OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
data on their health and performance back to the command centre. Tis includes everything from a machine’s current location to its current tyre pressure, enabling operators to gain full visibility into the health status and performance of every asset, as well as be armed with the insights needed to keep fleets fully optimised.
ABOVE: Rajant Kinetic Mesh wireless network overcomes the environmental challenges of underground mines
In harsh, remote and dangerous conditions such as mines, high mean- time between failures is also crucial for operations. Terefore, technology must be built to be robust and future-proof to avoid the need for frequent and expensive technician visits. Tis is especially the case for networks operating 24/7/365, where replacing network equipment would mean having to suspend operations, which would result in further costly undertaking. As pressure increases on miners to
move more material at a lower cost per ton, operators also need to be able to add more equipment efficiently and cost- effectively, without downtime. As the Industrial Internet of Tings
(IIoT) continues to explode, new possibilities are opening up for miners to track virtually any aspect of a machine’s operations. As a result of this, equipment fleets can now be equipped with wireless technology and sensors to stream real-time
Tis has also opened the door to monitoring production of underground mining ventilation on demand (VOD) systems, which enables a series of sensors to be distributed throughout a mine to send real-time information regarding air quality, personnel and vehicle use to a central computer with specialised software. As the mining industry looks to embrace advancements in technology, personnel and asset tracking are also both emerging as a way to make mines safer to protect personnel and increase operational efficiencies. In addition to communicating with their staff underground, mining operators want to be able to track their staff as well as the assets they are using. WiFi tags for personnel and assets tracking are emerging as a solution and are designed for use in hazardous work areas, such as underground mines, oil and gas, petrochemical and ports. Within these industries, personnel tracking is an essential requirement that can improve situational awareness and communication – delivering real-time visibility which is needed to maximise the safety and security of personnel. Tis level of real-time visibility can also drastically reduce the risk of incidents by enabling workers to be automatically warned about or prevented from entering a dangerous area. Safety officials can also be involved in monitoring workers’ positions and safety via the tracking, reducing the pressure on individual miners to account for their wellbeing, at all times. Furthermore, this will also improve the efficiency of operations by allowing miners to concentrate on the job ahead of them. However, if these tags are to live up to their promise, they must depend on reliable and secure network infrastructure.
RISING ABOVE Providing mining personnel and equipment with the ability to simultaneously move and communicate requires a network that can go beyond the
capabilities of leaky feeder and fibre. It requires a wireless network that is smart enough to adapt quickly to changing conditions and topographies without dropping communications. Not all wireless solutions are created equal. A traditional WiFi network or a single radio solution will have limited coverage and a limited availability. Instead, look for a network with multi-radio, multi- frequency capabilities and then match them with a wide-band, bi-directional antenna system. Together, they can provide a robust alternative to fibre and traditional single radio wireless systems. With the solution, underground mines can enhance network capacity and mobility to run advanced applications that power greater safety, efficiency, and autonomy - all without the use of expensive fibre. Te system is designed to act as a supplement to existing fibre and cable “hot spot” networks, provided via vertical shaft access levels, portals and tunnels. With the ability to communicate peer-to-peer, via multiple simultaneous connections, the solution ensures that information can be shared back and forth in a fully mobile, highly resilient web of communications, overcoming issues due to interference, congestion, and equipment outages. Te right networking software also plays a key part in this by enabling the network to dynamically and automatically adapt to quickly, or continuously moving network elements, providing reliable network-wide mobility. Miners can benefit from a complete underground and tunnel wide wireless network, enabling them to receive mission-critical data, video, and voice communications in real-time.
ENABLING THE MODERN MINE As mines seek ways to make transformative gains in safety, efficiency and cost savings along their path to mine digitalisation, they must not underestimate the power of wireless mesh networks and how it can go beyond the capabilities of fibre. With the right network in place, mines will be able to embrace autonomy and provide the safety-enhancing and productivity-increasing applications that every modern mine demands.
Sagar Chandra is with Rajant.
www.rajant.com
www.engineerlive.com 33
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