NLC India Ltd (NLCIL) has overhauled a 29-year-old bucket wheel excavator deployed in Mines -II at a cost of ₹62.53 crore.
NLCIL Director (Mines) Prabhakar Chowki inaugurated the renovated giant machine at the specialised mining equipment erection yard at the Mines II premises recently.
According to a press release from NLCIL, the equipment, supplied by M/S O&K of Germany, was first commissioned on May 9, 1990 for removal of overburden soil. So far, it had logged 1,35,424 hours in excavation of overburden (layer of soil covering lignite deposit).
The reconditioning of the heavy machinery was done in the Specialised Mining Equipment (SME) yard of NLCIL.
NLCIL said that this was a unique model of SME, called Bridge Type BWE, and the distance between the cutting unit and the discharge end could be adjusted by a telescopic arrangement, according to the requirement of the site condition.
During the overhaul, major repairs were undertaken, including of the strained pylon structures and other critical structural components, and drive units and assemblies were replaced.
