Coal Age

MAR 2014

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t e m f e a t u r e s a s t o u t e r s p l i n e a n d a thicker pipe wall. The 350-psi pipe sys- tem is available in 4-, 6- and 8-in. outside diameters. http://naspecialtyproducts.com Tire Pressure Sensor A tire pressure sensor has been developed that includes a seal design with a built-in filter to protect internal sensor compo- nents from rim conditioners and other liq- uids present in most OTR tires. The innovative seal design with brass housing provides consistent valve core depression and temperature resistant seals. A high- performance Lithium-ion battery is also included for enhanced tolerance to tem- perature extremes and to provide reliable RF signal transmission for an extended period of time. The sensor also incorpo- rates a high-impact nylon housing with a spin-welded cap and proprietary potting material, which encapsulates and protects the internal components from vibration, impact and extreme temperature changes. www.doranmfg.com p r o d u c t n e w s c o n t i n u e d 52 www.coalage.com March 2014 Australian Automated Longwall Technology Migrates to U.S. Mines The Australian national science agency, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), is a power- house of ideas, technologies, and skills for building prosperity, growth, health and sustainability. CSIRO's Minerals Down Under Flagship is one of the largest miner- als research groups in the world and has a proven track record of working with indus- try to deliver innovative solutions. Through targeted research, the agency addresses the industry's challenges, driving sustainabili- ty, productivity and innovation for its col- laborative partners and clients. L o n g w a l l a u t o m a t i o n t e c h n o l o g y developed by CSIRO can deliver produc- tivity increases of up to 10%, and it also p r o v i d e s s c o p e f o r m u c h m o r e t h a n i n c r e a s e d p r o d u c t i v i t y — i t c a n a l s o improve safety by reducing the level of h a n d s - o n i n t e r a c t i o n o f m i n e r s w i t h machinery in hazardous underground areas. "That's why more than 20 of the 30 or so longwall systems in Australia are a l r e a d y o p e r a t i n g w i t h , o r a b o u t t o embed, the CSIRO technology," said Dr. David Hainsworth, who leads CSIRO's mining science and engineering research program. A global equipment manufac- turer has now taken the technology to the United States and the same company is now evaluating the technology for oth- er global markets. I n t h e l o n g w a l l p r o c e s s , w h i c h a c c o u n t s f o r a b o u t 9 0 % o f A u s t r a l i a ' s underground coal production, a shearing m a c h i n e w i t h l a r g e r o t a t i n g c u t t i n g drums is driven back and forth across the c o a l s e a m . W i t h e a c h p a s s a m a s s i v e 'slice' of coal is sheared from the face, falling onto a conveyor system that trans- ports it to the surface. Clearly, alignment of the machine is critical to its performance and in the past t h e m a c h i n e r y h a d t o b e s t o p p e d a n d adjusted every so often. This risky job was carried out manually. In the late 1990s, CSIRO researchers came up with — and patented — an idea for automating the process, at the time as the industry-backed funding body, the Australian Coal Association Research Program (ACARP), independently decided that automation was a priority for the future. "The resulting research program was a resounding success, not only in terms o f i n n o v a t i o n , b u t a l s o a s a m o d e l o f implementation," Hainsworth said. "The industry, equipment manufacturers and researchers all worked together. Having industry champions for the introduction o f n e w t e c h n o l o g i e s i s e s s e n t i a l . T h e involvement of ACARP meant support from mining companies for field testing of ideas and prototypes when needed." A u t o m a t i o n r e q u i r e s t h e a b i l i t y t o d e t e r m i n e t h e e q u i p m e n t ' s p o s i t i o n accurately in three dimensions, to plan and control its movements. GPS technol- ogy cannot be used underground, so the C S I R O r e s e a r c h e r s r e s o r t e d t o h i g h l y precise inertial navigation systems devel- oped to guide ballistic missiles and tanks during the pre-GPS days of the Cold War. Second, the position of the machinery h a s t o b e c o m m u n i c a t e d t o i t s c o n - t r o l l e r s a n d s u b s e q u e n t a d j u s t m e n t s back to the machine. CSIRO developed a c o m m u n i c a t i o n s y s t e m b a s e d o n t h e commercial implementation of its own WiFi ethernet. Finally, ACARP demanded a n o p e n c o m m u n i c a t i o n p r o t o c o l t o e n a b l e a l l t h e e l e m e n t s i n v o l v e d i n automation to communicate with each other no matter from which manufactur- er they came. Hainsworth said the most important thing to emerge from the project was the commercialization model. "The technolo- gy had to be delivered to the industry as an integral part of longwall mining equip- ment, not just an add-on, and it could not be exclusive to just one manufacturer — this was an ACARP requirement," Hainsworth said. "Finally, as a research organization, CSIRO could not support this technology directly in the field." Fortunately, the equipment manufac- turers saw that the industry was commit- ted, and that they needed to buy into this technology, so they accepted a non-exclu- sive licensing model. The real key was CSIRO's initiative to use part of its IP rev- enue to provide guaranteed technical assistance to each manufacturer early in the lifetime of the system. The manufac- turers recognized that not only had they avoided development costs, but the sys- tem would be supported through its teething period and continually upgraded by the people who understood it best. This story first appeared in CSIRO's in- house publication resourceful. www.csiro. au/resourceful. CA_pg50-52_V2_CA_pg46-47 3/12/14 8:41 AM Page 52

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