Safe network communication in underground mines

July 2012 Fieldbus & Industrial Networking

Frequent coal-mine accidents prompted the Chinese government to embark on an ambitious plan to construct safety monitoring systems in 104 coal mines in 15 provinces.

The detection of hazardous or inflammable gases is particularly important for the security of coal mines, in China 95% of the coal mine accidents were caused by gas explosions. Gases that need to be monitored include methane, carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulphide. Advantech joined in the company’s plan in 2008, and has provided solutions based on fibre optic Ethernet ring for underground communication networks.

System requirements

As any hot-spot could cause a catastrophic blast in the underground coal shafts and roadways, the safety monitoring system itself has to be safe or it could become a source of danger. Copper based communication cable is therefore not an option for coal mines. Fibre optics is desirable, not only because it is safer but also because it provides faster and more reliable communications. Also, the switches and cables deployed in the coal mines must have strong anti-electromagnetic capability to prevent interference from facilities such as power substations and motor-driven power adaptors in the mine.

Solution description

Advantech’s EKI-7659C switches are deployed in each roadway of the mine to transmit data collected from air sensors located inside the mine, including methane and oxygen concentration, wind speed and smoke. The data is sent to the backbone switch EKI-7657C (three fibre ports) via a redundant X-ring fibre optic network, and from there, up to the monitoring and control centre on the surface.

To avoid electromagnetic interruption, protective components are applied to the integrated circuits of the switches; also each switch is enclosed in an explosion proof enclosure to ensure maximum security and reliable operation. The equipment is certified with Chinese MA standards for coal mining security.

Conclusion

Coal mine accidents usually result in tremendous loss of lives and money. To avoid tragedies the investment on safety monitoring systems is necessary for modern coal mining industry. The coal mine safety monitoring system relies heavily on reliable information technology that provides secure and rapid data transmission, so that the administrators can detect any abnormal situations in the coal mines quickly enough to take action that prevents disaster.

Advantech’s fibre optic Ethernet switches with anti-electromagnetic capability and ruggedness can provide reliable and secure data collection and transmission in adverse underground coal mining environments. This saves lives and money.

For more information contact Fons de Leeuw, Profitek, 086 165 4321, [email protected], www.profiteksa.com

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