The result of the search for new technological solutions in the field of support for roadways in coal mines has in recent years been the widespread use of steel arch with rockbolt support systems. The efficiency of these systems is affected among other things by the option of installing rock bolts after the actual driving the mine roadway, the increased load capacity that these systems can support, and their resistance to dynamic weight. Large variation in the way that these steel arch support can be connected using different types of rock bolts necessitates mining research revealing the effectiveness of such solutions. Although the steel arch with rockbolt support system is used in the majority of European coal mines, it is still not possible to apply templates of schemes due to the diversity of geological and mining conditions. Therefore, throughout a period of several years, the authors of this article conducted research in situ under conditions of different schemes related to connecting arched support frames with rock bolts, with only selected results being presented in the article. The measurements of convergence, load supported by the system frame, load supported by the rock bolts, and the stratification of roof rocks were analyzed, carried out in two roadways with yielding steel arch support in which strand bolts were applied. The article also proposes the index for working maintenance n uw , used in preliminarily assessing the stability of a given working with a limited number of data concerning geomechanical conditions. Additionally considered are empirical methods used in Poland for designing steel arch with rock bolt support systems.The results of mine research indicate that strengthening yielding steel support with strand bolts through steel beams maintains the stability of a roadway, even when exposed to the exploitation stress. Aside from the impact of exploitation, deformations of the support system are negligible, despite the fact that the tensile forces acting on the rock bolts can reach values of up to 160 kN. Under favorable geological and mining conditions, support system frames can be spread up to 1.5 m apart when using rock bolts between them. The conducted measurement of convergence during a three year period revealed a compression amounting to a few centimeters. The results obtained by the research fully confirm the effectiveness of combined yielding steel arch with rock bolt support systems under different mining conditions. Keywords: mine roadways, mining support, stability of roadways, rock mass monitoring 642Efektem poszukiwania nowych rozwiązań technologicznych w zakresie obudowy wyrobisk korytarzowych w kopalniach węgla kamiennego, jest w ostatnich latach dość powszechne stosowanie obudowy podporowo-kotwowej. Na jej efektywność wpływa miedzy innymi możliwość zabudowy kotew w późniejszym okresie niż drążenie wyrobiska, uzyskiwanie dużej nośności, czy odporność na obciążenia dynamiczne. Duża liczba możliwych do zastosowania wariantów połączeń obudowy podporowej z kotwami o różnej kon...

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Results of investigations of the angular correlation of annihilation radiation and positron annihilation lifetime measurements are presented for polyethylene-carbon black composites. The inhibition of positronium formation due to the carbon black introduction is evidenced by a decrease in intensities of the narrow component in angular correlation of annihilation radiation curves and of the longest-lived components in positron annihilation lifetime spectra. A qualitative interpretation of the data in terms of the free-volumes model is proposed.

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This paper presents an attempt to the valuation of the operational flexibility of the energy investment project based on the example of combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT). For this purpose, the real options approach (ROA), net present value (NPV) method, and the Monte Carlo (MC) simulation have been used. Motivations to take up such a topic result from the fact that traditional valuation methods neglect flexibility embedded in CCGT assets. Operational flexibility was defined as the switching option to dynamically shut down and restart gas units. Valuation of the operational flexibility, the project’s extended net present value (XNPV), was based on a discounted cash flow model. The Monte Carlo simulation, allowing for better replication of the stochastic nature of market factors and some technical parameters, was introduced to the valuation model. The obtained results indicate that the value of the options significantly influences the NPV of the analyzed technology and its risk profile. The NPV was calculated at −169.1 million USD, while the XNPV amounted to 102.5 million USD. This difference, compared to the NPV distribution range at a significance level of 0.05, was more than 8.1% (almost 10.4% for α = 0.1). The results achieved help to explain the significance of the operational flexibility in the modeling profitability of CCGT technologies.