JOURNAL OF COAL SCIENCE & ENGINEERING

(CHINA) DOI 10.1007/s12404-010-0311-6

pp 277–283 Vol.16 No.3 Sep. 2010

Emerging trends in information and communication technology in mine safety and disaster management

DHEERAJ Kumar ( Department of Mining Engineering, I. S. M University, Dhanbad-826004, India)

© The Editorial Office of Journal of Coal Science and Engineering (China) and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2010

Abstract There is tremendous growth in the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), Remote Sensing, Satellite Communication, and Modeling & Simulation techniques. These tools and techniques helps significantly in char-acterizing infrastructure, risk area and disaster zones, planning and implementation of hazards reduction measures etc. Communication satellites becomes vital for providing emergency communication and timely relief measures. Integration of space technology inputs into natural disaster monitoring and mitigation mechanisms is critical for hazard re-duction. This paper mainly focused on all the issues described above. Major emphasis had been given to the recent developments in information & communication technology en-abled tools and their applications in mining industries for safe mining operations with in-creased productivity.

Keywords information and communication, mine safety, disaster management

Received: 6 May 2010 E-mail: dheeraj@dkumar.org

Introduction Use of information technology (IT) is becoming

more and more common in all imbedded application and mining industry is not lagging behind, and it is not over, rather it is just a noble beginning. Information technology in the mining industry has entered half a century back. It was first introduced in 1960s in staff function, specially in clerical activities like preparation of pay rolls, listing of store items, manpower control etc. In 1970s it encompassed designing of civil engi-neering constructions, laying of tracks, roads, etc. Whereas in 1980s it was widely used in management information system (MIS), mine planning system (MPS) and in truck dispatch system (TDS). In 1990s it came to global positioning system (GPS) and geo-graphical information system (GIS), a visualizing technology that captures, stores, checks, integrates, manipulates and displays data using digital mapping. It further spreads in areas like preventive maintenance,

quality control and other areas of technology and business related to mining industry directly and indi-rectly.

Development and use of automated equipments, use of robotics in hazardous environment in mines, better communications and tracking technologies, self rescue devices, and refuge alternatives are some of the areas which have drawn attentions worldwide. The paper describes some recent advancement in informa-tion and communication technology enabled tools and techniques which have been proved to be very effec-tive in mine safety and disaster management.

1 Mine safety technology One of the most important factors leading to mine

disasters is ground failure mainly roof collapse in un-derground mines. The prevention of fatalities and inju-ries from failures of the roof, pillars or floor has been a priority area of research, development, demonstra-tion, and research to practice activities worldwide for

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many years. Significant safety improvements have been achieved in these areas. Coal bumps, bounces, and outbursts have been a longstanding safety hazard in some mines worldwide. A coal bump is the sudden and violent failure of highly stressed coal or sur-rounding strata.

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has developed several computer pro-grams to help mine planners design coal pillars. For longwall mining, there is the Analysis of Longwall Pillar Stability (ALPS). For room-and-pillar and re-treat mines, there is the Analysis of Retreat Mining Pillar Stability (ARMPS). Both of the programs are widely used throughout the U.S. These programs, along with others developed by industry or academia, provide an excellent methodology for properly de-signing coal mine pillars for a wide range of mining conditions (Kohler, 2007).

CSIRO has produced commercial-standard auto-matic face-alignment systems, which ensure the cut-ting drums follow the coal seam accurately in longwall mines. Pre-commercial prototypes are now being used at Xstrata’s Beltana and BMA’s Broadmeadow long-wall mines. CSIRO has also created prototypes for automatic horizon control and longwall information management systems, which are ready for commercial production (Hill-Douglas, 2007). An automation technology has been designed to locate and guide coal-cutting equipment in longwall mines (Fig.1). Xstrata’s Beltana longwall mine uses this technology. Automation has made this form of mining more pro-ductive, and safety has been greatly improved.

Fig.1 New automation technology designed to locate and

guide coal-cutting equipment in longwall mines (Hill-Douglas, 2007)

The application of seismic monitoring has emerged as a potential technology for predicting ground movements and coal bumps. Today, seismic monitoring is used more in hard rock mining, as part of a risk management program. However it is very infrequently used in coal mining. Despite advances in technologies, such as geophones, signal processing

equipment and computers, many of the barriers that existed 30 years ago remain today.

Notwithstanding, there is advantage of applying seismic monitoring at mines with a history of bumps, as part of a larger risk management program, as is done in Australian and many European coal mines.

2 Automated mining system The implementation of novel systems and adop-

tion of automated mining systems help mining com-panies in two important ways: enhanced mine produc-tivity and improved worker safety. Safety is one of the key factors driving the trend to automation. Efficiency is imperative if a mine is to survive and automation can play a large role in this. By developing and com-mercializing automated mining technologies back-boned with information technology for continuous mining equipment, the productivity of each mining machine improves and the operators can run the ma-chine from a safe distance, which reduces associated costs for worker exposure, health benefits, and liability. The section below describes some innovative mining systems backboned with automations. 2.1 Mine robotics

Mine robot is defined as a self-propelled mining machine with a flexible control for multifunctional use of the working head during mining. Robots are being developed for hazardous duty and for performing 3D mapping and remote sensing in environments such as coal mines at greater depths.

Robotic mining technology offers a number of unique challenges benefits as listed below:

(1) On-line information like geology (geophysical, geotechnical, geochemical), production rates, quality help in production planning etc.

(2) Robotic mining will allow operation of a mine with faster removal rates of ore and with less risk.

(3) Robotic mining also allows narrower open-ings and deeper mining operations to remain profit-able.

(4) Increased safety: with no humans present, there will be no need for sophisticated air circulatory systems.

(5) Increased productivity: faster removal rates of ore as compared to miners.

(6) Increased equipment utilization. (7) Time-efficient operations. (8) Reduced need for maintenance of mine sys-

tems. (9) Faster reaction to engineering and mainte-

nance issues.

DHEERAJ Kumar. Emerging trends in information and communication technology in 279

(10) Improved mine cash-flows. Mine Robots will be doing jobs like laying ex-

plosives, going underground after blasting to stabilize a mine roof or mining in areas where it is impossible for humans to work or even survive. Rescue robots are proved to be one of the most important tools in dealing with mine disasters. An autonomous, four-wheeled robot with heavy-duty tires, called Groundhog (Fig.2), was sent into an abandoned coal mine near Pittsburgh in May 2003, and was able to create accu-rate 3D maps of its surroundings.

Fig.2 An autonomous, four-wheeled robot with heavy-duty

tires (Morris et al., 2005)

Some of the examples of robotics based mine equipments are mentioned below:

(1) Tele-operated and automated load-haul-dump trucks that self-navigate through tunnels, clearing the walls by centimeters.

(2) The world’s largest “robot”, a 3 500 t coal dragline featuring automated loading and unloading.

(3) A robot device for drilling and bolting mine roofs to stabilize them after blasting

(4) A pilotless burrowing machine for mining in flooded gravels and sands underground, where human operators cannot go.

(5) A robotic drilling and blasting device for in-ducing controlled caving. 2.1.1 Case studies related to robotics based mining

(1) World’s largest industrial robot The system is being tested on a dragline (weight

3 500 t, boom length 100 m) located at Tarong Coal’s Meandu Mine, near Kingaroy, in Queensland. Robot is designed to install a computer “brain” in a dragline, add a radar sensor to the boom to help the computer locate its targets. This dragline is used to scoop up blasted rock in open-cut coal mines. It picks up from 100 to 300 t of fragmented rock with every scoop, then swings it round and delivers it to the spoil pile, then swings back again (CSIRO, 1998). Use of this robotic based dragline has resulted into increasing the produc-tivity of a dragline by around 4 per cent along with a saving of approx $3 million a year for an Australian

coal mines and approx $280 million for Australia as a whole.

(2) Groundhog (Morris et al., 2005) Towards achieving the mine mapping goal, a

700 kg custom-built ATV-type robotic platform known as Groundhog (Fig.2) has been constructed that is physically tailored for operation in the harsh condi-tions of abandoned mines. Groundhog has been used extensively in both test and abandoned mine environ-ments, accruing hundreds of hours of mine navigation with 8 successful portal entry experiments in the abandoned Mathies mine outside of Pittsburgh, PA. From these experiments, log data has generated glob-ally consistent large-scale maps using offline tech-niques, over the course of its lifetime, groundhog has evolved into a system that is highly proficient at autonomously traversing and mapping isolated mine corridors, successfully navigating over 2 km of aban-doned mine.

(3) Ferret The existence of subterranean void spaces, such

as the cavities created by mining, is a hazard to active mining operations and a constant threat to surface de-velopments. When abandoned, these underground spaces can accumulate tremendous quantities of water and threaten to flood encroaching active mines. To address the existence of subterranean void space belowground, a robotic tool has been developed that is capable of reaching a domeout via borehole access, acquiring the measurements necessary for void analy-sis, and relaying this information to the surface. To reach the mine cavity, deployment and sensing schemes were required to descend the borehole, iden-tify the mine breach, and maintain a sense of orienta-tion throughout the process. The robotic tool for re-mote subterranean void analysis has several opera-tional advantages over past techniques. Nicknamed Ferret (Fig.3), it establishes a physical presence in a mine cavity enabling a “first hand” perspective of the void (unlike non-intrusive methods that require infor-mation to be inferred) (Morris et al., 2003).

Fig.3 Views of Ferret (Morris et al., 2003)

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2.2 Armchair mining Armchair mining is a technology to drive miners

out of the mine and into the control room. Remotecon-trolled mining, known as teleoperation, could help drive down injury further by removing miners from hazard-ous areas and, at the same time, could significantly in-crease productivity, according to some experts.

With an ore body 4 km long, 80 m thick and reaching a depth of 2 km, LKAB’s Kiruna iron ore mine, Sweden is the world’s largest, most modern un-derground iron ore . Since mining began here over 100 years ago, LKAB has produced over 950 Mt of ore. Very few people work underground. The seams are drilled by remote operated drills (Fig.4). Huge Fin-nish-built driverless wheel loaders follow com-puter-controlled routes and only stop at piles of broken rock to collect the ore. At this point an operator sitting in front of a TV screen on the surface loads the ore and carries it to shaft where it is dropped to the 1 045 m level. The ore is crushed here and then hoisted to the surface to be processed. Electric-powered, remotecon-trolled drilling and ore handling equipment supplied by Atlas Copco and Tamrock is widely used here. Af-ter blasting, load-haul-dump machines (some of which are fully automated) carry the run-of-mine ore to the nearest ore pass, from which it is loaded automatically on to one of the trains operating on the 1 045 m level (Mining-technology.com, 2008).

Fig.4 A load-haul-dump vehicle in LKAB's iron ore mine

in Sweden scoops rock with the help of a teleoperator working off-site; the vehicle does hauling and dumping

automatically (DeGaspari, 2003)

The backbones of armchair mining are robust communication system in the mine, capable of han-dling data, voice, and video signals and ‘Smart’ min-ing equipment, outfitted with on-board computers and a host of sensor.

3 Information & communication tracking technology In a crisis, any information, particularly, accurate

information is fleeting and difficult to capture and to

confirm. Meanwhile, the demand for information by families, the public and the media incrementally in-creases with each passing minute and approaching news deadline. There is an imperative need to not only manage communications but to fiercely guard the quality of the information communicated. Some of the recent applications of information & communication technology in mines are described in this section. 3.1 Mine multimedia rescue communication

Mine multimedia rescue communication system adopts an integration of MPEG4, VOIP, TCP/IP and self-organizing technology etc. It can be carried by the rescue workers. The system adopts a cooperation method of wireless communication and wire commu-nication to transmit information. The distance of transmission is 10 to 20 km. The facilities have the following function: Display, save and replay the au-dio-visual data of the entire rescue process; Achieve multi-user talk; Collect surroundings parameter of the mine including temperature, oxygen, CO and CH4. All of the information could be provided for analyzing the cause of the disaster. In addition, the facilities can give an alarm when the parameters go beyond limited (Wang et al., 2006). 3.2 Internet and information superhighway

Quick and accurate information is vital to any decision-making process where numerous technical parameters need to be synthesized and evaluated. A number of important internet websites are now re-ceiving global attention from the mining industries. These websites offer update and relevant information on coal and mineral exploration and exploitation. In-formation superhighway is the remote PC-based in-strumentation system for continuous monitoring of a mining system/subsystem. It is like a highway where all the expertise is readily available for solving all kinds of mining related problems. This could be a fo-rum through which many countries can exchange their views on the aspects of mine accidents. One could gather the data for the past 25 years and use the very best of data mining tools to take us to a world of acci-dent free mining 3.3 Global environmental disaster information

system (GEDIS) GEDIS, the Global Environment Disaster Infor-

mation System (Fig.5) is a new integrated system for confidential, reliable emergency communication and coherent disaster management information support. This system will aim to overcome existing information access and communication deficiencies by using ad-vanced user-friendly, internet based, multilingual and

DHEERAJ Kumar. Emerging trends in information and communication technology in 281

multimedia telematic technologies (including tele/ video conferencing and remote interpretation). GEDIS is a distributed client-server system. The internal and external communication flows are confidential and ensured through the use of the best-available and/or most appropriate broad band telecommunication tech-nique (fixed, mobile, satellite based etc.).

Fig.5 Global environmental disaster information

system (Konrad, 1998)

3.4 GPS-based systems These systems require all mobile equipment to

have a GPS receiver, thus allowing having absolute real time position information of the equipment. This position information is then exchanged using wireless radio to evaluate relative position e.g. between a truck and a light vehicle and issue an alarm if necessary. Full GPS coverage is absolutely necessary for such systems to operate successfully. Nevertheless multi- path issues and satellite shadowing may occur e.g. when a person is close to a truck. Fatalities among equipment operators in open pit mines can be reduced if GPS technology is incorporated in their machines. With differential GPS equipment, one can quickly de-termine exact coordinates of a given truck with accu-racy of less than a meter and evaluate whether a given truck is dangerously close to the dumping edge of a waste dump (Fig.6).

Fig.6 Improving safety of off-highway trucks

through GPS

3.4.1 Dynamine: online truck dispatch system (OITDS): a case study (CMC Ltd.)

A global positioning system (GPS)-based, opera-tor-independent truck dispatch system (OITDS) suit-able for open cast mines has been installed and in op-eration at the Jayant Opencast mine , NCL, India. The mine handles 30 million m3 of mine overburden (the waste product generated during mining operations) and around 10 million tonnes of coal in a year. It has a fleet of 15 excavators with a capacity ranging from eight to 14 m3, 50 trucks of 85 t capacity and 30 trucks of 120 t capacity. The OITDS system covers the entire fleet of excavators and trucks. This system was con-ceptualized in 1999 and was implemented in Septem-ber 2002. Fig.7 shows the basic layout of OITDS.

Fig.7 Layout of OTDS system dynamine

(CMC Ltd., 2007)

The features is follows: (1) Global positioning system (GPS)-based on-

board equipment with voice and data communication facilities and vital signs monitoring devices (VSMDs) is mounted on the excavators and trucks.

(2) Three communication masts with repeaters are installed at strategic locations to ensure reliable radio communications over an area of around 20 km2, covering the entire mine.

(3) Fibre-optic cables are laid over a length of 18 km for LAN connectivity between the main control room and various user locations.

(4) Around 25 clients are connected to the host application and database server for online monitoring.

(5) The system is integrated with the attendance recording system for the operating staff based on card swiping, and manages an automatic crew-mining equipment-allocation facility. These allocations are automatically announced through a public address system as well as displayed on a large screen in

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scrolling mode, reducing considerable time-loss at the beginning of the shift.

(6) Important information on production and availability of mining equipment is available on the interactive voice response system (IVRS).

(7) The system directs each truck to move on op-timised route, increasing productivity through a dy-namic programming technique.

(8) The system tracks the movement of mining equipment and maintains a register of warnings against each identified operator/equipment in case of violation of instructions or moving in non-safe zones during the specified time. 3.5 GIS and remote sensing in mining

The use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as a powerful tool to analyze and display data is gath-ering momentum in the mining industry. The use of latest mapping technology like Geographic Informa-tion System (GIS) and Remote Sensing is growing in mines worldwide. The remote sensing technology has been extensively used in mapping the regions affected by underground fires in mine and its surrounding areas. This technology integrated with GIS, has become an effective tool for developing and implementing a re-habilitation plan for the region. GIS technologies cre-ate efficiency and productivity opportunities in all as-pects of mineral exploration and mining. GIS enables a mineral exploration geologist and mine operator to mine intelligently, efficiently, competitively, safely, and environmentally. 3.6 Computer-aided mine planning and design

Recent advances in computer technology and software development has made it possible to develop an advanced simulation model for strategic mine plan-ning and risk evaluation (Fig.8).

Some of the applications of Computer Aided Mine Plan & Design (CAMPAD) are listed below:

(1) Use of CAD methods for mine design, geo-logical databases and resource estimates, block mod-eling techniques, blast pattern designs, 3D orebody modeling and 3D open-pit and underground mine lay-out.

(2) Development of software for strategic open pit planning based on object-oriented stochastic simu-lation.

(3) Development of a simulation/animation mod- el for open pit mine planning.

(4) Computer modeling for performance estima-tion and optimization of mechanical excavators.

(5) Computer simulation of gravity flow of ore in ore passes by the discrete element method.

(6) Project scheduling and costing for major mining projects using CPM & PERT software pack-ages viz. Microsoft Project, Visio etc.

Fig.8 Solid modeling & block modeling of an iron ore

deposit using SURPAC

3.7 Virtual reality in mineral industry A design starts as a concept and must be given

shape and size. Once these elements are determined, rather than producing two-dimensional drawings, it is more practical to now go directly to a computer-gen- erated three-dimensional model of the design. The models are produced using the modeling tools avail-able in the CAD package or any 3D graphic package based on the Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML). This model can then be used to produce a wide range of visuals ranging from rendered images to animations.

The Virtual Reality (VR) technology can greatly assist in mine planning and design through its strong capability to visualize overall impact of various factors in a complex mining environment. 3.8 Mining equipment concept development

Mining and equipment companies are presently developing prototype equipment that will revolution-ize underground mining. To make this task as quick and easy as possible, 3D modeling of the equipment and the working environment is a key tool. The use of the model to review the equipment prior to fabrication allows modifications to be made without the costly investment of multiple versions of prototype equip-ment. The Automated Underground Diamond Core Drill Project Team recently utilized a similar modeling approach for Inco-Mines Technology Department Ltd.

DHEERAJ Kumar. Emerging trends in information and communication technology in 283

(Fig.9). The objective of this project was to minimize the cost of gathering and utilizing geological data (Loney and Ross, 2001). The design review of the project can be completed utilizing a parametric 3D solid model using Pro/Engineer, or by any VRML en-abled compiler.

Fig.9 Diamond drill model

4 Conclusions There is a substantial need of adoption of state-

of-the-art automation technologies in the mines to en-sure the safety and to protect health of mineworkers. The paper has highlighted some of the recent innova-tions in the mine automations as well information and communication technologies that could be deployed in mines for safe mining operations and for avoiding any unforeseen mine disaster. Significant developments have been made in the areas of surface and under-ground communication, robotics, smart sensors, tracking systems, mine gas monitoring systems and ground movements etc. Advancement in information technology in the form of Internet, GIS, Remote Sensing, Satellite communication, etc. have been pro-

ved to be important tools for hazards reduction and disaster management.

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