Tag Archives: coal mining

Energy Vault to deploy modular gravity storage and battery solution at Sardinia coal mine

Coal technology, Environmental, Mine operation news, Mine shafts and equipment, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , ,

Energy Vault Holdings Inc, a leader in sustainable grid-scale energy storage solutions, and Carbosulcis S.p.A., a coal mining company owned by the Autonomous Region of Sardinia, have announced their plans to develop a 100 MW hybrid gravity energy storage system, a solution designed by Energy Vault for underground mines, pairing modular gravity storage and batteries.

This unique energy storage solution to be deployed within 500-m-deep mine shafts, along with the VaultOS™ proprietary energy management software, is essential for the Sardinia Government’s targeted conversion of the coal mine to a Carbon Free Technology Hub, where the availability of low/zero emissions energy will be a catalyst to attract new industrial and technological activities, Energy Vault says.

This hybrid energy storage solution leverages Energy Vault EV0™ gravity technology through a new water-based, modular pumped hydro application. The proposed system combines long-established pumped hydro energy storage technology with Energy Vault’s gravity energy storage technology, allowing the partners to repurpose the underground features of the site as a retired coal mine. The hybrid energy storage solution is designed to optimise and fully capitalise on the specific topology of the site and the 500-m-deep mine shafts, highlighting the unique proposition of Energy Vault as a fully integrated and diversified provider of tailormade energy storage solutions, the company says.

The parties recently executed a land lease agreement, with installation of the first modular gravity components set to commence in September 2024 with the testing of the underground component of the hybrid energy storage system expected to be completed in 2025.

Carbosulcis’ Nuraxi Figus site, located on the island of Sardinia in Italy, is currently set to be retired by the end of 2026, and the Sardinia Regional Government aims to convert the site into a technology hub with a minimum environmental impact to help the industrial and economic reconversion of an area heavily affected by the exit from coal production. In addition, the hybrid energy storage system will help to stabilise the island’s power grid, with plans to dispatch renewable energy to help meet the high demand during peak load hours while encouraging further local use of renewable generation in Sardinia. The proposed site would be wholly owned and operated by Energy Vault.

Francesco Lippi, Chief Executive Officer (Amministratore Unico), Carbosulcis, said: “We are very excited about the innovative energy storage combined solution proposed by Energy Vault, including underground gravity energy storage technology, that we are testing together and that can become one of the solutions to support our project to convert our mine into a new technology hub. This project will maximise the local use of renewable energy and, at the same time, provide services that will improve the stability of the power grid in Sardinia. We are deeply appreciative of the partnership that Energy Vault has demonstrated thus far, and their customer-centric approach to the design of energy storage solutions has already proved extremely valuable. Energy storage is a critical component to better utilising renewable energy around-the-clock on the island of Sardinia. We see this important collaboration with Energy Vault as a vital step in the development of the technology hub, which is intended to promote innovation, by recovering a former mining site and strengthening the concept of “smart transition” to renewable energy in an area like the Sulcis Inglesientes heavily affected by the exit from fossil fuels, like coal.”

Marco Terruzin, Chief Commercial and Product Officer, Energy Vault, said: “We are proud to collaborate with Carbosulcis for such an important project. The conversion of the coal mine in Nuraxi Figus to a technology hub powered by renewable energy will help the Sardinia region to economically revitalise one of its areas most affected by the exit from fossil fuels. We believe that this exciting application of our energy storage solutions, including a new use for our gravity energy storage technology – deploying it underground – could hold vast potential for future applications. Discovering and researching new uses of our technology demonstrates the broad versatility and potential of our unique and innovative portfolio of energy storage solutions. We see a future where our technology helps power the world with renewables.”

EV0 is part of Energy Vault’s G-VAULT™ Gravity Energy Storage System portfolio and was announced in May 2024 along with other new gravity storage system products. The new design is a water and vessel-based “modular pumped hydro” solution that is uniquely addressing applications for underground deep mine shafts, in this case a 500-m-deep shaft at one of the largest coal mines in Italy, which is now under closure, the company explains. The mine with reserves amounting to 2.5 billion tonnes of sub-bituminous coal, used to be one of the largest coal mines of its kind in Europe and the world.

This is the second deployment of a hybrid energy storage system by Energy Vault after the Calistoga PG&E project in northern California, USA, the largest green microgrid in the world, which pairs green hydrogen with lithium-ion batteries, Energy Vault says.

NEPEAN aims to RESolutionise the underground coal mining sector

Coal technology, Mining equipment, Mining techniques, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Pillar extraction is back on the agenda again and NEPEAN Longwall is proving the coal mining doubters wrong with an ambitious and innovative project that, it says, may lead to an industry step-change, prolonging the life of underground operations by supplying a system that combines elements of both longwall and room & pillar mining methods.

Australia-based NEPEAN Longwall has a value proposition that spans all aspects of longwall mining equipment, including armoured face conveyors, beam stage loaders, shearers, drive units, electro-hydraulics, chain and flights, hoses, cables and other specific componentry.

It is known the world over for its tailored engineering capability, and its latest project – a world first – will do that reputation no harm.

“We are different to other major players in this sector as we embrace customised solutions for our customers to a greater extent,” Mark O’Toole, Business Development Manager of NEPEAN Longwall, told IM. “We are not trying to protect an inflexible supply chain, and that allows us to design the best solution for each customer.”

NEPEAN Longwall has recognised the changing market in Australia where new mine approvals are more difficult than ever, access to capital is constrained and customers are looking for cost-effective solutions to make the most of their underground reserves.

It was Centennial Coal’s Clarence mine in New South Wales and its Panel & Pillar Partial Extraction Project that gave NEPEAN Longwall the opportunity to focus on innovative mining methods using existing technologies. Centennial’s project started with concepts generated by Robert Langford (Engineering Manager, Clarence Mine), which NEPEAN Longwall turned into reality with the new system.

“There are now a number of new bord and pillar coal mining projects emerging in Australia as open-cut operations seek to access deeper reserves and head underground,” O’Toole said. “Bord and pillar operations can extract the resource quite efficiently, but this can drop off in some conditions such as lower seams.”

Longwall mines, on the other hand, rely on the complete extraction of the coal in a panel arrangement. As the panel is mined, complete subsidence or caving of the overlying rock strata occurs into the mined-out area behind the working mine face.

Pillar extraction disappeared to a large extent from Australian mines in the late 1990s due to safety concerns about the unpredictability of roof behaviour while mining. “Pillar extraction is not possible on all leases, but where it is an option, we now have a concept that provides a controlled area for safe mining,” O’Toole said.

The new concept is called the Resource Extraction System or RES for short.

This system is a hybrid between longwall technologies and bord & pillar technologies. It uses powered roof supports to control the roof in the mining area and a continuous miner to cut coal in front of the roof supports. The services to power the roof supports are able to be mounted in a centre roadway with supports laid out to the right hand and left hand. In a simple system, there may be as few as 14 roof supports used.

In a simple RES-based system, there may be as few as 14 roof supports used

“In discussions with customers and geotechnical staff there is a view that, due to the narrow working face, the roof supports will never be in yield conditions and the extraction may be viewed as sub-critical – not resulting in surface subsidence,” the company said.

For coal cutting, a continuous miner and shuttle cars are employed. The continuous miner breaks away to the right and cuts in front of the roof supports for a distance of around 12 m, as it does so the canopies advance behind the cutter head and a forepole is extended towards the face. The continuous miner withdraws from the cut and the roof supports are advanced to the face. The process is then repeated on the left-hand side. In this way the system advances through the two pillars leaving behind a goaf.

In some applications the entire pillar can be removed, which has advantages for ventilation of the face; in other applications, the pillar may be partially removed, leaving a remnant.

For a capital spend which is less than a new continuous miner the mine can benefit from increased yield from the resource while maximising the value from existing production machinery, the company says.

The RES is designed to safely remove all or part of the pillar in a room & pillar environment, with operators and equipment under the protection of roof support canopies and roof supported by traditional longwall roof support methods.

The patent-protected system also provides new opportunities for providing continuity of production during longwall relocation or during discontinuities in longwall production and the ability to mine areas in mining leases previously considered high risk, the company says.

“Reflecting on the lessons from our first project, we realised that we had to think differently about the powered roof support,” O’Toole said. “This is not a longwall. The application is quite different and the method of operating the roof support is quite different. This realisation has led to us developing lighter structures with different hydraulics that are able to move quicker. With this approach the roof support will be less costly than a typical longwall unit.”

Flexibility will remain a unique selling point of this solution, yet there are some fixed requirements to consider.

As is currently envisaged, a narrow head miner is needed for the continuous miner to work effectively. Mining operations will also have to have suitable ventilation in place to support the operations. The application of RES is best suited to geologically-stable areas with the aid of roof supports with load bearing canopy forepoles and face sprags.

The flexibility comes from the modular design of the equipment, as well as the ability to tailor the system dependent on the size of the area to be extracted and the inherent geology. The services to run the roof supports, power distribution, pumps and motors, hydraulic tank, dump valve and filters are all mounted on a modular skid, which is advanced down the roadway by the system. In other applications of the system, these services may be monorail-mounted or Pantech-mounted.

The services to run the roof supports, power distribution, pumps and motors, hydraulic tank, dump valve and filters are all mounted on a modular skid, which is advanced down the roadway by the system

Depending on the panel layout, roof supports may be added for increased width or removed for a narrower working face.

Advanced technology has been incorporated into the first project with remote operation planned from the start of production from an underground control pod. This pod, located hundreds of metres from the face, allows control of the roof supports and the continuous miner. Existing technology has been incorporated including cameras, infra-red sensors, inclinometers, transducers, Wi-Fi, flameproof screens, gas monitoring, etc. Having the operators underground allows them to double their role and perform maintenance and inspections as required, NEPEAN says.

“We have partnered with NEPEAN Conveyors to develop other applications of the concept,” O’Toole said. “Some seams will not tolerate the ‘tip to face’ requirement when a continuous miner is used, so we also have a system based around a single armed shearer and a cutting capacity of 500-800 t/h.

“It is attractive if these systems can operate as an advancing face as this eliminates costly gate road development. The panel turns out of the main headings and then starts to produce coal off the face immediately. Our current project is solving the coal clearance, ventilation and services requirements of the advancing face. It is an exciting development as the projected capital outlay is significantly less than for systems requiring a continuous miner and continuous haulage.”

He concluded: “We have been committed to the underground coal industry for the last 25 years and the addition of these systems into our portfolio allows us to cater to the changing needs of the industry over the next 25 years.”

Hexagon and BUMA successfully deploy fleet management solution in Indonesia

Automation, Coal technology, IoT, Mining equipment, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , ,

Hexagon’s Mining division says it has been awarded an eight-year fleet management project by PT Bukit Makmur Mandiri Utama (BUMA) in Indonesia.

As part of this project, Hexagon successfully deployed 150 units of HxGN MineOperate OP Pro to BUMA’s IPR site operation in Indonesia with the system optimally running within three months, the company said.

The phased deployment covers Hexagon’s fleet management, asset health and enterprise analytics solutions implemented by the Hexagon team on site from June to September 2022.

BUMA was established in 1998 as a family business and is currently the second largest independent coal mining contractor in Indonesia.

Delta Dunia Makmur acquired BUMA in 2009 and has since been overhauling it into a more streamlined corporation. It holds approximately 20% of the market share and provides coal mining services to many of Indonesia’s largest and longest-running names in the coal industry, according to Hexagon’s Mining division.

Simon Stone, Vice President of APAC, Hexagon’s Mining division, said: “We are looking forward to strengthening our relationship with BUMA and accelerating their digital transformation journey. Like BUMA, Hexagon firmly believes in safety and efficiency, which makes this partnership and collaboration highly valuable to both parties.”

HxGN MineOperate OP Pro, the company says, offers open-pit mines high-precision guidance for dozers, drills and loading equipment. The solution improves bench elevations, reduces dilution and decreases rework to improve site safety, efficiency and profitability. Hexagon’s enterprise integration enables BUMA a single source for reporting and support across their fleet.

PT Bukit Makmur Mandiri Utama President Director, Pak Sorimuda Pulungan, said: “In following management’s Technology Transformation Project outline, Hexagon’s suite of integrated products and industry proven technology solutions played a major role in the decision-making process. Hexagon has set the new standard of being a reliable technology partner supported by an expert local team.”

RPMGlobal adds gas drainage insight to XPAC underground coal scheduling platform

Coal technology, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , ,

RPMGlobal has released what it says is another industry first with new Gas Drainage Scheduling functionality inside its XPAC Underground Coal Solution (UGCS).

This functionality has been developed with some of Australia’s largest underground coal miners, it noted.

XPAC Solutions are a suite of commodity-based mine planning software solutions specifically built for different commodities and mining methods. It is 100% script-free and made up of pre-defined logic, which, when combined with the tacit knowledge of mining engineers, automatically determines what is practically possible to achieve across one or many mining operations, the company says.

For many coal miners, understanding the impact of gas drainage activities on production can be an extremely challenging task. Until now, there were no software solutions dedicated to this specific task, according to RPM. Engineers were forced to rely on spreadsheets to understand when the drainage of each gateroad was completed and, therefore, the associated impacts on the critical development required for the next longwall move.

Because of the disparate systems, it has been hard to consider gas drainage at the same time as the mine’s production schedule, according to David Batkin, RPM’s Head of Product Strategy.

“The gas drainage functionality of UGCS provides a step change in scheduling gassy underground coal mines,” he said. “The solution tightly integrates the drainage activities into both the mine design and the scheduling processes. It makes gas drainage a key consideration every time the schedule is updated.”

The solution allows the user to directly include factors that influence drainage times – like gas content and permeability – into the in-situ model. When users design a series of longwall panels, gas drainage stubs can be inserted automatically, along with the associated patterns that will be drilled from them. These drill pattern envelopes adjust dynamically based on the longwall dimensions and gateroad properties, but users are also free to refine everything in the model.

The rigs used to perform the gas drainage drilling are treated as independent resources and are scheduled in the same way as continuous miners and longwalls. Rules govern when the drill sites become available and, once they have been drilled, the schedule starts tracking drainage status as soon as each pattern has been drilled.

Mitigation strategies for gas drainage challenges are typically required several years in advance if they are to be effective, RPM says.

As a result, a range of tools have been provided to analyse these challenges and communicate when they need to be implemented. Animations highlight the status of drill sites, so it’s clear when they are available for drilling, when they are drilled and when they are being drained. The drainage status of all development is also displayed and warnings are generated automatically whenever mining is impacted by incomplete drainage.

Batkin stated the solution has been designed to make it as practical as possible for mines with gas drainage challenges.

“This solution has been produced in collaboration with underground miners who face these challenges day in and day out,” he said. “They have helped us take a very practical approach to the problem.

“Our current partners have provided extremely positive feedback that confirms UGCS directly addresses the gas drainage challenges they routinely face. We are excited to have worked with them to provide a solution of this calibre.”

This gas drainage module will be available in the next release of the Underground Coal Solution.

Komatsu launches Joy MATS6 shearer for Chinese longwall mining market

Automation, Coal technology, Mining equipment, Mining safety, Mining services, Mining software, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , ,

To help Chinese longwall mines realise higher production and less downtime, Komatsu has introduced the Joy MATS6 shearer.

The Joy MATS6 Tier II comes with the reliability attributes of Joy machines, with all components manufactured under rigorous Joy quality processes. Because the machines are assembled in China with many Chinese-made components, a MATS6 shearer can be built and delivered relatively quickly, according to Komatsu.

Advanced control systems protect the machine from mechanical and thermal overload, while advanced diagnostics enable faster troubleshooting.

In addition, by incorporating the tie-rod chassis connection, the MATS6 can be assembled faster, both in the workshop and underground, and its modular design allows more material to pass under the machine body. Comprised of three high-tensile fabrications with a slim main section, the MATS6 has no under-frame. This design allows quicker adaptation to different mining scenarios, more efficient rebuilds and easier maintenance, Komatsu says.

Coming with longer lasting components, the MATS6 is able to mine larger panels reliably between rebuilds or even mining multiple panels without a rebuild. Additionally, the machine’s longer machine chassis life can provide a higher return on initial investment.

The machine weighs 115 t, has a cutting height of 2.5-6 m, a maximum total power of 2,495 kW, cutting power of 2 x 900 kW and 1,200 kN of haulage pull.

Any discussion of increasing longwall productivity and moving toward zero harm must include automation. Joy’s latest shearer pitch steering technology offers access to fully automated cutting sequences, including gate end turnarounds and optimal drum positioning for highly efficient cycle times and consistency. This is available as an option for the MATS6.

Advanced automation tools, including Radio Motion Monitoring, Landmark, and REST Api, meanwhile, enable remote operation to help keep workers out of harm’s way.

NSW to help coal miners experiment with new explosives at underground test facility

Coal technology, Explosives and blasting, Mining policy, Mining services, , , , ,

Australia’s only independent underground mine explosives testing facility has opened on the New South Wales Central Coast, paving the way for improvements in mine safety and innovation in the mining industry.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW, John Barilaro (pictured), launched the first round of explosive testing at the new facility at Freeman’s Waterhole, which will operate under the management of the Mine Safety Technology Centre within the NSW Resources Regulator.

Barilaro said the facility is made from high-grade steel and concrete with modifications to reduce sound impacts and provides an appropriate location to test the safety of explosives made within the state, for use in underground coal mining operations.

“This will be the only independent explosives testing facility of its kind in Australia, making New South Wales the nation’s leader in mine safety development,” he said.

“Currently, there are few explosives that can be used in underground coal mines and these kinds of explosives have a very short shelf life, they don’t travel well and need to be developed and tested locally.

“Under the control of the NSW Resources Regulator’s Mine Safety Technology Centre, this facility will be used to determine if locally made explosives are viable and meet vital safety requirements to protect the wellbeing of workers.”

Barilaro said when used safely, explosives can significantly improve the productivity of underground mines by reducing the number of time-consuming and labour-intensive longwall moves required to extract coal, increasing the overall volume of coal recovered.

“The industry benefits significantly from the use of explosives in underground mines and the facility launched today will allow greater testing, experimentation and innovation from local businesses that specialise in producing explosives for mines,” Barilaro said.

“The facility is also discreet; it has been built on the site of a quarry to reduce impact on the surrounding environment and computer modelling has been used to determine the most effective ways to reduce noise.”

Test rounds at the facility will be scheduled to meet the needs of industry, at up to two to three times per year, restricted to work hours on weekdays, the government said.

Mining3’s ‘Top of Coal’ tech heads for commercialisation with CR Digital pact

Coal technology, Explosives and blasting, Mining services, Mining techniques, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , , , ,

Mining3’s “Top of Coal” technology is heading for commercialisation after the company signed an agreement with CR Digital for the next phase of the innovation’s development.

The announcement comes on the back of promising new results delivered from the most recent trial in the Bowen Basin of Queensland, where the technology was tested over 12 weeks and collected downhole data from over 250-plus boreholes, the companies said.

“Accurately detecting the approaching top of a coal seam prior to blasting is fundamental to efficient coal recovery,” Mining3 and CR Digital said. “During the extraction stage, a significant percentage (up to 12%) of overall coal loss is attributable to blast damage and coal dilution, which then makes it difficult to separate the coal cleanly from the waste during both overburden excavation and coal processing. By eliminating the damage done to the top of seam, substantial increases in recovery are enabled.”

With support from ACARP, Mining3 has been developing a measurement while drilling (MWD) system that detects the top of a coal seam while routinely drilling blast holes.

During the drilling process, the detection system uses resistance measurements ahead of the drill bit to detect approaching coal in real time. This method of detecting “Top of Coal” brings significant benefits to surface mining operations, Mining3 says, including:

  • Providing a reliable indication of the approach to “Top of Coal” that will enable drilling to be stopped before touching coal or at a minimum standoff distance;
  • Increase production by reducing damage to coal from blasting; and
  • Strata recognition and mapping during routine blasthole drilling.

The system can also be retro fitted to a standard rotary air blast drill rig.

CR Digital, part of the global CR Group, is now working with Mining3 on the commercialisation of the technology, and the integration of the Top of Coal technology into its technology portfolio.

Together, CR Digital and Mining3 see potential for the technology to be an extension to the Thunderbird 1110 and StrataSense products within the CR Digital portfolio.

“Collectively, this agnostic range can be retrofitted to any rotary air blast drill rig and is intended to build on the StrataSense capability of CR Digital, to compile a three-dimensional understanding of the bench and coal seam in real time,” the companies said.

Komatsu Gunnedah expands on local coal mining demand

Coal technology, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , ,

Komatsu Australia’s Gunnedah Branch in regional New South Wales has relocated to a new facility as it looks to cope with increased demand for its products from the local coal mining sector.

Komatsu Gunnedah had originally supported regional construction customers, yet, with the opening of coal mining north-west of Gunnedah and the sale of mining trucks, dozers and loaders, the requirements of the small branch rapidly increased, the company said.

For several months, the Gunnedah team had been looking for a suitable premise to support the increased demand and, on May 18, it moved into the new branch at 34 Allgayer Drive, Gunnedah, NSW 2380.

The new facility is “far beyond the ‘old branch’ in many ways”, Gunnedah Branch Manager, Peter Phillips, said.

“The office area is spacious as is the parts warehouse,” he said. “The parts warehouse is professionally laid out, including the mezzanine area set up for filter storage in racking.”

The workshop provides ample room to repair machines indoors and the yard access for transporting vehicles is substantial, according to the company. While the showroom is currently empty, moving forward, the branch plans to display construction machines for sale along with rental units in the dedicated space.

This move uplifts the profile of Komatsu Gunnedah in the region, according to Phillips.

“Our focus it to maintain this with our customers and promote Komatsu to be the place to visit as supplier of choice,” he said.

“To all from the branch who worked tirelessly with the move and in the Komatsu spirit, also the Mining Service Manager for support over the weekend of the move – thank you.”

Strata Worldwide’s MC2 certified for underground coal mine use

Coal technology, Communications in mining, IoT, Mining safety, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , ,

Strata Worldwide says its StrataConnect second-edition Miner Communicator (MC2) has won IECEx Intrinsically Safe approval, paving the way for it to be used in underground coal mines.

The StrataConnect MC2 (Part No SCT-MC2-03) is an underground personnel communication and location tracking device that operates on the StrataConnect™ wireless mesh network – formally known as Strata CommTrac. Released last year, the unit is designed specifically for harsh underground environments and provides personnel with two-way text communications, real-time location tracking, and both critical alert and response functions, the company says.

Communication messages include peer-to-peer or group texting and can be sent between units underground or to the user interface at the surface. Users have access to a full employee contact list and the ability to create personalised groups, while a full, hard-button QWERTY keyboard and large display screen facilitate fast and easy message reading and response, the company says.

“Miner location tracking is continuously active,” Strata said. “The units ping nearby communication nodes every 60 seconds for monitoring both location and direction of travel. Personnel can utilise the MC2 to locate fellow workers underground.”

The MC2, which is automatically functional on all StrataConnect wireless networks, is worn in a pouch on the user’s belt. Green LEDs on all four corners indicate the receipt of incoming messages, while red LEDs indicate an emergency notification. The device can also be used to send emergency alerts to dispatch if immediate assistance is needed.

Strata says battery life ranges between 24 and 48 hours, depending on use. Recharging takes around four hours, including the automatic update of contact lists which are done at this time.

CSIRO maps out laser scanning solution for underground coal mines

Automation, IoT, Mine shafts and equipment, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , , ,

New real-time underground 3D mapping technology developed by CSIRO can be used to locate, steer and navigate equipment and vehicles in volatile, methane-rich underground environments, according to Australia’s national science agency.

ExScan technology, being trialled by Glencore, as well as five other mining companies, has a laser scanner and associated software capable of generating real time 3D maps of tunnels, walls and cavities underground where global positioning system (GPS) cannot penetrate. These maps can be used for locating, steering and navigating equipment and vehicles.

Arguably, the real innovation in CSIRO’s new underground mapping technology is not the smart laser-based scanner, but the container in which it sits, CSIRO said.

“The enclosure has been certified to International Electrotechnical Commission ‘Ex d’ standards for use in volatile, methane-rich underground environments such as coal mines,” the agency said.

“That means it has been designed to prevent the electronic equipment it houses sparking an explosion.”

CSIRO Electronic Engineer and ExScan Project Lead, Peter Reid, said: “Nothing can go underground in a coal mine unless it’s certified to be in that environment. You can’t even take an aluminium can; it’s a potential spark hazard if it gets crushed by a vehicle. So getting electronics down there is a tricky process.”

The problem is that explosive gases such as methane penetrate equipment and any failure of electronics that causes a spark could lead to a fiery disaster.

The solution outlined in the Ex d regulation is not to contain explosions, but to prevent them from happening in the first place. That’s achieved by designing the container to ensure any spark would have to travel such a long way to encounter sufficient gas to trigger an explosion and, by that time, it will have cooled below the ignition point, CSIRO said.

Looking to longwalls

Many members of CSIRO’s ExScan development team spent years working with industry on the Australian Coal Association Research Program-funded project that developed the successful LASC longwall automation system.

A major driver behind automating coal mining is to remove people from the dusty, hazardous environment near the coal face, but even the LASC automated equipment occasionally needed hands on human measurement to guide it through trickier parts of the coal seams.

The idea behind ExScan was to provide images that could be used to make those measurements automatically, CSIRO said.

“This technology provides us with information that cameras on their own can’t,” Reid said. “It allows us to measure in 3D anything we see, as if we were there.”

The LASC ExScan is a 3D scanner, housed in an explosion-proof casing, that can map tunnels, voids and cavities in real-time underground.

What emerged looks a little like a 25 cm-high version of Star Wars character R2-D2 – with a steel base into which a polycarbonate dome screws, CSIRO said. The laser sits under the transparent dome and scans through it. To get outside into a volume of gas, any spark generated would have to work its way through a narrow sawtooth path formed by the screw thread and, in doing so, would lose most of its energy.

Should the scanner malfunction or the container become scratched or damaged, it can be swapped over in a matter of minutes, because the dome just screws off, CSIRO explained.

The team invested a lot of time in computer modelling to come up with a dome that was just right for injection moulding. That makes the ExScan devices relatively inexpensive to manufacture, according to CSIRO.

“In fact, they are affordable enough for a line of 40 or 50 to sit behind the mining equipment along a longwall face of between 400 and 500 m in length, providing real time updates of the condition of the wall,” it said. “At 10 metres apart, the devices are close enough to allow redundancy – their scans overlap, which means that if one fails, its absence can be covered by others on either side to ensure overall reliability.”

Removing people from the coal face

According to Glencore Technology Superintendent at Oaky North mine, in central Queensland, Lauris Hemmings, the images they generate can be used to determine and sort out coal flow blockages on the conveyor system under the shearing equipment and to help align and steer the shearers themselves.

“It’s a fantastic tool,” Hemmings said, “an ever-evolving piece of equipment that takes risk management to even higher levels.”

The mine is already hoping ExScan can be used to navigate the higher risk areas of the mine, taking employees away from the coal face.

But the applications are broader. The scanners can be mounted in any orientation – even upside down – and on moving machinery and vehicles. This means they can be used to map whole mines, and potentially for vehicle navigation, CSIRO said.

The containers themselves can be employed for other electronic purposes, such as housing camera systems, and are already being marketed separately by Eaton Industries.

In addition to Glencore, the LASC ExScan system is being trialled by five other Australian mining companies, as well as by companies overseas.

“The Chinese coal industry has become so interested that it has invested the resources for a couple of engineers to develop skills to deal with the large amount of data generated by the scanners,” CSIRO said. “The feedback from all this activity is allowing the CSIRO team to develop new features for the scanner.”

CSIRO is now determining next steps to commercialise the ExScan system.