We are happy to announce that the project by KOMAG Institute in cooperation with Elektron Company has been awarded the Silver Medal during this year's International Invention and Innovation Show INTARG, which took place on 24-25 May in Katowice. The KMG-EWS SELF-CLEANING WATER NOZZLE was created to reduce dust and prevent methane ignitions in mines. The nozzle is equipped with a self-cleaning system, which prevents clogging and is therefore safer than the solutions used so far. Other advantages include low water consumption, as well as high water droplet fragmentation. The creators of the project are: Director of ITG KOMAG Dariusz Prostański, Dominik Bałaga, Marek Kalita, Michał Siegmund, Michał Bidas, Andrzej Urbanek and Arkadiusz Waloszczyk. Congratulations!

The KOMAG-HR sprinkler system, developed at the KOMAG Institute of Mining Technology in cooperation with the Elektron Innovation and Implementation Company, is used to reduce dust generated into the workings during the mining of coal seams and to locally reduce the concentration of methane released from the rock mass. The system is designed for underground mine workings excavated by longwall technology, causing dust particles. The KOMAG-HR hybrid system solution is equipped with two integrated types of sprinkler subsystems located along the entire longwall workings:
- air-water (several batteries, every tenth section)
- sectoral (water nozzles under each section grouped into sectors).
The sprinkling streams generated by the air-water batteries are directed into the mining space of the shearer, thus reducing the dust carried in the flowing air.
On the other hand, water jets (which are part of the sector sprinkler) are directed toward the side wall, in order to locally reduce the concentration of methane escaping from the face of the wall during mining.
The system uses self-cleaning nozzles to protect against the ingress of contaminants and increase the reliability of operation. The installation and operation of each subsystem is independent and determined by the manner of exploitation. The system was awarded in the Innovative Product & Technology Expo Katowice competition in the Safety Improvement category. The solution is protected by the following patents:
Patent: PL224886 - Method and installation of air and water sprinkling in the longwall workings,
Patent: PL223893 - Self-cleaning two-factor sprinkler nozzle,
Patent: PL221151 - Two-factor sprinkler nozzle.
Inventions filed with the Polish Patent Office:
P.440991 - Method and installation for dust reduction and removal of local accumulations of methane in a longwall workings (authorized ITG KOMAG).

On April 25th, In Ulaanbaatar, the Polish-Mongolian Business Forum, organized by the Polish Investment and Trade Agency was held. The event was aimed at reviewing the market of both countries and analyzing the prospects for further cooperation. It was also an opportunity to strengthen relations between the countries. On the first day of the forum, a session of bilateral meetings with Mongolian organizations was held, as well as a seminar devoted to the possibilities of economic cooperation between the two countries. KOMAG Institute was represented by Dr. Eng. Jacek Korski and Dr. Eng. Dariusz Michalak.

On April 20th 2023, a meeting with representatives of the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava was held at KOMAG Institute, concerning cooperation in the field of energy storage. In addition to project initiatives, we anticipate closer cooperation in the field of scientific exchange and organization of conferences.

On April 3rd-4th, 2023, the fifth Security Academy was held, the theme of which was "Because a human is the most important - employment problems in Polish mining industry. Education, support, safety". On the first day of the conference, a representative of KOMAG Institute, PhD Eng. Jacek Korski gave a speech on the employee crisis in Polish mining industry. Our representative drew attention to the need of creating a plan that would allow to maintain a high level of competence of new employees, and would also enable more effective use of their education.