Mining operation Alpha Coal West Inc. is converting 12 of its high-horsepower Caterpillar 793F heavy-haul trucks to run on natural gas using technology from Gaseous Fuel Systems (GFS Corp).
Alpha Coal West deployed its first natural gas vehicle in June 2012 during pilot testing that the company performed with GFS Corp. A total of four trucks were shifted to natural gas by the end of last year. These vehicles – and the 12 new trucks – will operate at Alpha Coal West's Eagle Butte mine in Wyoming.
The company's trucks feature GFS Corp's ‘natural gas plus diesel’ system and on-board liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage. Alpha Coal West will be installing permanent LNG refueling infrastructure at the site to refuel the trucks – all of which will be converted by the end of October.
GFS Corp currently offers conversion kits for the mechanical-drive Caterpillar 777 and 793, as well as the electrical drive Komatsu 830 and 930.
