Shortly before the end of 2009, Bucyrus secured India’s first-ever contract for a high-performance longwall installation from Singareni Collieries Co Ltd (SCCL). The deal covers a complete shearer longwall, transport vehicles, belt systems, spares as well as extensive technical support and training. The equipment is destined for the Adriyala field at SCCL’s GDK 10 A Incline in the Ramagundam area. The longwall will have an operating range of 2.8 – 3.6 m. Delivery will be completed by the end of Q1, 2011.
This important deal represents the SCCL’s largest-ever investment in a single project and includes equipment, spares and accessories as well as extensive technical support and training. The targeted production volume is about five times greater than any previous volume achieved by other SCCL longwalls. The longwall must achieve average production of 15,000 t/d day as well as peak performance of 18,000 t/d.
The operation is targetting longwall availability of 90%, which will require a sophisticated maintenance strategy as well as a perfectly organised inventory concept, as this remote Indian mining area is six hours’ drive from the nearest airport. Annual production of 4.5 Mt is targetted.
The longwall will be the most modern in India and its productivity will be many times that of India’s existing aging longwalls. Bucyrus is working closely with the customer to ensure the smooth and successful introduction and operation of this new technology, which is revolutionary for India.
The longwall comprises an Electra® 3000 Evo shearer with 2,245 kW installed power, 154 hydraulic roof supports equipped with PMC®-R control units, 260 m of AFC, bridge stage loader, lump breaker, gate belt conveyor, and electrical equipment. A total of ten vehicles and trailers and a monorail for power pack and electrics are also included.
SCCL is jointly owned by the government of Andhra Pradesh (51%) and government of India (49%). The Singareni coal reserves totaling 8,791 Mt extend over 350 km in the state of Andhra Pradesh on the southeast coast of India. Its production target for this financial year is 50.4 Mt. SCCL operates 13 open-pit and 42 underground mines with a workforce of some 78,000.