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THE LEADER VOLUME 16 • NUMBER 5
India ’ s mining LNG momentum
Substitution of diesel with liquefied natural gas ( LNG ) is something many mining companies around the world are looking at as a medium term way of reducing costs and cutting carbon emissions . That said , to succeed in mining the infrastructure needs to be in place . India is one of the major mining countries where this is coming together . A major reason is Prime Minister Modi ’ s vision of transforming India into a gas-based economy .
The Indian government has identified use of LNG as a transport fuel as a priority area “ considering the potential of manifold benefits in terms of reducing vehicular pollution , saving in terms of import bill of the country and wide ranging benefits that may accrue to fleet operators , vehicle manufacturers and other entities in the gas sector .” Shri Dharmendra Pradhan , Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel said in November 2020 that the intention is to have 1,000 LNG stations within three years located on all major roads , plus in industrial hubs and mining areas .
And companies are coming together to facilitate this , one of which is Vadodara , Gujaratbased INOXCVA , a global leader in cryogenic liquid storage , distribution and re-gas solutions . In 2020 it signed a Memorandum of Understanding ( MoU ) with Shell Energy India Pvt Ltd , a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell , for partnering and developing the market for LNG supply by Road from Shell ’ s LNG Terminal in Hazira ( District Surat ), Gujarat . Fast forward to April 2021 , and INOXCVA announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with leading Japanese conglomerate Mitsui & Co ( Asia Pacific ) Pte Ltd ( Mitsui ) for partnering by sharing technical and commercial expertise for further establishing a virtual pipeline to service the growing demand of LNG in India . The MoU entails deployment of small scale LNG infrastructure including logistics and receiving facilities at customer sites and will offer LNG access to the customers not connected to the pipelines . This will help in increasing the penetration and consumption of clean , reliable and cost-efficient LNG to various users in the automotive , mining , shipping & rail industry all over the country .
INOXCVA is known for its innovative and future-ready solutions for small scale LNG applications . Since the commissioning its first small scale LNG installation at the Halol Plant of General Motors in year 2010 , INOXCVA has successfully installed more than 35 such facilities across the country . LNG facilities are supported by INOXCVA ’ s own tanker fleet under its brand ‘ GoLNG ’ which have collectively logged more than 6.5 million kilometres and distributed ~ 100,000 t of LNG to its consumers spread all over the country propagating the use of LNG as a clean and environmentfriendly source of energy . INOXCVA ’ s says its contribution in the global market for developing LNG as a fuel for mining trucks , marine engines , rail engines is well acknowledged .
And there is a role to play for the LNG retrofit specialists like Florida , USAbased GFS Corp , which is a market leader in its own right in adapting its EVO-MT ® System for various models of 100 + t capacity mine haul trucks , as well as mining shovels – the system was first of its kind and provides a integrated , onboard liquid natural gas ( LNG ) fuel storage system . In 2017 , GFS announced that it had an order to convert six Terex Unit Rig 4400 240 ton ( 218 t ) trucks at Sasan coal mine in India , which is owned by Reliance Energy . This was completed then LNG rolled out to further trucks at the mine . In December 2019 , India ’ s Cryogas Equipment Ltd announced it had installed and commissioned India ’ s first indigenously manufactured LNG Dispenser at Sasan . Indian Oil Corp supplies LNG to the minesite – a 1,600 km distance from IOCL ’ s Dahej Terminal . Cryogas recently announced in March 2021 that it has launched a new updated version of its LNG Dispenser which it says will play a significant role in the use of LNG in India for markets including mining .
GFS sees a huge potential in India for LNG retrofit to bring savings to operators , not only for larger class mining trucks but also the vast fleets of 100 ton class Caterpillar , Komatsu and BEML trucks that operate in the country . These are operating with companies like Coal India and its divisions , iron ore miners like Tata Steel and NMDC , as well as large contract miners like Thriveni Earthmovers , Adani Enterprises and Dilip Buildcon . The EVO-MT ® System has been designed around an LNG on-board storage capacity equivalent to 50 % of the normal diesel fuel consumed over a single shift of operation . And there is shovel application potential too as GFS has now launched the EVO-MT ® 4000-6 system for the 22 m 3 payload Komatsu PC4000-6 shovel , the first of its kind for a large mining excavator .
Diesel Displacement Rate ( DDR ) will vary according to the specific haul profile and duty cycle of the vehicle . Typical DDR for most vehicle duty profiles ranges between 35 % and 50 %. Equipment converted to LNG + diesel operation exhibit diesel-like performance in such critical areas as power , response and efficiency .
Paul Moore Editorial Director paul @ im-mining . com
MAY 2021 | International Mining 3