Sandvik Mining’s Drill Compressor Management System Slashes Fuel Consumption at Cloud Peak Energy’s Cordero Rojo Mine

Industry-Leading System Exceed Customers' Expectations

Sandvik Mining, a leading global supplier of equipment and tools, service and technical solutions for the mining industry, recently teamed up with Cloud Peak Energy, one of the largest producers of coal in the United States, to put its CMS to the test.

The Sandvik CMS provides a solution to the inherent inefficiencies of rotary blasthole drills that have a direct connection between the engine and compressor. The system isolates the compressor and eliminates the need to maintain pressure when the machine is not drilling. This reduces the load on the engine, saving a significant amount of fuel and reducing wear and tear.

Cloud Peak Energy chose to have the Sandvik CMS retrofitted onto a 14-year-old rotary drill at its Cordero Rojo coal mine located in Gillette, Wyoming. Once the system was installed and calibrated, Sandvik engineers used the machine's Engine Control Module (ECM) data as a reference point.

Before the installation, the drill was using 22.9 gallons of fuel per hour. After running the Sandvik CMS for five weeks, the rig was only using 16.9 gallons per hour – a reduction of 26.2 percent. This cut translates to significant savings of approximately 24,000 gallons of fuel*, $108,000* and more than 300 tonnes of carbon emissions* annually – on fuel alone. Additional savings are expected from increasing the engine life.

"As part of our environmental stewardship program we work to reduce fuel use and emissions," explained Mark Gilbertson, director of asset management for Cloud Peak Energy. "The CMS will save us thousands of gallons of fuel every year."
Cloud Peak Energy purchased two new Sandvik drill rigs for 2013 with Sandvik CMS installed.

"With this customer trial, we wanted to prove that the CMS could consistently produce significant savings for our customers," said Ken Stapylton, vice president for rotary and HP DTH drilling, Sandvik Mining. "We will continue to collaborate with customers to ensure we are bringing industry-leading products to market that make mining operations safer, cleaner and more efficient."

For more information on Sandvik Mining's equipment and tools, service and technical solutions for the mining industry, visit www.mining.sandvik.com or like us on Facebook.

*based on 4,500 hours of operation and $4/gallon

For more information, please contact:

Lindsay Brennan
Marketing Communications Manager
PA Drilling
Phone: +1-352-213-6549
e-mail: lindsay.brennan@sandvik.com