the conveyor belt speed was varied. The results confirm that WskZE is linearly dependent on belt speed and inversely proportional to throughput, as predicted by theoretical models. However, findings also show that lowering belt speed—while effective in reducing energy use—results in a higher proportion of power being consumed to move the belt and heavy idlers, especially when these components are sized for peak loads. This study suggests a revised conveyor design philosophy (a new paradigm) that emphasizes maximizing the mass ratio of transported material to moving components. Additionally, it recommends integrating real-time monitoring of energy performance indicators into mine control systems to enable energy-aware operational decisions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Consumption at Production Stages in Mining, 2nd Edition)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop