Wireless Communication in Underground Mines

Abstract

except for brief excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly analysis. Use in connection with any form of information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed is forbidden. The use in this publication of trade names, trademarks, service marks, and similar terms, even if they are not identified as such, is not to be taken as an expression of opinion as to whether or not they are subject to proprietary rights.Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) PrefaceWireless communication has emerged as an independent discipline in the past decades. Everything from cellular voice telephony to wireless data transmission using wireless sensor networks has profoundly impacted the safety, production, and productivity of industries and our lifestyle as well. After a decade of exponential growth, the wireless industry is one of the largest industries in the world. Therefore, it would be an injustice if the wireless communication is not explored for mining industry.Underground mines, which are characterized by their tough working conditions and hazardous environments, require fool-proof mine-wide communication systems for smooth functioning of mine workings and ensuring better safety. Proper and reliable communication systems not only save the machine breakdown time but also help in immediate passing of messages from the vicinity of underground working area to the surface for day-to-day normal mining operations as well as for speedy rescue operations in case of disaster. Therefore, a reliable and effective communication system is an essential requisite for safe working, and maintaining requisite production and productivity of underground mines. Most of the existing systems generally available in underground mines are based on line (wired) communication principle, hence these are unable to withstand in the disaster conditions and difficult to deploy in inaccessible places. Therefore, wireless communication is an indispensable, reliable, and convenient system and essential in case of day-to-day normal duty or disaster situations. However, at present there is no relevant book available in the global market regarding wireless communication technology in underground mines and hazardous areas. Therefore, a comprehensive textbook on wireless communication for underground mines is a vital need for mining and electronics engineers that provides a deeper understanding of the important subject and designing the intrinsic safe systems. Considering these facts, this book is written, incorporating various communication devices designed and developed by the authors for wireless communication in different areas of underground mines and their experiences in the fields.The wireless communication systems used on surface cannot be applied straightaway in underground mines due to high attenuation of radio waves in underground strata, besides presence of inflammable gases and hazardous environment...

RFID technology for tracking and tracing explosives and detonators in mining services applications

“…ZigBee devices can work for several years on the same battery and support 100 to 250 kbps transmissions (IEEE_802.15.4-2006(IEEE_802.15.4- standard, 2006. Some of the essential features of ZigBee are: i) over the air data (data rates of 250, 40 and 20 kbps), ii) star, peer-to-peer or mesh operation, iii) allocation of guaranteed time slots (GTSs), iv) low power consumption (a few milli-amperes), v) carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA-CA) channel access, vi) Link quality indication (LQI), and vii) fully acknowledged protocol for transfer reliability (Bandyopadhyay et al, 2009a).…”

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Data Acquisition and Remote Control Systems in Coal Mines: A Serbian Experience

“…Wired communication enables transfer of huge amount of data at a high data rate through standard or optical cables, but this type of communication is problematic during the emergency situations (during the roof falls, power failures, fire or explosion), when alternative communication channels could be helpful in underground mines. 29 Different ways of communication in mines, wired and wireless, are presented in the studies by Patri et al, 29 Schiffbauer and Brune 30 and Bondyopadhyay et al 31 In recent times, plenty of studies have been focused on the use of wireless technologies for communication in underground coal mines. 29,31,32 Some problems with environmental monitoring in narrow and long underground tunnels, the definition of measurement locations, sampling density and the number of sensing devices are analysed by Li and Liu.…”

“…29 Different ways of communication in mines, wired and wireless, are presented in the studies by Patri et al, 29 Schiffbauer and Brune 30 and Bondyopadhyay et al 31 In recent times, plenty of studies have been focused on the use of wireless technologies for communication in underground coal mines. 29,31,32 Some problems with environmental monitoring in narrow and long underground tunnels, the definition of measurement locations, sampling density and the number of sensing devices are analysed by Li and Liu. 32 Different methods of automation of the production and transportation are introduced in underground coal mining systems, in order to increase the efficiency of coal mining and to protect workers.…”