Longwall coal mines expand rapidly and over time the efficiency of transporting miners becomes a major influence on productivity. At Pinnoak Resources’ Oak Grove mine in Alabama, USA, work crews currently require 45 minutes travel time from the shaft station to the longwall face, not including standby time spent waiting for the vehicle. A Varis Smart Tag Resource Tracking system has been implemented to improve the co-ordination of the transportation.

An existing Leaky Feeder voice communication network was upgraded to Varis’ Smart Com Ethernet-capable system. The Leaky Feeder Head End and Line Amplifiers were changed out and the Smart Com Remote Diagnostics configured to report on the status of the 27 Line Amplifiers in the 15 km network.

Three important locations were chosen to have Smart Tag readers, the main switch area, North-11 West primary track and 11 West track. Four antennas were installed at the West primary track location and three antennas at the other locations. Multiple antennas enable a single reader to monitor four isolated zones, determine direction and speed and enhance coverage without additional expense.

System) was installed in the Smart Com Leaky Feeder Base Station and an Arris Touchstone® Cable Modem at each Smart Tag reader location.

The data and displays generated by Smart Tag are available on any PC connected to the LAN. Smart Tag’s ODBC compliant database enables easy integration with standard office applications for further analysis.

The Leaky Feeder network upgrade, Smart Tag reader and tag installation, Smart Tag server installation, commissioning and training were completed over 11 days. Now Pinnoak can determine with accuracy and confidence the location of their rail motors, buses and jeeps. An additional benefit to the system is that high value replacement parts for the longwall equipment can have Smart Tag tags attached so that maintenance personnel can find them quickly.