Coal Age

JAN 2013

Coal Age Magazine - For nearly 100 years, Coal Age has been the magazine that readers can trust for guidance and insight on this important industry.

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mine communications continued facturers into one easily viewed "dashboard." Once all of the data sources on a truck or other piece of equipment are connected to the Wi-Fi device mounted to the vehicle, that data is then theoretically available wherever there is a network or Internet connection. Valuable data related to equipment maintenance (hours of operation, tire and oil pressure), and load cells (measuring load capacity) can easily be collected along with operational notifications such as information related to whether a cutting head on a continuous miner is on and engaged. A number of companies have been providing hardware that makes mining equipment "network clients." Most of these have focused on open-pit mines and to a lesser degree underground hard rock. Due to intrinsic safety requirements, underground coal has often lagged behind in having access to this technology. Data from employees can also be collected easily and in real time. This allows the tracking of critical information related to employee and equipment location and movement within the mine for ventilation on demand requirements. Genesis cap lamps for the mining industry are now available with tracking tags housed directly in the lamp. This approach offers many advantages, not the least of which is reduction in costs due to lost or misplaced tags. These cordless cap lamps are designed to house a variety of RFID and Wi-Fi tracking tags, making them adaptable to a wide spectrum of networks. The ability to quickly and accurately locate workers is critical should an incident occur in the mine. Rescue efforts can be focused and valuable time can be saved simply through the use of a comprehensive and reliable tracking solution. Tracking workers was initially instituted for safety, however, among the many other benefits, the use of tracking on a daily basis contributes substantially to the positive business case for this application. Data Storage & Managemanet Reporting Cordless cap lamps house tracking tags. client devices that provide many advantages to transferring data through WiFi. WIODs for the mining industry currently have two configurable data inputs, a great deal of processing capacity, and a large amount of on board storage. They also have built-in temperature and pressure sensors as well as a three-axis accelerometer to monitor movement. The device is designed to work in or out of network coverage and can be mounted to fixed or mobile equipment and be line or battery powered. It's a bit like a "Swiss army knife" for data. One interesting application for WIOD is a very inexpensive ventilation on demand solution. Gas levels and airflow rates can be preprogrammed into WIOD. Gas detection and airflow modules can be attached to one of WIOD's inputs with the other port wired to the ventilation fan. When the predetermined gas and/or airflow levels are met, WIOD can automatically turn fans on/off. Gas and airflow can also be remotely monitored and fans remotely turned on/off. Just like the cable network that serves a TV in a home, a data network in a job site will occasionally have temporary outages. Advances in technology and design are reducing network downtime, but the reality is that outages can occur. To overcome this challenge, and prevent the loss of critical data, client devices on vehicles and other equipment must have the ability to capture and store information that will be transmitted when connectivity is restored. This feature is also valuable for vehicles that may occasionally operate outside of the wireless range. The beauty of collecting data in this manner is that it is highly flexible and is compatible with a wide variety of management reporting systems. With this data, centralized management information reporting systems can provide information that allows mine operators to provide a safer working environment and increase productivity and equipment reliability. Now, leaders can analyze and use the information in real time to tweak planning and production immediately. Mine operators now have confidence that data can be gathered and transmitted efficiently and reliably. Gathering important data and providing it to team leaders quickly in a meaningful format is easier than ever. Cap lamps with tracking tags, WIOD devices and Wi-Fi technology work in concert to enhance management decision making information systems and to drive efficiency into leading organizations. Heidi Levitt is president of NLT (Northern Light Technologies) and can be reached at hlevitt@nltinc.com. For more information, visit www.nltinc.com. Wireless Input Output Devices Once a network is installed and information is available from various sources in the mine, another component to consider to optimize the system is a device that captures the information from the equipment and sends it up over the network. Wireless input output devices (WIOD) can now be used in mines. WIODs are small and very cost effective all-purpose January 2013 Wireless input output devices (WIODs) can be used to transmit data underground. www.coalage.com 43

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