6 minute read
Rock-Solid Communications For The Underground Mine
Jaime Laguna, Nokia, USA, evaluates the benefits of private wireless networks as mines go deeper underground.
Asmart mining research study published in 2021 showed, the market is projected to reach US$23 055.4 million by 2028, up from US$9614.5 million in 2021.1 The reason for this is clear, as more companies realise the benefit of connecting people, machinery, and even the structure of their mines in order to digitally transform operations.
Mine operators have high expectations for these future operations. They want to increase the safety of their workers and protect local communities; maximise utilisation and extend the lifespan of their equipment; optimise processes and workflows to enhance productivity and become more competitive. Operators are also dedicated to managing and using resources more efficiently, in order to meet stringent regulatory requirements and sustainability goals.
By accessing operational data and performing intelligent data analytics, they can better support decision-making to achieve all these goals. They will be able to benefit from a mix of old and new services, from simple voice and video person-to-person communications to more complex capabilities. Remote environmental and equipment monitoring, drilling and blasting control, as well as autonomous and tele-remote-controlled vehicles and machinery, are all within their grasp in the connected mine.
All of these innovations have one thing in common: they rely on mission-critical wireless communication capabilities.
Ultra-connectivity requires reliable and ubiquitous coverage
To support these use cases, companies need reliable, pervasive network coverage; massive capacity; and low latency – all qualities
beyond the reach of many legacy communication technologies. While TETRA and P25-based radio networks overcame the limitations of using fixed telephony, they were never built for broadband data and video communications. Wi-Fi networks replaced inflexible cables that were prone to damage by heavy machinery, but they are not able to provide the heartbeat accuracy required to reliably connect many business-critical and mission-critical applications.
Wi-Fi has limitations, even in opencast mining. Access points have limited reach and blasts can impair configurations, making them unusable for continuous operations. Additionally, Wi-Fi networks do not have the quality-of-service features required to prioritise critical network traffic. As extractions move underground, the thick rock walls, steep inclines and networks of tunnels, galleries, enclosed spaces, and ventilation shafts create even greater challenges. Underground, Wi-Fi signals can be weakened and distorted by the structure of the mine itself. In the ultra-connected mine, there can be no tolerance for patchy coverage.
Networks must perform predictably, maintaining ubiquitous connectivity at all times, even as autonomous vehicles and other machinery navigate uneven surfaces and rough terrain. They must be able to support a mix of services and latency needs, and they need to meet strict regulatory standards. Harsh production environments and a continuously changing geography provide challenges for any network, but it is vital to be able to connect people, vehicles and equipment, in addition to digitally monitoring environmental conditions to enhance safety and productivity in today’s mines.
Meeting the challenge of the connected digital mine
Figure 1. Industrial-grade private 4G and 5G delivers the ubiquitous connectivity needed to monitor environmental conditions and provide mission-critical communications for enhanced worker safety.
Figure 2. A private wireless network ensures an underground mine has optimised coverage and no dark spots; so people, vehicles, and equipment can be connected safely at all times. Thankfully, industrial-grade private 4G/LTE and 5G wireless networks are more than up to the challenge. Delivering high bandwidth, robust connectivity, pervasive coverage and flexible capacity, they allow companies to reliably connect people and machines, while supporting thousands of sensors and the big data demands of Industry 4.0 use cases and mission-critical applications. Mine operators can leverage the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, as well as augmented, virtual, and extended reality (AR/VR/XR) to enhance operations over a single network infrastructure. This single network infrastructure is vital as it allows companies to create synergies between applications and gain real-time transparency and insight into their operations. With the ability to support high-speed mobility and predictable quality of service, as well as low-power sensor IoT connectivity, and traditional communications, virtually any underground application can run over private 4G and 5G wireless networks. Autonomous vehicles, drones, remotely operated robots, smart sensors, and even those applications that traditionally required cable connections, such as high-definition CCTV feeds, as well as mission-critical push-to-talk and push-to-video communications, are supported. Equipment can be connected and monitored as well as the environmental conditions within and around the mine, using IoT sensors, CCTV feeds, and drones to enhance maintenance and safety practices. Geolocation capabilities enable high-precision tracking of people and equipment, and the health of miners can be monitored via wearable PPE devices. Teams can leverage automated workflows, autonomous vehicles, and machinery to optimise operations. At the same time, alerts can be implemented to notify of unusual activity, or if a worker is entering a hazardous area. Even training can be enhanced using AR overlays and VR goggles to deliver risk-free instruction on working in unsafe environments and on expensive equipment.
Network architecture design, antenna technology selection, and radio planning are key to
successful implementation. Even operational factors create challenges in coverage. Sequential extraction procedures, operational restrictions, and the availability of specialised staff define how work is managed from week to week. While separate teams work concurrently in different sections of a mine, or periodically rotate locations, it can be as important to monitor the environment in the unmanned areas as it is in the locations being mined.
Delivering a private wireless network for underground mining means thinking around corners, through walls and along blind spaces. Telecom engineers must consider how to optimise coverage across every point of the mine – there can be no dark spots. Careful consideration must also be given to coverage distance to ensure that the signal from one autonomous vehicle cannot be blocked by another, or by the structure and incline of the mine itself, and that different radio systems do not interfere with each other.
While coverage of a single antenna is often limited to a section or gallery, the power of the 4.9G/LTE or 5G signal makes it convenient for supporting caving, room-and-pillar and longwall mining methods, as well as in-mine mission-critical and emergency voice and video communications.
A unique design, comprising a mix of radio technologies, including small cells, micro remote radio heads, distributed antenna arrays and radiating cables (also known as leaky feeders), will allow engineers to design a solution that will overcome these issues and meet the unique needs of each mine site – above and underground.
An end-to-end wireless network
Operators looking to implement private wireless networks should investigate solutions with end-to-end capabilities. Dust, moisture, extreme temperatures, changing topology and pressure waves, as well as seismic activity from explosions, put infrastructure and equipment to the test. By adopting a solution that incorporates ruggedised user equipment, teams can benefit from workpads and handheld devices designed to withstand the harsh environments in and around mines, as well as industrial routers and dongles that simplify the connectivity of mining equipment to the network.
Whether mining operators are looking to enhance operations and safety or achieve sustainability goals, private 4.9G/LTE and 5G wireless networks can handle everything. With reliability as rock-solid as the walls of the mines they operate within, as the network of tunnels expands and excavations move deeper underground, the private wireless network will follow, allowing mining operators to enhance capabilities in myriad ways.
References
1. ‘Smart Mining Market Worth US$23 055.4 Million by 2028 at a CAGR of 13.3% Globally, COVID-19 Impact and Analysis’,
The Insight Partners, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ smart-mining-market-worth-us-23-055-4-million-by-2028-at-acagr-of-13-3-globally-covid-19-impact-and-analysis-by-the-insightpartners-301364231.html
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