Applying Utility Criteria to Select the Design Variant of the Transport System in Underground Mine Workings

This article presents a new, in-house developed method of selecting a variant of the transport system in the underground of a mine, using multi-variant decision support, taking into account the specificity of an underground mining plant. The implementation of the method should facilitate the selection of the most optimal transport system, ensuring continuity and the lowest operating costs. Seven functional criteria are proposed herein, which may be of a stimulant or destimulant nature. Each criterion was assigned a specific scoring weight reflecting the level of significance, with the sum of the weights being 100. The highest scores for the variants in the individual criteria go to those characterized by the following traits: the shortest transport time, the highest compatibility with the transport system already existing in the mine, transport routes with the greatest coverage communication, allow workers to be transported to the front of the excavation as quickly as possible, are most compatible with the existing transport systems in terms of the reinforcement and removal of longwalls, have a drive with the lowest operational hazard, have the least negative impact on the atmosphere of workings (exhaust gas emissions), and those that will ensure the best functioning of transport in emergency situations involving risk or uncertainty. For each criterion, a scoring formula based on specific parameters is provided. The method was used to select the optimal variant of the transport system in one of the mines, where four long walls were cut and four long galleries were drilled. Out of ten variants, the variant that should ensure the highest degree of reliable transport operation and continuity of operation has been determined using seven usability criteria.