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Australian Standard

Sampling from coal seams

AS 2617—1996
 This Australian Standard was prepared by Committee MN/1, Coal and Coke. It was
approved on behalf of the Council of Standards Australia on 16 October 1995 and
published on 5 March 1996.

The following interests are represented on Committee MN/1:

Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy
Australian Institute of Energy
Australian Mining Industry Council
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Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Australian Coal Association
Australian Coal Industry Research Laboratories
Australian Coal Preparation Society
Bureau of Steel Manufacturers of Australia
CSIRO, Division of Coal and Energy Technology
Department of Minerals and Energy, Queensland
Electricity Supply Association of Australia
Institution of Engineers, Australia
Queensland Coal Board
Royal Australian Chemical Institute
Standing Committee on Coalfield Geology of New South Wales
University of Newcastle
University of New South Wales
University of Queensland

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Full details of all Australian Standards and related publications wil l be found in the Standards Australia
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new editions and amendments, and of withdrawn Standards.
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should be made wit hout delay in order that the matter may be investigated and appropriate action taken.

This Standard was issued in draft form for comment as DR 95064.

 AS 2617—1996

Australian Standard
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Sampling from coal seams

PUBLISHED BY STANDARDS AUSTRALIA

(STANDARDS ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA)
1 THE CRESCENT, HOMEBUSH, NSW 2140
ISBN 0 7337 0173 6
 AS 2617 — 1996 2

PREFACE

This Standard was prepared by the Standards Australia Committee on Coal and Coke, as a
revision of AS 2617 — 1983, Guide for the taking of samples from hard coal seams in
situ.
The objective of this Standard is to provide uniformity and best practices in procedures
used for taking coal samples from seams in the ground.
Major changes from the previous edition are as follows:
(a) The inclusion of sampling from small-diameter and large-diameter drill holes.
(b) The inclusion of sampling from exposed seam faces.
(c) The inclusion of trial open-cut slots.
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(d) Deletion of the appendix titled ‘Determination of seam thickness’.

The term ‘informative’ has been used in this Standard to define the application of the
Appendix to which it applies. An informative appendix is for guidance and information
only.

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 3 AS 2617 — 1996

CONTENTS
Page

FOREWORD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

1 SCOPE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2 REFERENCED DOCUMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3 DEFINITIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
4 SELECTION OF SAMPLING SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
5 SAMPLING PROCEDURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
6 RECORDING OF SAMPLING AND GEOLOGICAL DATA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
7 TRANSPORTATION OF SAMPLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
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APPENDIX A EXAMPLE OF STAND ARD FORM FOR RECORDING

SAMPLING DATA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Originated as AS CK5—1948.
Previous edit ion AS 2617—1983.
Second edit ion 1996.
 AS 2617 — 1996 4

FOREWORD

A coal seam may consist of a single stratum of one lithotype of relatively uniform
maceral constitution, or it may consist of a number of layers of different coal lithotypes
varying in thickness and lateral extent. The seam may also contain discrete layers of
inorganic sediments, or carbonaceous shales of varying thickness. Veins of concordant or
discordant secondary mineral matter, or intrusive volcanic rock may also be present. The
lithotype layers may vary considerably in hardness, texture and structure according to the
nature of the coal and inorganic sediments. The inorganic layers may also thicken
laterally, splitting the seam into two or more separate entities. Thus, it is not always
possible to obtain samples of a full seam or seam section at one sampling point. Where
significant variation in seam thickness, lithotype profile and structure occurs and a
representative sample is required, several samples may have to be taken.
Methods of sampling for the assessment of physical, chemical, petrographic or utilization
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properties are described for the following:

(a) Sampling from small and large diameter drill cores.
(b) Sampling from exposed seam faces.
(c) Sampling from trial open-cut excavations.
(d) Sampling from underground workings.
In a seam of variable quality, it will be necessary to take a number of samples to improve
the representativeness of sampling.
In operating mines, the manager should be consulted and approval should be obtained
before sampling sites are selected and sampling proceeds. In the case of exploration
tenements, it is often necessary to obtain permission from the State Government
department that issued the tenement before a bulk sample can be extracted. In most cases,
the tenement document defines what constitutes a bulk sample, usually in terms of total
mass of coal involved, whereas in other cases it is left to the discretion of the department.
In all sampling situations, experienced and qualified personnel will be required for
supervision and to ensure that accurate records are made of location, thickness and
lithotype descriptions and that all safety precautions have been addressed. It is strongly
recommended that a risk analysis of the sampling exercise be undertaken by an
experienced safety officer before work begins.
 5 AS 2617 — 1996

STANDARDS AUSTRALIA

Australian Standard
Sampling from coal seams

1 SCOPE This Standard is a guide to the methods recommended for taking samples
from higher rank coal seams in the ground, whether from exploration tenements, or from
operating underground or open-cut mines. The following methods are described:
(a) Bore core sampling.
(b) Drill cuttings sampling.
(c) Open-cut slot sampling.
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(d) Pillar sampling.

(e) Channel sampling.
(f) Strip sampling.
This Standard does not apply to sampling from production moving streams or any other
source of coal not in place.
Recommendations are made for selection and preparation of the sampling site, and
methods are described for taking both small and bulk samples, and for preparing the
samples for transport.
NOTE: Appendix A includes an example of a sample record form that may be used to record
sampling and other relevant data, and AS 4264.1 describes how to determine the mass of sample
required for representativeness at various nominal top sizes.

2 REFERENCED DOCUMENTS The following documents are referred to in this

Standard:
AS
2418 Coal and coke —Glossary of terms
2519 Guide to the technical evaluation of higher rank coal deposits
2916 Symbols for graphical representation of coal seams and associated strata
4264 Coal and coke —sampling
4264.1 Part 1: Higher rank coal — sampling procedures
4264.3 Part 3: Lower rank coal— Sampling procedures

3 DEFINITIONS For the purpose of this Standard, the definitions given in AS 2418
and those below apply.
3.1 Bulk sample — a sample that is larger than the normal samples taken in a particular
operation. There is usually a specific reason for taking a bulk sample which is related to
the amount of material required for a particular purpose. It is not possible to define the
minimum size of a bulk sample, but in some cases government departments formulate
guidelines that apply to exploration tenements.
3.2 Channel sample—a sample of the coal and associated inorganic rock taken by
removing a channel of even cross-section from the seam. Where the full section of the
seam is not accessible or not required, this term may refer to a sample taken either from a
specifically defined portion of the seam, or from the floor to roof as mined or exposed.

COPYRIGHT
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AS 2617-1996, Sampling from coal seams

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