PARADIP: Paradip Port Trust has made a paradigm shift by introducing ship-loading of 20,112 tonne of blended coal in the vessel M V Diamond Star containing high grade coal of ECL (G4 grade) with low grade coal of MCL (G12 grade) at the ratio of 35 per cent: 65 per cent to achieve a higher Gross Calorific Value (GCV) suitable for Vallure Thermal power station of M/s NTECL.
Thermal power plants blend high grade coal with low grade coal to achieve the intended GCV at the power plant. The high grade coal is mostly imported from Indonesia.
In India, high grade coal with high GCV is available in ECL, CCL & SECL as against abundance supply of low grade coal from MCL. Two different grades of domestic coal were blended at a port to achieve the same effect of blending with imported coal perhaps for the first time in India. This will go a long way in saving precious foreign exchange for the country.
In the blending process carried out at Mechanised Coal Handling Plant (MCHP) of PPT, two different grades of coal from different collieries were homogeneously blended by mechanised process. Re-circulation of high grade coal from Stackyard through reclaimers & low grade coal unloaded directly from wagons will pass through a common junction house to form blended coal as per the desired ratio.
This blending process at MCHP of PPT has the advantage of homogeneous blending to ensure the blend remains consistent.
Mechanised Coal Handling Plant of PPT commissioned in September 2001 is one of the premier bulk material handling systems in Asia. The plant is equipped with state of the art technology and serves the purpose of exporting thermal coal to the power plants in southern India.
Since inception, the plant has achieved many milestones in operational parameters like high berth productivity and minimum turn-around time of vessels which are on a par with international standards.