BUILDING REFERENCES IN INDIA

Shib Bhowmik, Joy Global, India, and Adrian Carley, Joy Global, UK, detail how the company has been helping Indian underground mining operations.

P lummeting coal prices are affecting operations at coal mines across the globe, but India is opening a coal mine a month in order to double coal production by 2020. As coal

remains the prime source of energy in India, the Indian government has laid a roadmap to produce 1.5 billion t of coal by 2020, of which 1 billion t will be from Coal India Ltd (CIL) and 0.5 billion t will be from Singareni Collieries Co. Ltd (SCCL) and other public and private coal blocks, to meet the projected increased demand for coal.

To keep up, CIL is planning new underground mines and adopting mechanised mining systems that employ longwall technology with advanced powered roof supports and shearers, and continuous miners wherever feasible.

South Eastern Coalfields Ltd (SECL, a subsidiary of CIL) has been using continuous miners since 2001, when it first introduced Joy equipment at its Chirimiri mines. The complete equipment system is covered by Joy Global’s Life Cycle Management (LCM) service, which includes Component Exchange Program (CEP) scheduling. The CEP enables mining customers to get like-new, remanufactured components, incorporating the latest design improvements, delivered same- or next-day, substantially reducing operating cost by limiting

downtime required. This direct service partnership has been successfully implemented at several other underground mines in India employing Joy continuous miners.

The introduction of underground continuous mining technology has proven to significantly increase output and productivity when compared to traditional and semi-mechanised mining methods. CIL, SCCL and other public and private coal block owners plan to ramp up their use of mechanised mining to achieve the ambitious target set by the government of India.

Coal block owners are focused on increasing productivity at underground mines through the implementation of advanced mass production systems, such as longwall mining. CIL first introduced longwall mining in 1978 at a few mines, but had limited success due in part to poor equipment maintenance. As significant improvements have been made in mine planning, technology and the introduction of effective service models, India has begun to take renewed interest in longwall mining in recent years.

Powering development at a greenfield siteJoy Global is providing a new Joy longwall system for the Kapuria coal mine operated by AMR India Ltd. Kapuria is a greenfield site situated in the Western Jharia area. The coal block is owned by Bharat Coking Coal Ltd (BCCL, a subsidiary of CIL). AMR is the mine developer and operator for this project. Joy will supply longwall equipment, road headers, roof bolters, belt conveyors and LCM for the entire system.

The company is providing five roadheaders, three of which will have onboard integral roof bolters. With two bolting rigs per roadheader, it allows for the quick, effective and accurate installation of roof bolt support immediately after the cutting cycle has been completed and the roof has been exposed. With a close bolt-to-face distance of 0.5 m and a wide rotation angle of 100˚, it enables both roof and side bolts to be inserted in a range of bolting patterns and roadway shapes and dimensions. The control operation of the bolters is carried out from position at the rear of the apron, keeping the operator away from the face of the heading and in a position of safety. The bolters are capable of drilling strata of up to 80 MPa and, with a torque of 200 Nm, it allows for quick and efficient roadway drivage.

Behind the roadheader is a walking tail end unit. The cut

Joy Global service teams on site to help achieve high availability for a P&H 1900 shovel at a coal mine in India.

Joy Global service teams evaluate components for the Component Exchange Program of a Life Cycle Management customer.

| World Coal | Reprinted from October 2016

material from the roadheader is delivered onto the walking tail end by means of a ‘bridge’ or second conveyor. This simple but effective unit is a mechanised means of self-advancing the development conveyor, allowing the operation to be carried out independently and concurrently with other development operations, thereby increasing the development performance. The design and operation of the tail end is simple and effective with no chains involved, helping reduce the risk of injury. The walking tail end has an additional benefit in that it also carries the development electrics, ancillary equipment and the exhaust fan so these are also advanced as part of the operation, reducing the time for move ups, reducing manpower requirements and improving productivity.

The shearer to cut the coal on the longwall will be a 3.3 KV, 1106 KW machine equipped with the latest version of the Joy control system, Faceboss. The control system monitors the various sensors, managing motor controls, machine diagnostics, radio remotes, invertor controls and data transmission. The latest system improvements incorporate faster processing speed, better communication and improved diagnostics. The user interface is a full colour, multilingual display navigated by the use of a mouse, page turner or the handheld radio transmitters. The machine has a modular, multi-motor design.

Using finite element analysis and design failure mode and effect analysis, Joy’s design team has produced a roof support to meet exacting cycle and operating requirements. The powered roof supports will be cycle tested to 45 000 cycles as against the normal 26 000 cycles with EN1804. The roof supports are controlled by Joy’s state-of-the-art electronic control system, RS20s. The system is more powerful and communicates faster than earlier models, offering comprehensive control and monitoring capabilities with

excellent reliability. Designed with operator friendliness in mind, it features large buttons and an audible beep alert on each button press to provide operator feedback. The front panel uses a shield legend to clearly illustrate all support functions. A backlit display allows the operator to examine not just the support, but the whole system for status and faults, helping ensure consistent operation, reliability and maximum use of equipment.

With 40 mm thick deck-plates, the AFC has been designed to operate on the steep grades within the mine. The low delivery end of

the AFC and interface with the stage loader has a pivoting frame designed to cater to the variable gradient changes throughout the mine, while still delivering 1200 tph. An overlap belt tail end will provide transfer of coal onto the gate conveyor. This allows the beam stage loader to be pushed out without the belt tail end moving and altering the load from the coal face. The belt return end can be retreated at a suitable time within the mining cycle to minimise disruption to face operations.

A dual purpose pan line bolter will be used to ensure efficient

Joy Global service team members evaluate components at an underground mining service centre.

A Joy Global service expert tests components at a service centre in India.

Reprinted from October 2016 | World Coal |

preparation of the face. This is an AFC-mounted, hydraulically propelled roofbolting machine specially designed for face salvage and adverse geological conditions. The bolter has the flexibility of a swinging and elevating boom for the operator, in addition to mast swing, to allow bolts to be installed in the coal face. All tramming and bolting operations are carried out from an operator’s platform with canopy protection, offering enhanced safety. To provide increased flexibility, the pan line bolter has pockets within its construction, enabling it to be carried by shield haulers and used around the mine as a portable bolting machine.

The LCM plan for this equipment system is unique for India. As the OEM, Joy Global takes all responsibility for the LCM of the entire system, employing CEP, overhauls and rebuilds as required, to guarantee availability of the system for nine annual production periods (APPs), with an expected annual tonnage of 2 million tpy. The LCM contract guarantees minimised unplanned downtime, lower instances of machines waiting for components after failure, predicted structural repair requirements and changes, minimised secondary damage and optimised training and maintenance execution, with the end goal of providing higher availability of the system for continuous production.

Local service supportJoy is able to successfully maintain its underground mining equipment in the area with the support of trained experts at its advanced Service and Training Centre in Nagpur. The service centre is strategically located to be close to customers and provide support for all LCM programmes for underground projects in India. From this service centre, Joy Global has carried out 10 major rebuilds in India. These rebuilds comprised entire continuous miner systems, consisting of continuous miners, shuttle cars, roof bolters, feeder breakers and load centres. The Nagpur service centre also caters to all repair and maintenance of gearbox, motor, hydraulic cylinder, valves and heavy fabrication for gathering head frame and CM conveyor frame. The centre adheres to the highest Joy Operational Excellence standards and ensures all repaired units are tested before delivery.

Joy Global’s LCM solutions are helping reduce mining costs by enabling customers to partner directly with the company to optimise machine performance throughout each asset’s life cycle. The company’s service teams work onsite and in local service centres to provide superior maintenance and repair services with Joy standard parts for maximum availability of the equipment. Machines also are equipped with PreVail, Joy Global’s remote equipment health monitoring system. The system provides real-time data on productivity and helps identify in advance any faults or potential failures of the equipment. The company also provides field service supervision 24/7, which includes daily checks, running repairs, trouble shooting and scheduled maintenance.

The company is committed to helping India achieve its goal of 1.5 billion t of coal by 2020, and will continue to employ direct service and advanced longwall and continuous mining technology to help Indian mines get there.

A commitment to communityOne of Joy Global’s core operating beliefs is social and environmental responsibility. The company invests in local communities to help improve areas where its employees live and work.

In India, Joy Global partners with a local NGO for the Ashar Alo project to support 38 underprivileged young girls. The collaboration provides the girls a safe home and proper nutrition, health care and education. The goal is to empower them by helping the girls become independent and successful in their lives after they leave the home.

Joy Global also contributes to the Childhood Blindness Eradication Project for the underprivileged by setting up regular camps for eye screening in areas where help is needed: at government schools in Kolkata, and in its suburbs and mining areas. The company helped set up a full eye operation theatre at Hope Hospital with all medical equipment and supplies to support the cause.

The company has also helped provide drinking water, seating arrangements and toilets in schools for children with learning disabilities in Kolkata and other adjoining districts.

Joy Global arranges regular camps for eye screening in areas where help is needed.

| World Coal | Reprinted from October 2016