March 2017 - Chicago Pneumatic skid mounted air compressors are playing a vital role in new blast hole drilling machines being used for overburden removal in the coal fields of central India.

M/s BGR Mining (P) and Infra Pvt. Ltd, one of the biggest mining contractors in Hyderabad, with a fleet of 1600 dumpers, 200 excavators and 200 supporting vehicles, has placed an order for ten CPS 1100/300 high pressure compressors, with each forming part of a unique machine suitable for blast hole drilling. To date, four compressors have been supplied and commissioned.

The new machines are industry first conceptualised units in which the compressor is mounted on a crawler excavator, where usually conventional blast hole drills rigs or truck mounted compressor units connected to drills are used. They are mounted on excavators with the counter weight eliminated and the drill mast mounted onto the boom.

The advantage of using the Chicago Pneumatic compressors as part of an excavator mounted rig is that its crawler mounting enables the machine to reach areas with difficult or limited accessibility. It also benefits from a swivelling arrangement that provides greater versatility than truck mounted rigs, thus minimising drilling time.

With a higher cfm and higher pressure, the rate of drilling with the CPS 1100/300 will be approximately 100 m/hour for overburden drilling against conventional water well drilling rigs, which typically deliver around 72 m/hour.

“Chicago Pneumatic air compressors are the preferred choice for us because of the product performance and the fact it is an international brand with proven quality,” commented Mr. K.A. Udaya Kumar, General Manager of M/s BGR Mining and Infra Pvt. Ltd. “With the increased performance of the supplied equipment, we may see further opportunities open up in the mining industry.”