Application of Surface Miner in Indian Coal Mines

Abstract

Conventional system of open cast mining of coal in India involves drilling, blasting and crushing which causes adverse impact on environment. It creates requirement of more machineries and manpower, ultimately cost of mining coal increases. Due to presence of villages near the mines, blasting is restricted as a result huge amount of coal is blocked. Quality of coal has great concern in our country because most of the coal seams contain inferior quality of coal due to drift origin. Government legislation also prohibits the dispatch of coal for more than 1000 Km if coal contains more than 36% ash. The introduction of surface miner under these conditions is capable to solve the above mentioned problems. It enables the operator of mine to ensure selective mining of coal as a result quality of coal improves. The multiplicity of thinner seams which are unworkable in conventional system of opencast mining becomes workable and the total reserve of non-renewable source of fossil fuel increases. It reduces cost of production as a result total profit of a mine increases.