LNG Dumpers in a mining pilot

Coal India Ltd (CIL), Ministry of Coal is looking at retrofitting Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) kits in its dumpers deployed for coal transportation. CIL uses rupees four lakh kilolitres of diesel per annum with an annual expense of over Rs.3,500 crores. The pilot project, together with GAIL (India) Ltd., and BEML Ltd., will retrofit LNG kits in its two 100-tonne dumpers operating at the subsidiary Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd. (MCL). As per the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), CIL , GAIL and BEML will execute the pilot project. On retrofitting, the LNG kit will be tested. The dumpers will run on a dual fuel system using both LNG and diesel. Expected to significantly lower operational costs, it is expected to be a game changer. The pilot, if successful, will be extended to over 2,500 CIL owned dumpers running in its opencast coal mines. From a total fleet diesel consumption of 65-75 per cent, LNG is expected to account for 30-40 per cent. This in turn is expected to reduce the fuel cost by ~15 per cent. It will not only reduce carbon emission but also save an estimated Rs.500 crores annually. The projection takes into account the existing Heavy Earth Moving Machines (HEMMs) including dumpers. The pilot will be used to monitor parameters like the replacement rate of diesel with LNG in different load and operating conditions. It will also capture any change in performance characteristics of the dumper including cycle time and engine performance parameters. The pilot will run over a period of 90 days which will be subjected to a technoeconomic study to study the feasibility of real world deployment. The move is in line with the switch by global majors.