Petition for Modification
In the matter of
The American Coal Company Galatia Mine
I.D. No. 11-02752
Docket No. M-2000-109-C
30 CFR 75.900
PROPOSED DECISION AND ORDER
On July 10, 2000, a petition was filed seeking a modification of the application of 30 CFR 75.900 to Petitioner's Galatia Mine located in Saline County, Illinois. The Petitioner requests to use a combination of suitably sized fuses or non-undervoltage release circuit breaker, contactor, ground fault device, and three-phase under voltage relay, serving a three-phase low or medium voltage alternating circuit. The requested modification is to apply to any or all low or medium voltage circuits. The Petitioner alleges that the alternative method outlined in the petition will at all times guarantee no less than the same measure of protection afforded the standard.
MSHA personnel conducted an investigation of the petition and filed a report of their findings and recommendations with the Administrator for Coal Mine Safety and Health. After a careful review of the entire record, including the petition and MSHA's investigative report and recommendation, this Proposed Decision and Order (PDO) is issued.
Finding of Fact and Conclusion of Law
The alternative method proposed by the Petitioner (as amended by the recommendations of MSHA) will at all times guarantee no less than the same measure of protection afforded the miners under 30 CFR 75.900.
MSHA determined that the proposed alternative method applies only to stationary belt drive power centers, stationary water pump power centers, and longwall hydraulic pump power centers and has limited the modification to those applications. In addition, MSHA has determined that future power centers and dedicated electrical installation, may be safely designed and constructed to produce higher low or medium output voltages by using the same basic modification. That eventuality is also addressed by the PDO by requiring that these new design installations be inspected by MSHA prior to being placed into service (see Paragraphs 1 and 14 of the terms and conditions).
On the basis of the petition and the findings of MSHA's investigation, The American Coal Company is granted a modification of the application of 30 CFR 75.900 to its Galatia Mine.
ORDER
Wherefore, pursuant to the authority delegated by the Secretary of Labor to the Administrator for Coal Mine Safety and Health, and pursuant to Section 101(c) of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, 30 U.S.C., sec. 811(c), it is ordered that The American Coal Company's Petition for Modification of the application of 30 CFR 75.900 in the Galatia Mine is hereby:
GRANTED, conditioned upon compliance with the following terms and conditions:
1. This PDO shall apply only to the requirement for short-circuit protection for three-phase, low- and medium-voltage circuits supplying stationary belt drive installations, longwall hydraulic pump installations, and stationary water pump installations at the Galatia Mine. At the present time the mine uses longwall power centers with 995 volt out put to power 250 HP A.C. hydraulic pump motors and stationary belt drive and stationary water pump power centers which out put 480 volts to power 250 HP A.C. belt drive motors and small pump motors. In the future, higher out put voltages, up to 995 volts may be required for water pumping and belt drive applications. Those higher out put voltage installations, if designed and installed to the requirements of this PDO, shall also be covered by modification.
2. The nominal voltage of the stationary belt conveyor drive(s), longwall hydraulic pump installations, and stationary water pump installation(s) shall not exceed 995-volts.
3. The nominal control voltage of the belt conveyor drive(s), longwall hydraulic pump installations, and stationary water pump installation(s) shall not exceed 120-volts.
4. Properly sized fuses or circuit breakers shall be used to provide short-circuit protection for the three-phase, 480-volt, but not greater than 995-volt power circuits that supply power to the stationary belt drive installations, longwall hydraulic pump installations, and stationary water pump installations. One circuit breaker may be used to protect two or more branch circuits if the circuit breaker is adjusted to afford overcurrent protection for the smallest conductor. The design of each installation must ensure coordination of the circuit breaker or properly sized fuses and the motor circuit line starter contactor(s) so that the circuit breaker or properly sized fuses open first when a short-circuit condition occurs.
5. The 480-volt, but not greater than 995-volt, three-phase power circuits that supply power through properly sized fuses to the stationary belt drives, hydraulic pumps, and water pumps shall be equipped with phase loss relay(s) that are connected in a manner to cause the affected motor circuit line starter contacts to open and not re-close when any fuse fails. If the circuits are not provided with phase loss relays one undervoltage device installed in the main secondary circuit at the source transformer may be used to provide undervoltage protection for each circuit that receives power from that transformer.
6. The 480-volt but not greater than 995-volt, three-phase power circuits that supply power through properly sized fuses or circuit breakers to the stationary belt drives, hydraulic pumps, and water pumps shall be equipped with grounded-phase relay(s) that are connected in a manner to cause the affected motor circuit line starter contacts to open and not re-close when a when grounded-phase condition occurs on any phase.
7. The voltage rating of the motor line starter contactor(s) shall be equal to or exceed the Roots-Means-Square (RMS) voltage of the power system. The continuous current rating of the line starter power contactor(s) shall be equal to or exceed the full load current of the equipment connected to the line starter.
8. The instantaneous magnetic trip and motor overload settings for each circuit breaker or fuses that provide protection for the stationary belt motors, hydraulic pumps and water pump motor circuit(s) shall be set in accordance with the 1999 National Electrical Code.
9. The circuit breakers shall be located so that the breakers can be operated without exposing miners to energized electric components or wiring.
10. Ground-fault or short-circuit conditions on stationary belt drives, hydraulic pumps and water pump installation circuits shall preclude remote closing of the motor line starter contactor(s). A qualified person (who meets the requirements of 30 CFR 75.153) must determine and correct the cause for either the ground-fault or short-circuit condition before the circuit breaker is manually reset or a fuse is manually replaced.
11. The three-phase power circuit(s) from the power center(s) to the stationary belt drives, hydraulic pumps and water pump installations shall be provided with ground-fault protection set at not more than 40 percent of the ground-fault current limited by the neutral grounding resistor. A time delay may be permitted in the power center ground-fault protection circuit for coordination with the ground-fault protection devices installed to open the line starter motor contactors. The time delay for the ground-fault protection at the power center shall be set at the lowest practical value that permits reliable coordination; however, in no case shall the time delay exceed 0.25 seconds.
12. The alternative method shall not apply to trailing cables.
13. The Petitioner's alternative method shall not be implemented until all personnel who per- form maintenance on the alternative circuits have received training in proper safety and maintenance procedures. A record of this training shall be maintained and made avail- able to authorized MSHA representatives and to other interested parties.
14. The modified equipment designs, higher voltage out put stationary conveyor belt drive or stationary water pump power centers, shall not be put into service until after MSHA has inspected the equipment and determined that the electrical installation(s) constructed to the new design is in compliance with all the above terms and conditions and all applicable requirements of 30 CFR, Part 75.
15. Within 60 days after this Proposed Decision and Order becomes final, the Petitioner shall submit proposed revision(s) for its approved 30 CFR Part 48 training plan to the Coal Mine Safety and Health District Manager. These proposed revisions shall include initial and refresher training regarding the conditions stated in the Proposed Decision and Order.
Any party to this action desiring a hearing on this matter must file in accordance with 30 CFR 44.14, within 30 days. The request for hearing must be filed with the Administrator for Coal Mine Safety and Health, 1100 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia 22209-3939.
If a hearing is requested, the request shall contain a concise summary of position on the issues of fact or law desired to be raised by the party requesting the hearing, including specific objections to the proposed decision. A party other than Petitioner who has requested a hearing shall also comment upon all issues of fact or law presented in the petition, and any party to this action requesting a hearing may indicate a desired hearing site. If no request for a hearing is filed within 30 days after service thereof, the Decision and Order will become final and must be posted by the operator on the mine bulletin board at the mine.
John F. Langton
Acting Deputy Administrator
for Coal Mine Safety and Health