Suitability Study of Surface Miner in Indian Coal Mines

Abstract

Earlier opencast coal mining activities were done or being carried out only by conventional system of mining which includes drilling, blasting and crushing. All these operations are resulting a lot of adversative impacts on the environment and the surrounding atmosphere. The adverse impacts that the conventional mining system results are ground vibration, noise pollution, air pollution, land degradation, ecological disturbances etc. This generates necessity of additional machineries and manpower, eventually cost of mining coal rises. And also due to existence of villages adjacent the mines, blasting is limited as a result massive quantity of coal is blocked. And we all know that quality of coal has great concern in our country since most of the coal seams comprise low-grade quality of coal due to drift origin. Government legislation also forbids the dispatch of coal for more than 1000 Km if coal comprises more than 36% ash. In these circumstances, surface miner was being introduced which can capable of solving the above declared problems. This allows the operator of the mine to ensure selective mining of coal so that quality of coal develops. The variety of thinner seams which are unworkable in conventional system of opencast mining now converts workable and the whole reserve of non-renewable source of fossil fuel rises. It also decreases cost of production so that total profit of a mine growths.