New Australian Coal Mine Goes Digital for Underground Communications and Tracking
21 January 2010
Whitehaven Coals has chosen two of Mine Site Technologies' (MST) core systems to provide a complete communication solution for their new Narrabri North coal mine.
The overall communications infrastructure and tracking solution combines the latest digital communication network with the ultra low frequency PED System to cover both safety and day to day management requirements. "We selected MST as we wanted the latest in digital infrastructure and applications integrated with the proven, mine-wide communications PED technology," says Tony Bernays, EEM at Narrabri.
An initial 25 wireless network switches/Wi-Fi access points will provide Wi-Fi coverage on the main travel roads at strategic points underground. This underground digital network will enable a number of Internet Protocol (IP) applications, including:
- Tracking vehicles as they move about the mine by self contained RFID tags attached to each vehicle
- Two-way voice communications and texting via MST's MinePhone. The MinePhone is a VoIP handset specifically designed for underground mine use and is currently finalising I.S. certification. The VoIP telephone system will be integrated into the mine's general phone system at the PABX to allow a seamless connection between all phones types used on site
- The MinePhone is also integrated with the tracking system and will support on-screen tracking information and emergency egress information
Mine-wide communication
The PED transmission system consists of an 11km antenna that has been designed to provide mine-wide signal coverage to the current and future underground developments for the next several years. The PED will enable one-way paging to personnel wherever they are in the mine, providing a very useful day-to-day management tool as well as a vital emergency communication system should an emergency arise.
ICCL cap lamps are devices in which the two communication technologies converge for the end user. The ICCL unit incorporates Wi-Fi RFID tag and PED text receiver to operate from each of those independent communication infrastructures.
The system also supports the extension of the use of the tracking system data to provide an automated traffic management system. This automated traffic control will operate for transport vehicles travelling in the drift (slope) into the mine.
This combination of two communication technologies to provide a complete communication solution at a mine has been growing over recent years. While most coal mines in Australia already have PED installed as they deploy new digital technologies such as ImPact, they are retaining and expanding PED for redundancy and its ability to work without multiple network elements underground. The two systems complement each other well and are brought together in the ICCL, of which more than 11,000 have now been shipped.
