Go With The Flow

Dario Ivan Velazquez, Joshua Dandurand-Parent, Shivan Singh, Joe Bacon III, and Steve Burton, Becker Mining Systems, provide insight into long-term evolution technology and its impact on ventilation control.

With new technology continuously taking the industry by storm, and with upcoming advancements in digitalisation, companies, such as Becker Mining Systems, continue to develop innovative products and digital services, adapting to the ever-shifting landscape of progressive mining operations.

Automated ventilation control systems

The mining sector requires intelligent systems to protect its employees and valuable assets. Because of this shifting landscape, Becker Mining Systems has developed a collection of products that will provide clients with automated ventilation control systems and gas monitoring packages that will help run a safe and efficient operation.

One of these products is smartflow®, a system that integrates state-of-the-art technological solutions, based on the identification of all the operational flow that exists in areas of interest in real time. It integrates the monitoring of communication networks and sensor signals to achieve the concentration of information in a single system, contributing to the continuous improvement of production processes, increasing safety levels, and sustainable development.

Some of the modules included in the system to help optimise mine operations include: n Underground real-time location: monitors, locates and traces personnel, as well as mobile equipment inside the mine. The ease of interaction and movement of graphics allow for an intuitive and user-friendly experience. n Surface real-time location: monitors, locates, and traces personnel and fleets of vehicles in real time with the integration of location system, using Wi-Fi networks and cell phones. n smartcom Leaky Feeder: makes the maintenance of Becker Mining System brand

Leaky Feeder networks more predictive and interactive by displaying the network in a one-line diagram in a 3D web interface. n smartcom LTE: resembling existing Leaky Feeder technology, smartcom long-term evolution (LTE) can provide high speed data at all levels of the mine via radiating cable and accompanying technology for ensured quality. It can be used for remote applications, mission-critical communications, real-time asset

tracking/fleet management, personnel tagging and tracking, data insights for efficient mine operation management and, most recently, LTE blasting. n Energy: a system for analysing electrical energy consumption in real time, which allows the current status of substations to be viewed on a 3D platform, indicating if there is any alarm or generating historical data of energy consumption which can be analysed for the development of operational strategies, in order to avoid unnecessary resource consumption. n Dispatch centre: access control and the allocation of smarTag to personnel entering the mine, to be identified, located, and traced in real time. n Telemetry: collects, compares, and communicates vital equipment information. It is available for all mining and construction equipment, both surface and underground. n Ventilation: smartflow Ventilation Monitoring and Control Module is a system that supports the administration and management of mining ventilation systems, which, through its 3D Viewer, allows for the real-time observation of generic and specific conditions of main and secondary fans. It also provides stop/start controls, along with real-time monitoring of air quality, producing a safe mining environment.

Figure 1. smartsense Modular Monitor with three gas modules.

Figure 2. smartsense SSFM-100-AIRFLOW Sensor.

A deeper dive on gas monitoring and ventilation

Without monitoring the presence of dangerous gases, people would not be able to perform daily tasks underground safely and efficiently.

Gases are released in mining operations by drilling and blasting, mining machinery (e.g. diesel and gasoline motors), the decay of timbers, the aftereffects of mine fires, and chemical processes (e.g. oxidation). Trapped in a confined space, these gases are not always able to disperse and can build up in the mine. Due to their combustible, explosive and toxic attributes, this is cause for a serious issue to arise – including the potential for fatalities. The dangerous mixture of different gases has varying effects on human health and mine safety.

With strong safety regulations, many mines have used the smartsense system to reduce the time interval before workers can safely return to a face after a blast; previously, workers would have had to wait a predetermined length of time prior to returning inside to take the necessary gas readings. The smartsense system enables mine staff to retrieve gas readings remotely, without having to physically return to the mine to determine if gas levels have reached an acceptable level before all workers could return inside. This not only protects the health and safety of the workers but also increases production efficiency, as there is less downtime between blasts. smartflow is the overarching system that integrates state-of-the-art technological solutions in all aspects of mining. smartsense, however, is a particular line of high accuracy gas monitoring solutions for your everyday mining operation. Each device can monitor multiple gases, including oxygen, methane, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, and nitrogen dioxide, etc. These devices also have the capacity to warn all miners in proximity of harmful gases to evacuate the area until proper measures have been taken to address the situation, giving it the potential to save lives.

Combining smartsense and smartflow to automate ventilation controls is an efficient solution that provides miners the ability to customise a proper monitoring solution for any mining operation.

Case study: Mexico

At Minera Capela (from Peñoles Group) in Mexico, smartsense gas and airflow monitors have been integrated with the Becker® smartflow system. Through the 3D viewer, the company was able to provide visibility of the environmental at multiple locations in real time: either in a workshop, shelter, or a work face.

For this mine, the smartsense gas monitors were installed in strategic areas where high levels of carbon monoxide were previously detected. Likewise, they were installed in safe areas of the mine, such as workshops and mining shelters, while AirFlow sensors were installed on the access ramps and clean air intake from ventilation Robbins.

The smartsense single gas monitor SSSG-100 has been manufactured for everyday safety, with the IS-designed terminal module available in two versions: either equipped with an on-board sensor to provide an all-in-one environmental monitoring solution, or as a display module to provide quick access to real-time data. Further system expansion is available through the optional external input/output ports for both versions of the terminal module.

Using the smartflow system and real-time monitoring, historical conditions can be reviewed for any day, month, or year since the beginning of mining operations. The configurable variables of the system are gases, humidity, temperature, pressure, and air flow (m3/min. or m3/hr).

Some of the effects Minera Capela now benefits from as a result of implement this system includes: n Security: § Historicals: keeps a record of all events in the ventilation system, both manual and automatic. § Alarms: has an alerting system that allows timely notification to the appropriate operating personnel. § Monitoring: allows monitoring and compliance with safety regulations. n Energy savings: § The system allows for the optimisation of ventilation through the measurement of environmental conditions. § It allows for faster dilution of gases by blasting, generating more time at the work face and maximising production. n Ventilation optimisation: § Manual and automatic control of fans. § Programming of events (scheduling) and regulators to adjust the air flow. § Adjustment of regulators and fans based on the measurements of gas, flow, and temperature sensors.

Figure 3. Installation of a smartsense SSFM-100-AIRFLOW Sensor at the access ramp of Minera Capela, Mexico.

Figure 4. Installation of a smartsense Monitor with three gas modules in a workshop underground at Minera Capela, Mexico.

Figure 5. smartsense Monitor with a LED strip light attached to visualise the environmental conditions prior to entering into a workshop underground.

A look into the future

One use for the LTE system is a complete ventilation system. This example could consist of LTE-enabled personnel tagging and tracking that would be used to determine if there are any workers in an area. The next step would then be leveraging LTE-enabled environmental sensors that would be used to determine whether the environment is suitable for personnel (e.g. whether the oxygen concentration is appropriate for humans). To close the loop – if personnel are present, and there is a need for ventilation – an LTE-enabled fan control system can be instructed to turn on the ventilation, clearing all gases in the immediate area and, in turn, ensuring worker safety.

The increasing adoption of internet connected devices in the mining industry, such as environmental sensors and wearables for personnel health monitoring, requires high-speed data across the mine. Products, such as smartcom LTE, can help provide this high-speed data via radiating cable. Other applications that LTE systems, such as this one, can enable are mission-critical communications, real-time asset tracking and fleet management, personnel tagging, and tracking.