USE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN UNDERGROUND MINES

Presented by

Dr. L. K. BandyopadhyayCIMFR, Barwa Road, Dhanbad - 826015

The presentation is organized as follows:

• Description of mining activities where Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can be gainfully utilized

• Description of the Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) based system developed at CIMFR, Dhanbad to address some of these activities which includes– Presentation of mining problems– Origin of Research Work– Details of system developed

• Hardware part• Software part

Mining activities where Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can be gainfully utilized are:

- Improving Production and Productivity - Shift and Personnel Management- Reduction of Production Discrepancy- Maintenance of Equipment- Management of Inventory- Environment Monitoring- History of Mine- Disaster Forecasting and Mine Safety Management- Statutory Requirements - Post-Disaster Management

[

- Improvement in Working by On-line Record Keeping- Wireless Communication in Underground Mine- Decision Making- Training

Attendance by manual entry in Registers Surface

Underground

Cap-LampRoom

Difficulties in Underground Mines

Miners approaching non-safe areas

Problem of fatal accidents

Problem of route tracking in opencast mines

Proximity Warning for HEMM

Signal man at loading or unloading points

(1) (2)

Dumper backing in loading or unloading points

Two dumpers coming from opposite directions in a hilly area

Origin of RFID Technology in Mining

• The Sago Mine disaster was a coal mineexplosion on January 2, 2006 in the SagoMine in Sago, West Virginia, USA thattrapped thirteen miners for nearly two days.One miner survived. It was the worst miningdisaster in the U.S. since a 2001 disaster inAlabama killed thirteen, and the worst in WestVirginia since a 1968 disaster that tookseventy eight lives. Contd…

• In reaction to this accident, where rescuerscould not locate trapped miners, the USSenate has introduced legislation updating the1977 Federal Mine Safety and Health Act. Thebill provides new initiatives of potential interestto providers of RFID and similar technologies,particularly requirements for post accidentcommunication between underground andsurface personnel via a wireless two-waymedium, and provide for an electronic trackingsystem permitting surface personnel todetermine the location of any persons trappedunderground.

“Wireless Information and Safety System for Mines”CIMFR has developed following wireless technologies using RFID

technology:

Miners’ tracking and information system, Disaster locating system,System for prevention of vehicle collisions, Warning system for the miners entering the unsafe area,Dumper tracking system in opencast mines for optimal shovel-dumper performance,Underground gas monitoring system,Message device, andProximity warning device for HEMM.

What is the Technology?ZigBee technology (Wireless sensor and control network):

Unlicensed 2.4 GHz ISM band (IEEE 802.15.4); Low power (ideal for battery operated system, Rx: 27 mA, Tx: 25 mA);

Facilitates large number of nodes/sensors; Reliable and secure links between network nodes;Dynamic network for overcoming redundancy problem;Easy deployment and configuration; Low cost system; Very fast transition time; and Smaller in size (system on chip).

Technical specification of ZigBee compliant devices (sensor nodes)

1. Operating ambient temperature range:

– 40 to 85 °C

2. Operating supply voltage range: 3 – 4.8 V3. Current consumption of thecircuit:

39 mA max in Tx mode and 15 mA in Rx mode.

4. Microcontroller High performance and low power 8051microcontroller core, Programmable flash-128KB, RAM-8 KB

5. Radio part:RF frequency range 2.4 to 2.41 GHz (ISM)Radio bit rate 250 kbpsReceiver sensitivityTransmitter spurious emission

– 92 dBm– 43 dBm

Receiver spurious emissions – 75 dBm6. Modulation : Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS)7. Wireless standard compliance: ETSI EN 300 (Europe), FCC CFR47 (USA) and

ARIB STD-T66 (Japan)

What is the System?System consists of:

(1) Hardware• Coordinator• Routers• End devices (tags)

(2) Embedded software• IAR workbench• MAC layer (C language)

(3) Application Software• Visual Basic (VB) under windows as front-end tool, and• SQL-Server as back end support

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Installation procedure in underground mine with shaft entrance

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Installation procure in underground mine with incline entrance

Installation procedure in opencast mine

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View of coordinator

View of router / end device

View of methane sensing device

View of CO sensing device

View of message device

View of tag with SMD components

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Dynamic routing network platform

Communication in Disaster conditions1. Communication in roof fall condition

2. Communication in case of collapse of entrance

3. Communication in case of water inundation

4. Communication in case of fire

Database connectivity

Login page with user type

Window for loading site map

Graphical view of site alongwith routers

Miners registration form

Tag assignment form

Form for tag allotment to miners

Shift time setting form

Tabular format of received data from devices

Graphical presentation of site map with routers and end devices

Alert message with warning

Current position of miners

Option for generating attendance report

Opencast Mine

Efficiency and productivity monitoring system for opencast mines

• A application that allows for the identification of location andthe tracking of movement of a mines fleet.

• By using this automatic (and accurate) means of collectingdata over a period of time, it is possible to determine howefficiently and productively the mine site is being managed.

• It is also an indication of whether the mines assets, i.e. thefleet are managed cost-effectively, in other words: to optimizeproductivity and asset management, the mine managementmay decide that it needs to either increase or decrease thenumber of vehicles and/or the number of hours worked pershift.

• They can also calculate their costs more accurately andmeasure this against the productivity of a particular mine site.

• Working principle:– At an open-cast mine, each vehicle is fitted with a “Data

Collection RFID unit” consisting of: (a) RFID reader, (b) Tag buffer, (c) 24volt to 12volt step-down converter, (d) 9-pin RS-232 serial connector and (e) Antenna.

– RFID tags are mounted at specific locations around the mine site to mark the routes followed by the vehicles.

– When a vehicle fitted with the data collection unit moves past a ‘route marker’, the first and last transmission from the tag is recorded in the database of the unit.

– The data is downloaded and analyzed to determine the route that each vehicle took.

– As all records are time stamped it is also possible to determine the time taken for each vehicle to complete the route.

The developed technologies are patented:1. Wireless information and safety system for mines

(0777DEL2008 and PCT Application No. PCT/IN2009/000199).

2. Tracking and monitoring system for opencast mines(0832DEL2009).

3. Proximity warning device for heavy earth moving machinery (1841DEL2009).

The developed software are copyrighted:1. Miners’ Tracking Software (MineTrack)2. Wireless Sensor Network Software (WSN)3. RFID Device Program (RDP)

Outcome of the project

Radiation pattern and characteristics of different antennaused in the developed system have been tested by SAMEER, Kolkata.

The system is tested and certified by ERTL, Kolkata for its Intrinsic Safety (IS) compliance.

DGMS has already given field trial permission at Churi underground mine, N.K. Area, CCL.

The developed technologies have been transferred to M/s Safe Instruments, Mohali for commercialization of the systems.

Outcome of the project (Contd…)

1. Bandyopadhyay, L.K. Chaulya, S.K., Mishra, P.K., Choure, A. and Baveja, B.M. (2008) “Wireless information and safety system for mines”, Journal of Scientific & Industrial Research, 68: 107–117.

2. Bandyopadhyay, L.K., Chaulya, S.K., Mishra, P.K. and Choure, A. (2008) “Wireless information and safety system for underground mines”, Proceedings of the International Union of Radio Science (URSI) General Assembly, August 9-16, 2008, Chicago, USA.

3. Bandyopadhyay, L.K., Chaulya, S.K. and Mishra, P.K. (2008) “Development of tracking and monitoring system based on RFID tags for disaster management in underground mines”, Proceedings of 17th International Conference on Automation in Mining, (eds. Foganek, B. and Miskiewicz, K.), 21st World Mining Congress, Cracow, Poland.

4. Choure, A., Gautam, S., Kumar, B., Chaulya, S.K. and Bandyopadhyay, L.K. (2009) “Optimal deployment of power efficient wireless sensor network in underground mines”, Proceedings of 1st International Seminar and Exhibition for Explosive Atmosphere on Recent Trends in Design, Development, Testing and Certification of Ex-equipment (eds. Singh, A.K., Vishwakarma, R.K. and Ahirwal, B.), 29-31 October 2009, Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Dhanbad, India, pp. 241-251.

5. Kumar, B., Mahato, B., Kumari, S., Chaulya, S.K., Bandyopadhyay, L.K. and Ahirwal, B. (2009) “Design of intrinsic safety apparatus for hazardous area – basic concept”, Proceedings of 1st International Seminar and Exhibition for Explosive Atmosphere on Recent Trends in Design, Development, Testing and Certification of Ex-equipment (eds. Singh, A.K., Vishwakarma, R.K. and Ahirwal, B.), 29-31 October 2009, Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Dhanbad, India, pp. 275-286.

Publications

6. Bandyopadhyay, L.K., Mishra, P.K., Chaulya, S.K., Mahato, B. and Kumar, M. (2007) “Wireless sensor network in underground mines”, Proceedings of National Seminar on advancement in Electronics & Communication Technology VISION-2020, Bhopal, 2-3 December.

7. Bandyopadhyay, L.K., Chaulya, S.K. and Mishra, P.K. (2008) “Wireless communication system for underground mines”, Proceedings of Conference on Emerging Trends in Mining and Allied Industries ETMAI-2008 (eds. Mishra, M.K. and Sahu, H.B.), NIT, Rourkela, 2-3 February, pp. 571-577.

8. Bandyopadhyay, L.K., Mishra, P.K., Chaulya, S.K., Choure, A., Kumari, S. and Gautam, S. (2008) “RFID based wireless networking system for underground mines”, Proceedings of National Seminar on Frontiers in Electronics, Communication, Instrumentation and Information Technology (Ed. Kumar, V.), Indian School of Mines University, Dhanbad, 13-15 October, 2008, pp. 220-225.

9. Kumari, S., Jha, V., Mahato, B., Kumar, B., Bandyopadhyay, L.K., Chaulya, S.K. and Mishra, P.K. (2008) “Performance of RFID devices in underground mines”, Proceedings of National Seminar on Policies, Statutes and Legislation in Mines, Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Dhanbad, India, 20-21 December 2008, pp. 244-253.

Publications (Contd….)

Capabilities of the Developed System

Capable of tracking and monitoring miners and equipment in underground mine.

Capable of identifying the miners entering in underground mine to keep the track of the miners and maintaining computerized attendance.

Capable of monitoring equipment locations and their operation to improve productivity and reduce fatal collision accident.

Capable of locating and tracking the miners in case of disaster for speedy rescue operation.

Capable of monitoring miners’ unsafe practice and providing warning to the respective miner.

Capabilities (Contd…)

Capable of real-time monitoring environmental parameters in underground mine.

Capable of sending message to the concerned person in underground mine.

Capable of automatically forming alternative network among the undisturbed and reachable routers in case of disaster in particular area in underground mine so that communication does not get disturb in the whole mine.

Capable of monitoring movement of dumpers in opencast mine, which ultimately helps in optimum shovel-dumper performance and improving productivity.

Enables a low-powered, intrinsically safe, easy to install and cost-effective miners’ information and safety system for underground and surface mines.

Field StudyVarious Parameters for Experimentation

Packet Injection Rate: 300 ms

Total number of Packets sent by each end device: 100

User-defined Packet size: 16 bytes

Distance between End Device and Coordinator was varied.

Initially the distance was kept 40 m between End Device andCoordinator.

Gradually the distance was increased to 60 m, 80 m and 100 mkeeping in view of the packet loss.

September 10, 2007Creating Pathways for Tomorrows Technology

Initially the communication was made between twodevices at different distances of 40 m, 60 m, 80 m and 100m.

Then one or two routers has been placed in betweenCoordinator and End device keeping the intermediatedistance between each pair of devices at maximumoperating distance.

Experiment was carried out to test that the data from enddevices can be relayed to a remote coordinator in Multi-hop.

Field study and Various Parameters for Experimentation

September 10, 2007Creating Pathways for Tomorrows Technology

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Experiment carried out for data communication in laboratory

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Field Study

September 10, 2007

Fixed Packet Injection Rate: 300 msTotal Number of Packets sent by End Device: 100

Packets Received at the Coordinator: 99 %

Creating Pathways for Tomorrows Technology

Experimental Results in Bagdiggi Mine of BCCL

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One Coordinator (C) and One End Device (E)

Intermediate Distance between Coordinator and

End Device

Packets sent by End device

Fixed Packet Injection Rate

Packets Received at the

Coordinator

Packet Delivery Ratio

40 m 100 300 ms 99 99%60 m 100 300 ms 99 99%80 m 100 300 ms 95 95%

Field Study

September 10, 2007Creating Pathways for Tomorrows Technology

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One Coordinator (C) and two End Devices (E)

Distance between End Devices and Coordinator

Packets sent by each End

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Packet Injection

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Packets Received at the Coordinator

Packet Delivery

Ratio60 m 100 300 ms 194

(from two devices)97%

80 m 100 300 ms 190 (from two devices)

95%

100 m 100 300 ms 183 (from two devices)

92%

Field Study and experimental results

September 10, 2007Creating Pathways for Tomorrows Technology

One Coordinator (C) and One End Device (E) and routers (R)

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Number of hops between End Device and

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Packets sent by End device

Fixed Packet Injection Rate

Packets Received at the

Coordinator

Packet Delivery Ratio

1 (No Router) 100 300 ms 99 99%2 (1 Router) 100 300 ms 95 95%3 (2 Routers) 100 300 ms 93 93%

Intermediate hop distance: 40 m

Field Study and experimental results

September 10, 2007Creating Pathways for Tomorrows Technology

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Observation by gradually increasing the number of hops in a L-shape topology near bends in the tunnel

Fixed Packet Injection Rate: 300 msTotal Number of Packets sent by End Device: 100

Packets Received at the Coordinator: 97%

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Field Study and experimental results

September 10, 2007Creating Pathways for Tomorrows Technology

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Fixed Packet Injection Rate: 300 msTotal Number of Packets sent by End Device: 100

Packets Received at the Coordinator: 98%

Field Study and experimental results

September 10, 2007Creating Pathways for Tomorrows Technology

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R40 m

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Fixed Packet Injection Rate: 300 msTotal Number of Packets sent by End Device: 100

Packets Received at the Coordinator: 99%

Field Study and experimental results

September 10, 2007Creating Pathways for Tomorrows Technology