South African company ensures Polish mine safety
August 2002
News
Pretoria-based company, Q-Kon, has engineered and exported a production monitoring system for use in safety control at a Polish coalmine. The mobile sensor technology means that realtime data on time, location and status can be used for the effective control required to optimise production on the mine.
Monitoring for the miners works via a radio tag, installed into every miner's battery pack. The tag, or transponder, is activated as soon as a miner picks up his battery pack and moves from the room where all packs are stored. No miner is allowed underground without his battery pack.
There are fixed signal points at strategic places around the mine and underground, which activate the tagged battery pack each time the miner passes one. A signal from the miner's pack is sent to the central data control room showing precisely which point the miner has just passed. Each miner's movements can therefore be monitored and his position ascertained in the event of a rock fall or blasting procedures.
"We had to take account, when engineering the system," said Riaan van den Berg, systems engineer at Q-Kon, "of the fact that wearers could be moving very fast past a control point, or could be bunched together at debussing points such as the cages travelling underground."
Tracking of the vehicles is done via the MineTrak monitoring system, installed in each cab. As the vehicle passes a weigh station, a signal from the MineTrak activates the data transmission, sending the position and the usage of the vehicles to a central control point.
The mechanics of these monitors and tags had to be robust in order to withstand the tough mining conditions in which they are being used. The advanced data transmission capabilities of the Q-Kon data radio enables direct integration of the radio with the central monitoring equipment. This method of safety control has already been successfully implemented by Q-Kon in several South African mines. The picture shows a MineTrak monitoring point at a Polish coalmine.
For more information: Dirk Staal, Q-Kon, 012 665 0052, [email protected]
Further reading:
Pump spares and parts for Africa
News
KSB Pumps and Valves explains how its decentralised stockholding and local manufacturing keep spares and parts available across its installed base in Africa.
Read more...
Local energy solutions rewiring resilience across Africa
News Fieldbus & Industrial Networking
Engineers across Africa are developing practical, scalable energy and mobility solutions supported by the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation.
Read more...
The gender gap in SA’s engineering sector
News
South Africa’s engineering sector is facing a critical gender imbalance, with women making up just 16% of registered engineering professionals compared to 84% of men.
Read more...
Safe removal of the historic US 181
News
Mammoet provided the heavy-lift expertise that helped remove the 2300 ton centre span of the historic US 181 Harbor Bridge in Corpus Christi, Texas, using a precision lift-and-lower method that protected nearby marine environments and reopened navigation channels swiftly.
Read more...
Going Green initiative sees African Group Lubricants adopt electric forklift fleet
News
African Group Lubricants is transitioning most of its forklift fleet to electric power, a move expected to cut diesel consumption by around 85% and improve conditions across its manufacturing facility while delivering a positive return on investment in the near term.
Read more...
Africa Energy Indaba 2027 aims to ignite the power revolution
News
Africa Energy Indaba 2027 takes place from 2 to 4 March 2027 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, bringing together ministers, utilities, investors and developers to accelerate energy generation, unlock investment and drive the continent’s industrial future.
Read more...
Major bearing tender for SKF
SKF South Africa
News
SKF has secured a major bearing supply tender from an Algerian steelmaker, reinforcing its position in the metals segment across North Africa.
Read more...
Mining’s decarbonisation journey requires putting ESG commitments into action
Schneider Electric South Africa
News
Schneider Electric specialists explain how mining and heavy industry can turn environmental, social and governance commitments into measurable decarbonisation results.
Read more...
Closing the energy efficiency gap at SKF’s Tech & Innovation Summit
SKF South Africa
News
SKF is hosting its yearly virtual Tech & Innovation Summit, bringing together industry leaders and experts to showcase technologies, products and solutions designed to help close the energy efficiency gap in industrial operations.
Read more...
From the editor's desk: The science of copying nature
Technews Publishing (SA Instrumentation & Control)
News
Some extreme weather we experienced recently has left me looking at nature with renewed awe. It also made me think about the inventions that we use every day that have been inspired by nature, especially
...
Read more...
printer friendly version